01
kochen
to cook
To prepare a meal by heating it. In the narrower sense, also to cook food in boiling water.
example
Was soll ich heute Abend für uns kochen?
What should I cook for us this evening?
kochen
to cook / to boil
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 03
Usage tips
Context clue
The context shows whether 'kochen' means 'to prepare a meal' or 'to boil'. If a person is the subject, it is usually about food. If a liquid is the subject, it is about boiling.
EXAMPLE
Ich koche heute Abend eine Gemüsesuppe.
I'm cooking a vegetable soup this evening.
Sentence structure and use
'Kochen' can be used with an accusative object to say what you are preparing. It can also stand without an object and then means generally 'to prepare a meal'.
EXAMPLE
Er kocht einen großen Topf Nudeln.
He is cooking a big pot of pasta.
General use
In everyday language, 'kochen' is often used as a general term for preparing a hot meal, even if you are actually frying, baking, or steaming something.
EXAMPLE
Was kochen wir heute? Ich hätte Lust auf Pizza.
What are we cooking today? I feel like pizza.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'kochen vor Wut' (to boil with rage) is a fixed structure. The preposition 'vor' is used here to express the reason for the strong feeling. You can also say 'vor Eifersucht kochen' (to boil with jealousy).
EXAMPLE
Als er die Lüge hörte, kochte er innerlich vor Wut.
When he heard the lie, he was inwardly boiling with rage.
Compare with
kochen vs bereiten
to cause / prepare
'kochen' and 'bereiten' can both have to do with making food. 'kochen' is the normal everyday word when you make a meal by heating it. More specifically, it can also mean that something is cooked in water or that a liquid is boiling. 'bereiten' is much more formal and rarer in this meaning; 'zubereiten' is often more natural. Learners may confuse the words because both are possible with meals. In everyday language, people almost always say 'kochen'; in elevated or written language, you may see 'eine Mahlzeit bereiten' (to prepare a meal).
kochen
Heute Abend kocht Herr Krüger eine Suppe für seine Gäste.
This evening, Mr. Krüger is cooking a soup for his guests.
bereiten
Für das Fest bereitet die Köchin ein besonderes Menü.
For the celebration, the chef is preparing a special menu.
In real life
Loading video examples...