sweet / candy
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sweet / candy
A food that consists mainly of sugar or other sweet substances, such as hard candies, chocolate, or gummy bears. Usually used in the plural.
Als kleine Belohnung gönnte er sich nach dem Essen eine Süßigkeit.
As a small reward, he treated himself to a sweet after the meal.
The word is made up of the adjective 'süß' (sweet) and the ending '-igkeit'. This ending is often used to form nouns from adjectives that describe a quality or a thing with that quality.
Die Freundlichkeit der Gastgeber hat uns beeindruckt.
The friendliness of the hosts impressed us.
Although there is a singular form, the word is usually used in the plural, 'Süßigkeiten' (sweets/candy). The singular 'eine Süßigkeit' (a sweet/a piece of candy) refers to one individual piece, while the plural refers to the category in general.
Er hat eine ganze Tüte Süßigkeiten gekauft.
He bought a whole bag of sweets.
In connection with sweets, the verb 'naschen' is used very frequently. It means to enjoy sweet things in small amounts and often secretly.
Kinder naschen gerne Süßigkeiten, wenn die Eltern nicht hinsehen.
Children like to snack on sweets when their parents aren't looking.
The spelling 'Süssigkeit' with 'ss' is common in Switzerland. In Germany and Austria, after the spelling reform, 'Süßigkeit' is written with 'ß'.
In der Schweiz kauft man „süsse“ Sachen.
In Switzerland, people buy 'süsse' (sweet) things.
treat
A Süssigkeit is a usually sweet food such as chocolate or candy. Leckerei is more general and emphasizes that something tastes especially good; it can also be a small savory snack. Use Süssigkeit for sweet treats, and Leckerei when emphasizing special enjoyment.
Nach dem Essen nahm sich Lina noch eine Süssigkeit aus der Schale.
After the meal, Lina took another piece of candy from the bowl.
Nach dem Essen gönnte sich Lina eine kleine Leckerei vom Bäcker.
After the meal, Lina treated herself to a small treat from the bakery.
