bewohnen
to inhabit
To live or reside in a house, an apartment, or a specific area.
EXAMPLE
Die Familie bewohnt ein altes Bauernhaus am Rande des Dorfes.
The family inhabits an old farmhouse on the edge of the village.
bewohnen
to inhabit
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Meanings
Usage tips
Sentence structure without a preposition
The verb 'bewohnen' (to inhabit) takes a direct object in the accusative and is used without a preposition like 'in'. So you state directly what is inhabited.
EXAMPLE
Viele verschiedene Tierarten bewohnen diesen Wald.
Many different animal species inhabit this forest.
Inseparable verb
'Bewohnen' (to inhabit) is an inseparable verb because it begins with 'be-'. The prefix remains firmly attached to the verb 'wohnen' (to live/reside) in all sentence forms and tenses.
EXAMPLE
Er hat früher ein großes Haus am See bewohnt.
He used to inhabit a large house by the lake.
Word structure
The verb is made up of the prefix 'be-' and the verb 'wohnen' (to live/reside). Here, the prefix 'be-' turns the intransitive verb 'wohnen' (where?) into a transitive verb 'bewohnen' (what?).
EXAMPLE
Die oberste Etage des Gebäudes wird von einer jungen Künstlerin bewohnt.
The top floor of the building is inhabited by a young artist.
Compare with
bewohnen vs leben
to live
With a location, leben refers to the place where someone has their main home. bewohnen, by contrast, takes a house, apartment, or area directly as its object and emphasizes its use as living space. Both can describe the same living situation from different perspectives.
bewohnen
Die Familie bewohnt seit zehn Jahren dieses alte Haus.
The family has inhabited this old house for ten years.
leben
Die Familie lebt seit zehn Jahren in diesem alten Haus.
The family has lived in this old house for ten years.
In real life
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