German Phrase
Das war lecker.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘That was delicious’ or ‘It was tasty’. It is a short, enthusiastic comment you make after finishing a meal or tasting something you liked.
When to use
Use it right after you’ve eaten or tried food you enjoyed. It works in informal conversations with friends, family, or even in a casual restaurant setting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Daswarlecker
Das (demonstrative pronoun)
‘Das’ is a neuter demonstrative pronoun used as the subject. It means ‘that’ or ‘it’ and is in the nominative case.
war (preterite of sein)
‘war’ is the simple past (Präteritum) form of the verb ‘sein’ (to be) for the third‑person singular.
lecker (adjective, predicative)
‘lecker’ is an adjective meaning ‘tasty, delicious’. When used predicatively after ‘sein’, it stays in its base form without any ending.
🗨In Conversation
Das war lecker.
That was delicious.
Ja, das Essen war wirklich gut.
Yes, the food was really good.
✕Common Mistakes
Das ist lecker.
Using present tense ‘ist’ instead of past ‘war’ changes the time reference.
Das war leckere.
Adding an ending (e.g., ‘leckere’) is wrong because the adjective is used predicatively after ‘sein’.
Der war lecker.
Swapping ‘Das’ with ‘Der’ or ‘Die’ creates a gender mismatch; ‘Das’ is required because the implied noun ‘Essen’ is neuter.
↔Alternatives
Es war lecker.
It was delicious.
Das schmeckt gut.
That tastes good.
Das war köstlich.
That was exquisite.
Cultural Tip
‘Lecker’ is the go‑to word for tasty food in everyday German. It’s informal and friendly – perfect for a casual dinner with friends. For a more formal or enthusiastic compliment you might use ‘köstlich’ or ‘ausgezeichnet’. Remember that Germans often pair ‘lecker’ with a noun (e.g., ‘Der Kuchen ist lecker’) rather than using it as a stand‑alone exclamation, but the short sentence ‘Das war lecker’ is perfectly natural.