Word
Trinkst du lieber Milch?
Meaning
Do you prefer drinking milk?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Trinkst du lieber Milch?
du
you (informal singular)
trinken
to drink
lieber
rather / preferably
die Milch
the milk
Questions & Answers about Trinkst du lieber Milch?
Why does the sentence start with Trinkst?
Because it is a yes/no question! In English, we start these questions with "Do" or "Does" (Do you prefer...?). In German, you do not use "do" for questions. You just move the main verb to the very front of the sentence: Trinkst du... (literally: "Drink you...").
Why is there no verb for "prefer" in this sentence?
Instead of using a specific verb for "prefer", German uses the word lieber (which means "rather" or "more gladly") alongside a normal action verb. So Trinkst du lieber Milch? translates literally as "Do you drink milk more gladly?".
How does lieber relate to gern?
lieber is the next step up from gern. If you like drinking milk, you say Ich trinke gern Milch. If you prefer it (meaning you like it more than something else), you upgrade gern to lieber: Ich trinke lieber Milch.
Why is Milch capitalized?
In German, all nouns (people, places, things, and ideas) are capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence. Since Milch (milk) is a noun, it must always start with a capital letter.