Brüche — Teilmengen (fractions)
A1 German grammar — Numbers. We use fractions to describe partial quantities. They are not only used in mathematics, but also in everyday language an…
Rule explained
We use fractions to describe partial quantities. They are not only used in mathematics, but also in everyday language and recipes — for example when shopping or baking. In German, the article and adjective often agree with the unit (ein halber Liter with masculine Liter, eine halbe Tasse with feminine Tasse, ein halbes Pfund with neuter Pfund). The symbols ½, ¼, ¾ are read aloud in full words in speech.
Examples
Use these mini-pairs as templates:
- ½ Liter Milch — Half a litre of milk (often: einen halben Liter Milch / ein halber Liter Milch in careful speech).
- ¾ kg Mehl — Three quarters of a kilo of flour — drei Viertel Kilo Mehl.
- Ein Viertel Liter Öl und ein Drittel Tasse Zucker. — A quarter litre of oil and a third of a cup of sugar.
- Nur die Hälfte vom Kuchen, bitte. — Only half of the cake, please.
Common mistakes
Watch out for these learner errors:
- Do not confuse halb (half) with Hälfte (noun: the half).
- With Liter, many speakers say einen halben Liter (accusative) when it is the object of a sentence.