01
der Tee
tea
A hot drink prepared by pouring water over dried plant parts, usually tea leaves.
example
Möchtest du eine Tasse Tee zum Aufwärmen?
Would you like a cup of tea to warm up?
der Tee
tea
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Meanings
01 / 03
Usage tips
Word formation
'Tee' (tea) is a very productive base word for many compounds in German. Examples include 'Teebeutel' (tea bag), 'Teekanne' (teapot), 'Eistee' (iced tea), or names for varieties such as 'Früchtetee' (fruit tea) and 'Kräutertee' (herbal tea).
EXAMPLE
Für den kalten Tee brauchst du eine Teekanne und viele Eiswürfel.
For the cold tea, you need a teapot and lots of ice cubes.
Typical collocation
In German, people very often say 'Tee kochen' (to make tea; literally: to cook/boil tea), even though you actually only boil the water and pour it over the tea. This phrasing is completely normal and widespread.
EXAMPLE
Ich koche uns schnell einen Tee, dann wird uns wieder warm.
I'll quickly make us some tea, then we'll warm up again.
Context clue
The context makes it clear whether the drink (m01) or the dry leaves (m02) are meant. Phrases such as 'eine Tasse Tee' (a cup of tea) refer to the drink, while 'eine Packung Tee' (a package of tea) means the leaves.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir bitte eine Tasse Tee bringen?
Can you please bring me a cup of tea?
Cultural context
The meaning of 'Tee' (tea) as a social event is rare in German. It is used almost exclusively to refer to cultural customs abroad, especially in Great Britain.
EXAMPLE
In England wird der Nachmittagstee traditionell um 17 Uhr serviert.
In England, afternoon tea is traditionally served at 5 p.m.
Compare with
Tee vs Eistee
iced tea
'der Tee' and 'der Eistee' are both tea-based drinks. The most important difference is the temperature, and often also the type of drink. 'Tee' usually means a hot drink that you freshly prepare by pouring water over it. 'Eistee' is cold and often sweet, for example with lemon or peach. Learners may confuse the words because both contain 'Tee'. If you mean a warm drink, say 'Tee'. If you mean a cold, sweet tea drink, say 'Eistee'.
Tee
Nach dem Spaziergang trinkt Luis einen heißen Tee.
After the walk, Luis drinks a hot tea.
Eistee
Am Bahnhof hat Emma einen Eistee mit Pfirsich gekauft.
At the train station, Emma bought an iced tea with peach.
In real life
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