B1-42 · Talk about what some people and all people eat
Eating habits
Use einige, manche and alle with the right endings, with and without a noun, to describe diets such as vegetarian and vegan.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Some and all
Einige and manche both mean some: einige stresses a small number, manche suggests that some do it and others do not. Alle means all. Before a plural noun they take the same endings as die: einige Gäste, manche Gäste, alle Gäste.
Einige Kollegen essen kein Fleisch.
Some colleagues don't eat meat.
Manche Leute leben vegan.
Some people are vegan.
Alle Gäste mögen die Suppe.
All the guests like the soup.
In der Kantine gibt es jeden Tag einige vegetarische Gerichte.
There are some vegetarian dishes in the canteen every day.
After einige, an adjective takes the strong ending -e: einige vegetarische Gerichte. Vegetarisch means vegetarian, vegan means vegan and das Gericht is a dish.
02
Endings in the dative
In the dative plural, einige, manche and alle end in -en, and the noun usually adds -n too: mit einigen Freunden, allen Gästen. After alle, an adjective takes the weak ending -en: alle veganen Gerichte.
| Case | einige | manche | alle |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | einige Gäste | manche Gäste | alle Gäste |
| accusative | einige Gäste | manche Gäste | alle Gäste |
| dative | einigen Gästen | manchen Gästen | allen Gästen |
Mit einigen Freunden koche ich vegan.
I cook vegan with some friends.
Manchen Kindern schmeckt Gemüse nicht.
Some children don't like the taste of vegetables.
Allen Gästen hat das Essen geschmeckt.
All the guests enjoyed the food.
Alle veganen Gerichte sind heute im Angebot.
All the vegan dishes are on offer today.
Schmecken takes a dative: Manchen Kindern schmeckt Gemüse nicht means that some children don't like vegetables. Im Angebot means on offer.
03
Without a noun
Einige, manche and alle can stand alone when it is clear who is meant. The verb is then plural: Einige essen nur Fisch. Alles, in the singular, means everything.
Einige essen nur Fisch.
Some only eat fish.
Manche verzichten ganz auf Zucker.
Some do without sugar completely.
Von meinen Freunden leben einige vegetarisch.
Some of my friends are vegetarian.
Wir haben alles aufgegessen.
We ate everything up.
Verzichten auf means to do without: Manche verzichten auf Zucker. Do not mix up alle (all of them) and alles (everything).
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