German Phrase
Schneide das überschüssige Fett weg.
Meaning
The sentence is a cooking instruction meaning ‘Cut away the excess fat.’ It tells the listener to remove any fat that is not needed, usually from meat or a piece of food.
When to use
Use this phrase while preparing meat, poultry, or fish in the kitchen, especially when you want to trim visible fat before cooking. It can also be used metaphorically to mean ‘eliminate unnecessary parts.’
✦Grammar Breakdown
SchneidedasüberschüssigeFettweg
Imperativ Singular
‘Schneide’ is the singular informal imperative of the verb ‘schneiden’. The stem ‘schneid‑’ gets the ending ‘‑e’ for the du‑form.
Definite Article (Accusative)
‘das’ is the neuter definite article in the accusative case, matching the noun ‘Fett’.
Adjective Declension (Weak)
After a definite article the adjective takes a weak ending ‘‑e’, so ‘überschüssige’ agrees with ‘das Fett’.
Separable Particle ‘weg’
‘weg’ belongs to the separable verb ‘wegschneiden’. In the imperative it is placed after the object: ‘Schneide … weg.’
🗨In Conversation
Schneide das überschüssige Fett weg, bevor du das Steak brätst.
Cut away the excess fat before you fry the steak.
Gute Idee, das macht das Fleisch zarter.
Good idea, that makes the meat more tender.
✕Common Mistakes
Schneide der überschüssige Fett weg.
The article must stay in the accusative ‘das’, not ‘der’ or ‘die’.
Wegschneide das überschüssige Fett.
In the imperative the particle ‘weg’ is placed after the object, not attached to the verb.
Schneide das überschüssiges Fett weg.
After the definite article the adjective takes a weak ending ‘‑e’, not ‘‑es’.
↔Alternatives
Entferne das überschüssige Fett.
Remove the excess fat.
Schneide das Fett ab.
Trim the fat.
Schneide das überflüssige Fett weg.
Cut the superfluous fat away.
Cultural Tip
In German kitchens the verb ‘abschneiden’ (to cut off) is often used for trimming meat, but ‘wegschneiden’ is equally correct and sounds a bit more decisive. Remember that the separable particle ‘weg’ always follows the object in the imperative, unlike English where it stays with the verb.