Ich mische Reis und Gemüse in der Pfanne.

I mix rice and vegetables in the pan.

Breakdown of Ich mische Reis und Gemüse in der Pfanne.

• und: and
• in: in
• ich: I
• das Gemüse: the vegetable

Questions & Answers about Ich mische Reis und Gemüse in der Pfanne.

Why is it mische and not mischen?

Mische is the 1st person singular form of the verb mischen (to mix) in the present tense.

• Infinitive: mischen (to mix)
• ich mische – I mix
• du mischst – you mix
• er/sie/es mischt – he/she/it mixes
• wir mischen – we mix
• ihr mischt – you (plural) mix
• sie/Sie mischen – they / you (formal) mix

So because the subject is ich (I), the correct form is ich mische.

Why is there no article before Reis and Gemüse? Could/should it be den Reis and das Gemüse?

You can say it with or without articles, but there is a nuance:

• Ich mische Reis und Gemüse in der Pfanne.
  → Talking about rice and vegetables in general, like substances or ingredients. This is common with food, especially when you mean some amount of it, not specific items.

• Ich mische den Reis und das Gemüse in der Pfanne.
  → Refers to specific rice and vegetables that are already known from context (for example: the rice and the vegetables we just cooked).

So the original sentence uses Reis and Gemüse like mass nouns/ingredients, and German often omits the article in that case.

What case are Reis and Gemüse in?