Mitnehmen

Mitnehmen is a German verb meaning to take something with you or to carry it away. It is a separable-prefix verb formed from mit (with, along) and nehmen (to take). In the present tense the prefix separates: Ich nehme es mit. The past participle is mitgenommen, as in Ich habe es mitgenommen.

Common uses of mitnehmen include both everyday action and commercial contexts. You can say Ich nehme den Kaffee mit or Möchten Sie das Brot mitnehmen? to express taking food or drink away. In hospitality and retail, phrases such as Speisen zum Mitnehmen or Hier zum Mitnehmen are frequent, signaling that items are intended to be consumed off premises. In signage and menus, Mitnehmen is often paired with phrases like Nur zum Mitnehmen or Take-away equivalents in German-speaking areas.

The noun forms related to the concept are usually die Mitnahme or das Mitnehmen, referring to the act of taking something away or to a takeaway item. In everyday language, people also use Mitnahme-Verpackungen or Speisen zum Mitnehmen to specify packaging for customers who consume off-site.

Related terms and translation: Mitnehmen corresponds to the English takeaway or to-go. The concept is widespread in German-speaking countries, including Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, and it is used in both private conversation and service industry signage. The verb also appears in various tenses and moods: Nimm es mit! (Take it with you), Nehmen Sie es mit! (formal), Er hat es mitgenommen (He took it with him).