Learn Hardcore German: Meine Lieblingsspeise ist gebratener Reis mit knackigen Gurkenstreifen. - My favourite dish is fried rice with crunchy cucumber strips.

In German the possessive pronoun agrees with the gender, number and case of the noun it modifies. Speise is feminine singular in the nominative case, so you need the feminine form meine (not mein).

Why is Lieblingsspeise written as one word?

German often forms compound nouns by sticking words together. Here Lieblings (“favorite”) + Speise (“dish/meal”) = Lieblingsspeise. The last part (Speise) determines the overall meaning and gender (feminine).

Why is there no article before gebratener Reis in Meine Lieblingsspeise ist gebratener Reis?

After the verb sein (“to be”), you can introduce a category or definition without an article. Omitting the article makes it a general statement (“fried rice” in general) rather than pointing to one specific plate. Grammatically, without an article you apply the strong adjective declension.

What is the form gebratener, and why does it end with -er in gebratener Reis?

gebratener is the past participle of braten (“to fry/roast”) used as an adjective (a participial adjective). Because it modifies the masculine noun Reis in the nominative singular without any preceding article, it takes the strong declension ending -er (masc. nom. sing.).

What case does the preposition mit require, and how does that affect knackigen Gurkenstreifen?

mit always takes the dative case in German. In the dative plural, strong adjective endings are -en, so knackig becomes knackigen. Plural dative nouns normally get an -n if they don’t already end in -n; here Streifen already ends in -en, so it remains Gurkenstreifen.

Why is the adjective knackigen used instead of just knackig?

When an adjective appears directly before a noun (attributive position), it must be declined. Because Gurkenstreifen is in the dative plural (due to mit), the strong declension ending for dative plural is -en, giving knackigen Gurkenstreifen.

Why is Gurkenstreifen plural, and how can you tell?

Gurkenstreifen means “cucumber strips,” which naturally implies more than one. You also see that the adjective knackigen carries a plural dative ending (-en), confirming the noun is plural.

What’s the difference between Speise and Essen?

Both mean “food” or “meal,” but Speise is slightly more formal or menu-style (as you’d see in a recipe or at a restaurant). Essen is the everyday word for “food” or “to eat.” In a compound like Lieblingsspeise, Speise fits the idea of a distinct dish.