3 ms·

In Germany, beer is a mass noun.

• ruph123 4y ago
  Not true. Bier has a plural (Biere) and you can count it without a unit (1 Bier, 2 Biere, etc).
  • morkalork 4y ago
    Even in English it isn't consistent, ask a Canadian how much they drank and they might say "oh, I had a few beer".
  • zwieback 4y ago
    Interesting one. In my ear "Biere" would only sound right when referring to distinct beer types. I think this is more a case where spoken German would prefer "3 bier bitte" but technically it should be "3 Biere". Reminds me of the old joke where you hold up two fingers and say "4 Bier fuer die Maenner vom Saegewerk".
    • ruph123 4y ago
      Yeah you are right using the singular in the plural case is pretty common. But I would count it more as a colloquial/regional variation.
      • aix1 4y ago
        Duden gives "zwei Bier" as an example: ►Bier [bi:ɐ̯], das; -[e]s, -e: alkoholisches Getränk, das aus (meist aus Gerste hergestelltem) Malz und Hopfen hergestellt wird: Bier vom Fass; ein [Glas] helles, dunkles Bier trinken; in- und ausländische Biere (Biersorten); Herr Ober, noch zwei Bier (Gläser Bier), bitte!
• aix1 4y ago
  > In Germany, beer is a mass noun. Did you mean "Maß" noun? :) P.S. for non-German-speakers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C3%9F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C3%9F