How do you say "I had lunch" or "I had dinner" in German? Because das Mittagessen means lunch and essen means to eat, many students end up saying, wir haben Mittagessen gegessen — which you can probably feel yourself just doesn't sound right! The solution is simple. Just say: Ich habe (zu) Mittag gegessen. — I had lunch. Ich habe mit einer Freundin (zu) Mittag gegessen. — I had lunch with a friend. Wir haben zusammen (zu) Mittag gegessen. — We had lunch together. The "zu" is optional, adding it makes it sound slightly more formal. And for dinner — I think you can work this one out yourself :) Ich habe (zu) Abend gegessen. Ich habe mit einer Freundin (zu) Abend gegessen. Guten Appetit!