noodle
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noodle / pasta
A food made from dough, usually from durum wheat semolina, water, and sometimes egg, produced in various shapes and cooked. Usually used in the plural.
Für die Kinder koche ich heute Nudeln mit Tomatensoße.
Today I'm cooking pasta with tomato sauce for the children.
little rascal
A colloquial, often affectionate or joking term for a person, especially a child.
Komm her, du freche Nudel, und lass dich umarmen!
Come here, you cheeky little rascal, and let me give you a hug!
The word 'Nudel' (noodle) is a very productive component in compound nouns related to food. Examples include 'Nudelsalat' (pasta salad), 'Nudelsuppe' (noodle soup), and 'Bandnudeln' (ribbon pasta/tagliatelle).
Im Sommer esse ich gerne einen leichten Nudelsalat.
In summer, I like eating a light pasta salad.
When talking about noodles or pasta as a dish or food, the plural 'Nudeln' is almost always used. The singular 'die Nudel' refers only to one individual piece.
Zum Abendessen gibt es heute Nudeln.
We're having pasta for dinner today.
In connection with preparing food, the most common verbs are 'Nudeln kochen' (to cook pasta/noodles) and 'Nudeln machen' (to make pasta/noodles).
Kannst du bitte schon mal die Nudeln kochen?
Could you please go ahead and cook the pasta?
Calling a person a 'Nudel' (little rascal/character) is colloquial and usually affectionate or joking. It is often used for children or people close to you, frequently in combination with an adjective.
Du bist vielleicht eine komische Nudel!
You really are a funny little character!
pasta
„Nudel“ is the more general German term for individual noodles or several of them. „Pasta“ refers more specifically to pasta products and dishes from Italian cuisine and can also mean the finished dish with sauce. When talking about food in general, „Nudeln“ is suitable; „Pasta“ is especially common for Italian food.
Für die Suppe kaufe ich kurze Nudeln, die auch nach dem Kochen fest bleiben.
I am buying short noodles for the soup that will stay firm even after cooking.
Für das italienische Abendessen kocht Giulia Pasta mit Tomatensoße.
Giulia is cooking pasta with tomato sauce for the Italian dinner.
