01
die Bohne
bean
The edible legume or seed of various plants, used as a vegetable.
example
Für das Chili con Carne brauchen wir eine Dose rote Bohnen.
For the chili con carne, we need a can of red beans.
die Bohne
bean
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 03
Usage tips
Context clue
Context tells you whether a vegetable bean or a coffee bean is meant. Words like 'kochen' (to cook), 'Salat' (salad), or 'Dose' (can) point to the legume. Words like 'mahlen' (to grind), 'rösten' (to roast), 'Kaffee' (coffee), or 'Espresso' (espresso) point to the coffee bean.
EXAMPLE
Ich esse gern einen Salat mit Thunfisch und Bohnen.
I like eating a salad with tuna and beans.
Register and style
The expression 'nicht die Bohne' (not at all) is very colloquial. It is used to strongly emphasize a negation and should be avoided in formal situations or texts.
EXAMPLE
Seine Meinung interessiert mich nicht die Bohne.
His opinion doesn't interest me at all.
Sentence structure
The expression 'nicht die Bohne' (not at all) usually comes at the end of a sentence or clause as an intensifier and means 'überhaupt nicht' (not at all) or 'gar nicht' (not at all).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe heute nicht die Bohne geschlafen.
I didn't sleep at all today.
Typical compounds
'Bohne' (bean) is a very productive base word for many compound nouns. Examples include 'Kaffeebohne' (coffee bean), 'Kakaobohne' (cocoa bean), 'Sojabohne' (soybean), 'Kidneybohne' (kidney bean), or also the dish 'Bohnensuppe' (bean soup).
EXAMPLE
Für das Rezept benötigst du eine Tasse schwarze Bohnen.
For the recipe, you need a cup of black beans.
Compare with
Bohne vs Linse
lentil / lens
'die Bohne' and 'die Linse' are both edible plant seeds and are often cooked in warm dishes. They can therefore be easy to confuse, especially when talking generally about vegetables or legumes. A bean is usually larger and more elongated, for example a green bean or a kidney bean. A lentil is small, flat, and roundish, and is especially good in soups or stews. So if you mean the exact ingredient, you should use the specific name.
Bohne
Für den Salat schneidet Lisa die grünen Bohnen in kleine Stücke.
For the salad, Lisa cuts the green beans into small pieces.
Linse
Im Winter kocht Mehmet oft eine Suppe mit roten Linsen.
In winter, Mehmet often cooks a soup with red lentils.
In real life
Loading video examples...