Eis

noun
ice, ice cream
A2

Means either frozen water ('ice') or 'ice cream' in German. Noun: das Eis. Often uncountable in singular; genitive des Eises. For varieties or flavours people say die Eissorten; a rare plural is 'die Eise'. Context decides: skating ice vs dessert.

Examples

Ich esse gerne Eis.
I like to eat ice cream.
Das Eis schmilzt in der Sonne.
The ice is melting in the sun.
Zum Geburtstag gibt es dein liebstes Eis.
There will be your favorite ice cream for your birthday.

Details

PluralEissorten (for varieties); rare plural: Eise

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
nominativedas Eisdie Eissorten (common for varieties); rare: die Eise
genitivedes Eisesder Eissorten (common); rare: der Eise
dativedem Eisden Eissorten (common); rare: den Eisen
accusativedas Eisdie Eissorten (common); rare: die Eise

Mnemonics

👁️Imagine a cone of ice cream melting on a hot day.
👂Sounds like English 'ice'.
⚧️das — think 'das' for neutral, like 'das Wasser', another neutral food/substance.

Notes

Eis can be an uncountable mass noun (general 'ice') or used for 'ice cream' in everyday speech. The direct plural of the substance is rare ('Eise'); speakers commonly use 'Eissorten' when talking about varieties of ice cream. Plural is therefore uncommon for the substance itself.

Category

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Related Words

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