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Breakdown of Ich esse Brot und trinke außerdem Saft.
und
and
trinken
to drink
essen
to eat
das Brot
the bread
ich
I
der Saft
the juice
außerdem
also
Questions & Answers about Ich esse Brot und trinke außerdem Saft.
What does außerdem mean in this sentence?
Außerdem is a sentence-adverb meaning “besides/in addition/also.” It signals that you’re mentioning a second action (drinking juice) in addition to the first (eating bread).
Why is außerdem placed after trinke instead of at the very beginning of the sentence?
In German main clauses, adverbs like außerdem usually occupy the “middle field,” i.e. they come after the finite verb and before objects or other sentence elements. If you started with außerdem, you’d have to invert subject and verb:
Außerdem esse ich Brot und trinke Saft.
Why aren’t there any articles before Brot and Saft?
Here Brot (bread) and Saft (juice) are used as mass nouns in a general sense. German omits the article when you talk about an uncountable substance or something nonspecific.
Could I say Ich esse ein Brot und trinke außerdem einen Saft instead?
Yes. Adding ein/ einen makes each noun countable (“a loaf of bread,” “a glass of juice”) and refers to a specific portion. Omitting the articles keeps it general.
Why are Brot and Saft capitalized?
German always capitalizes nouns, regardless of where they appear in a sentence.
Do I need a comma before und in this sentence?
No. German does not use a comma before a simple und that connects two verbs or two clauses under the same subject.
What’s the difference between using außerdem and auch here?
- Auch means “also/even,” simply adding another action.
- Außerdem means “in addition/besides,” adding a slightly stronger or more formal emphasis when listing things.
Why are there two verbs (esse, trinke) in one sentence with only one subject?
German allows you to connect multiple actions of the same subject with und. You effectively have two mini‐clauses sharing Ich: Ich esse Brot und trinke außerdem Saft.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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