Minibar

minibar

noun MEE-ni-bar Rare

Origin: from English

Usage Note

Minibar is the small refrigerator in a hotel room stocked with drinks, snacks, and sometimes alcohol. Items consumed are added to the bill at the end of the stay. The term was borrowed from English and is used identically in German hospitality.

Examples

"Ich habe leider aus der Minibar getrunken und es war sehr teuer."

Natural Translation

Unfortunately I drank from the minibar and it was very expensive.

Literal Translation

I have unfortunately from the minibar drunk and it was very expensive.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Word Order: The Verb Rules That Trip You Up

German word order comes down to three verb-position rules: the verb is second in main clauses, last after weil and dass, and time comes before place.

June 5, 2026 6 min read