der Dachboden
attic
The space directly under the roof of a house, often used for storing things.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Dachboden haben wir die alte Truhe meiner Großmutter gefunden.
In the attic, we found my grandmother's old chest.
der Dachboden
attic
der Dachboden, die Dachböden
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Dachboden, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Dachböden |
| genitive | des Dachbodens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Dachboden | die Dachböden |
| accusative | den Dachboden | die Dachböden |
| dative | dem Dachboden | den Dachböden |
| genitive | des Dachbodens | der Dachböden |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'Dach' (roof) and 'Boden' (floor). It literally describes the 'Boden' (floor) directly under the 'Dach' (roof) of a house.
EXAMPLE
Die alte Holzkiste steht ganz hinten auf dem Dachboden.
The old wooden box is at the very back of the attic.
Correct preposition
Use 'auf den Dachboden' (to the attic) with the accusative for direction and 'auf dem Dachboden' (in the attic) with the dative for location.
EXAMPLE
Ich gehe auf den Dachboden, um die Weihnachtsdekoration zu holen.
I'm going up to the attic to get the Christmas decorations.
Die alten Koffer sind auf dem Dachboden.
The old suitcases are in the attic.
Typical verbs
Typical activities connected with an attic are 'aufräumen' (to tidy up), 'entrümpeln' (to clear out), or to 'lagern' (store) and 'verstauen' (put away) things there.
EXAMPLE
Am Wochenende wollen wir endlich den Dachboden entrümpeln.
At the weekend, we finally want to clear out the attic.
Compare with
Dachboden vs Speicher
storage / memory
Speicher and Dachboden can both refer to the space directly under a house's roof. Dachboden is the usual term throughout the German-speaking area. In this meaning, Speicher is used mainly regionally, especially in southern Germany; Dachboden is therefore usually better in a text intended to be generally understood.
Dachboden
In ganz Deutschland versteht man, dass alte Kisten auf dem Dachboden lagern.
Throughout Germany, people understand that old boxes are stored in the attic.
Speicher
In Süddeutschland lagern viele Familien alte Kisten auf dem Speicher.
In southern Germany, many families store old boxes in the attic.
In real life
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