German Phrase
Dann koche ich Abendessen.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘Then I cook dinner.’ It signals that cooking dinner is the next step after something else that has just been mentioned.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are describing a sequence of activities in your daily routine, a recipe, or a plan for the evening. It works well in informal conversation and in written schedules.
✦Grammar Breakdown
DannkocheichAbendessen
Dann (adverb)
‘Dann’ means ‘then’ or ‘next’ and is used to indicate a subsequent action in a sequence.
koche (verb conjugation)
‘koche’ is the 1st‑person singular present tense of ‘kochen’ (to cook).
ich (personal pronoun)
‘ich’ is the subject pronoun ‘I’; in German the verb comes before the pronoun in main clauses.
Abendessen (noun)
‘Abendessen’ is a neuter noun meaning ‘dinner’; it can appear with or without the definite article, though ‘das Abendessen’ is more common in formal speech.
🗨In Conversation
Was machst du nach der Arbeit?
What are you doing after work?
Dann koche ich Abendessen.
Then I cook dinner.
✕Common Mistakes
Dann kochen ich Abendessen.
Verb conjugation is wrong; ‘kochen’ must be ‘koche’ for ‘ich’.
Dann koche ich das Abendessen.
The article is optional, but many learners add it unnecessarily; both are correct, but the version without the article sounds more colloquial.
Dann koche ich Abendessen.
In formal contexts you should include the article: ‘Dann koche ich das Abendessen.’
↔Alternatives
Dann bereite ich das Abendessen zu.
Then I prepare dinner.
Danach koche ich das Abendessen.
After that I cook dinner.
Ich koche dann das Abendessen.
I then cook dinner.
Cultural Tip
In many German households, ‘Abendessen’ is the main hot meal of the day, usually eaten between 6 pm and 8 pm. In northern Germany people often say ‘Abendbrot’ (evening bread) for a lighter, cold‑meal dinner. When you mention cooking, you can also add the type of dish (e.g., ‘Dann koche ich Spaghetti zum Abendessen’) to sound more natural.