noun
canteen, cafeteria
B1
Mensa: feminine noun meaning a canteen or cafeteria, especially at a university or institution. Article die; plural Mensen. Commonly used for student dining halls. Regular declension shown in metadata but plural form is Mensen (not Mensas). No special preposition; used in contexts like 'in der Mensa' (in the canteen).
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Die Studenten trafen sich in der Mensa, wo sie früher zusammen lernten, weil die Bibliothek geschlossen war.
The students met in the cafeteria where they had studied together before because the library was closed.
Nach der Vorlesung gehen viele Studierende in die Mensa, um günstig zu essen.
After the lecture many students go to the canteen to eat cheaply.
In der Mensa gibt es heute vegetarisches Essen.
There is vegetarian food in the cafeteria today.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture a university building with a long line of students carrying trays into a big dining hall labeled MENSA.
Sounds like 'men's a' — imagine a place for students (men and women) to eat.
die (feminine) — think of 'die' as the group of students (plural-sounding) who gather at the canteen (female ending -a).
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
In German, 'Mensa' most often refers to a university or school canteen rather than a private restaurant.