Imagine youβre at a house party in Germany.
Youβve just arrived and greeted all the other people in your best German.
Everybody is having fun, and you have an excellent opportunity to meet new people and practice your conversation skills. Unfortunately, you need to go to the bathroom.
In this case, you would excuse yourself and ask where you can find the bathroom.
But wait.
What was βbathroomβ in German again? And all the other house parts in general?
If you lack the vocabulary for house parts in German – this article is for you.
Let me introduce you to some basics:
10 Key House Parts in German
- π©πͺ das/ein Haus – πΊπΈ a house/ home
- π©πͺ die/eine Wohnung – πΊπΈ an apartment
- π©πͺ die/eine KΓΌche – πΊπΈ a kitchen
- π©πͺ das/ein Badezimmer – πΊπΈ a bathroom
- π©πͺ das/ein Schlafzimmer – πΊπΈ a bedroom
- π©πͺ das/ein Wohnzimmer – πΊπΈ a living room
- π©πͺ das/ein Esszimmer – πΊπΈ a dining room
- π©πͺ der/ein Keller – πΊπΈ a basement
- π©πͺ das/ein Dach – πΊπΈ a roof
- π©πͺ das/ein GΓ€stezimmer – πΊπΈ a guest room
Well, this is, of course, not everything. Have a look at more words youβd probably need.
- π©πͺ die/eine Wand – πΊπΈ a wall
- π©πͺ die/eine TΓΌr – πΊπΈ a door
- π©πͺ die/eine Terasse – πΊπΈ a terrace
- π©πͺ das/ein Fenster – πΊπΈ a window
- π©πͺ die Treppen – πΊπΈ stairs
- π©πͺ der/ein Flur – πΊπΈ a hall
- π©πͺ der/ein Garten – πΊπΈ a garden
- π©πͺ der/ein Boden – πΊπΈ the floor
- π©πͺ die/eine Speisekammer – πΊπΈ a pantry
- π©πͺ der/ein Balkon – πΊπΈ a balcony
Now, letβs put these house parts into whole sentences.
π©πͺ Entschuldigung, wo ist das Badezimmer?
πΊπΈ Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
π©πͺ Hast du Alex gesehen? – Ja, er ist in der KΓΌche.
πΊπΈ Have you seen Alex? – Yes, heβs in the kitchen.
π©πͺ Kannst du die Gitarre aus dem Keller holen?
πΊπΈ Can you get the guitar from the basement?
π©πͺ Die Familie isst das Abendessen immer in dem Esszimmer.
πΊπΈ The family always eats dinner in the dining room.
π©πͺ Hast du die TΓΌr abgeschlossen?
πΊπΈ Did you lock the door?
π©πͺ Lebst du in einem Haus oder in einer Wohnung?
πΊπΈ Do you live in a house or an apartment?
π©πͺ Das ist das Schlafzimmer meiner Eltern.
πΊπΈ Thatβs my parentβs bedroom.
π©πͺ In dem Haus gibt es drei Badezimmer.
πΊπΈ There are three bathrooms in this house.
π©πͺ Das ist mein Zimmer.
πΊπΈ This is my room.
Essential Verbs while Talking about House Parts
We just covered the essential parts that belong to a house, and now it would be great to know how to talk about the activities one can do there.
Here is a list of verbs that may come in handy while talking about house parts and some other situations :
What can you do to a house: | What can you do in the house: |
π©πͺ kaufen – πΊπΈ to buy π©πͺ mieten – πΊπΈ to rent π©πͺ bauen – πΊπΈ to build π©πͺ verkaufen – πΊπΈ to sell π©πͺ renovieren – πΊπΈ to renovate π©πͺ repairieren – πΊπΈ to repair π©πͺ einziehen – πΊπΈ to move in | π©πͺ putzen – πΊπΈ to clean π©πͺ entspannen – πΊπΈ to relax π©πͺ aufrΓ€umern – πΊπΈ to tidy up π©πͺ waschen – πΊπΈ to wash π©πͺ spielen – πΊπΈ to play π©πͺ kochen – πΊπΈ to cook π©πͺ wohnen – πΊπΈ to dwell π©πͺ leben – πΊπΈ to live π©πͺ backen – πΊπΈ to bake π©πͺ arbeiten – πΊπΈ to work π©πͺ schlafen – πΊπΈ to sleep π©πͺ aufwachsen – πΊπΈ to grow up π©πͺ bΓΌgeln – πΊπΈ to iron π©πͺ essen – πΊπΈ to eat |
After learning these verbs, you will be able to create better sentences on your own. Let me start the list with some valuable examples, and you can continue the list as long as you want.
π©πͺ Samstags rΓ€ume ich das ganze Haus auf.
πΊπΈ I clean up the whole house on Saturdays.
π©πͺ Am Sonntag kann ich entspannen.
πΊπΈ I can relax on Sunday.
π©πͺ Die Kinder spielen im Garten.
πΊπΈ The children are playing in the garden.
π©πͺ Ich kann nur in meinem Schlafzimmer gut schlafen.
πΊπΈ I can only sleep well in my bedroom.
π©πͺ Ich habe ein neues Haus gekauft.
πΊπΈ I have bought a new house.
π©πͺ Mein Freund verkauft seine Wohnung und zieht bei mir ein.
πΊπΈ My boyfriend is selling his apartment and moving in with me.
π©πͺ Ich lebe in diesem Haus schon mein ganzes Leben. Ich bin hier aufgewachsen.
πΊπΈ Iβve lived all my life in this house. I grew up here.
π©πͺ Die KΓΌche muss renoviert werden.
πΊπΈ The kitchen needs to be renovated.
π©πͺ Heute muss meine Schwester das Geschirr spΓΌlen.
πΊπΈ Today my sister has to wash the dishes.
π©πͺ Sonntgas kocht unsere Oma uns das Mittagessen.
πΊπΈ Our grandma cooks lunch for us on Sundays.
How to Describe a House in German
Positive adjectives
Let us go back to the house party. Itβs your first time there, and you would like to start a conversation with the host.
For example, one good conversation starter would be to tell him that you like his place, especially the cozy atmosphere in the living room.
These adjectives will help you to describe a house in German:
- π©πͺ schΓΆn – πΊπΈ beautiful
- π©πͺ groΓ – πΊπΈ big
- π©πͺ gemΓΌtlich – πΊπΈ cozy
- π©πͺ modern – πΊπΈ modern
- π©πͺ elegant – πΊπΈ elegant
- π©πͺ schick – πΊπΈ fancy
- π©πͺ sauber – πΊπΈ clean
- π©πͺ gepflegt – πΊπΈ neat
- π©πͺ gerΓ€umig – πΊπΈ spacious
- π©πͺ hΓΌbsch – πΊπΈ pretty
You can use all these adjectives to describe something you like.
Take a look at some possible phrases how you can use them:
π©πͺ Dein Haus ist sehr schΓΆn
πΊπΈ Your house is gorgeous
π©πͺ Ich liebe es, wie gerΓ€umig es hier ist
πΊπΈ I love it how spacious it is here
π©πͺ Die Wohnung sieht sehr modern und elegant aus
πΊπΈ The apartment looks very modern and elegant
π©πͺ In dem Wohnzimmer ist es sehr gemΓΌtlich
πΊπΈ Itβs very cozy in the living room
π©πͺ Das Haus ist sehr hΓΌbsch eingerichtet
πΊπΈ The house is very nicely decorated
π©πͺ Hast du einen GΓ€rtner? Der Garten sieht sehr gepflegt aus
πΊπΈ Do you have a gardener? Your garden looks very neat
Negative Adjectives
But what if your close friend asks you for an honest opinion on a house he wants to buy? Unfortunately, the house seems not to be in the best condition. In this case, you wouldnβt use any of the words above.
Instead, take a look at a list of negative adjectives:
- π©πͺ hΓ€sslich – πΊπΈ ugly
- π©πͺ altmodisch – πΊπΈ old-fashioned
- π©πͺ veraltet – πΊπΈ outdated
- π©πͺ teuer – πΊπΈ expensive
- π©πͺ klein – πΊπΈ small
- π©πͺ alt – πΊπΈ old
- π©πͺ ungepflegt – πΊπΈ neglected
- π©πͺ dunkel – πΊπΈ dark
- π©πͺ dreckig – πΊπΈ dirty
Hereβs how to use these German adjectives to describe something you donβt like:
π©πͺ Das Haus ist viel zu teuer
πΊπΈ The house is way too expensive
π©πͺ Die Wohnung is von Innen sehr dunkel
πΊπΈ The inside of the apartment is very dark
π©πͺ Ich glaube, die Wohnung ist seit lΓ€ngerer Zeit ungepflegt
πΊπΈ I think the apartment has been neglected for a long time
π©πͺ Es ist wirklich dreckig hier
πΊπΈ Itβs filthy here
π©πͺ Diese Bauart ist veraltet
πΊπΈ This design is out of date