Breakdown of Ich esse das Stück Schokolade.
essen
to eat
ich
I
die Schokolade
the chocolate
das Stück
the piece
Questions & Answers about Ich esse das Stück Schokolade.
Why is the article das used before Stück in this sentence?
Stück is a neuter noun in German. Since it’s the direct object of esse, it takes the accusative case. In the neuter singular, the definite article remains das in both nominative and accusative, so you say das Stück.
What case is das Stück Schokolade, and how do I recognize it?
It’s in the accusative case because it answers the question “What am I eating?” (the direct object). You recognize the accusative here by the article das, which for neuter singular doesn’t change form from nominative to accusative.
Why is there no article before Schokolade?
This is a partitive or measure‐phrase construction: Stück (“piece”) is the head noun, and Schokolade specifies what kind of piece it is. In such constructions German drops the article before the second noun. It literally means “the piece of chocolate.”
Could I say Ich esse ein Stück Schokolade instead?
Yes. Using ein Stück Schokolade makes the piece indefinite (“a piece of chocolate”). Ich esse das Stück Schokolade refers to a specific piece you both know about (e.g. “that piece on the table”).
Why is Schokolade capitalized here? In English “chocolate” is not.