das Eigenheim
own home
A house or apartment that one owns and usually also lives in oneself.
EXAMPLE
Viele junge Familien träumen davon, irgendwann ein eigenes Eigenheim zu besitzen.
Many young families dream of one day owning their own home.
das Eigenheim
own home
das Eigenheim, die Eigenheime
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Eigenheim, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Eigenheime |
| genitive | des Eigenheims |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Eigenheim | die Eigenheime |
| accusative | das Eigenheim | die Eigenheime |
| dative | dem Eigenheim | den Eigenheimen |
| genitive | des Eigenheims des Eigenheimes | der Eigenheime |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'eigen' (own) and 'das Heim' (a poetic word for home). So the meaning is literally 'an own home' or 'a home of one's own'.
EXAMPLE
Der Bau eines Eigenheims ist ein großes Projekt.
Building your own home is a major project.
Typical collocations
Common verbs used with 'Eigenheim' (own home) are 'ein Eigenheim bauen' (to build an own home), 'kaufen' (to buy), 'finanzieren' (to finance), or 'besitzen' (to own). A very common phrase is also 'der Traum vom Eigenheim' (the dream of owning a home).
EXAMPLE
Sie haben lange gespart, um sich den Traum vom Eigenheim zu erfüllen.
They saved for a long time to fulfill their dream of owning a home.
Register
'Eigenheim' (own home) is a common term, but it is often used in more formal contexts such as banks, insurance companies, or the news. It sounds more official than 'eigenes Haus' (one's own house).
EXAMPLE
Die Regierung fördert den Kauf von Eigenheimen durch günstige Kredite.
The government is promoting the purchase of homes through low-interest loans.
Compare with
Eigenheim vs zuhause
at home
Both words can refer to a house or apartment where someone lives. „Zuhause“ describes a person's place of residence regardless of ownership, while „das Eigenheim“ specifically means a house or apartment that someone owns and usually lives in themselves. For a rented apartment, use „zuhause“, not „Eigenheim“.
Eigenheim
Nach dem Kauf bewohnt die Familie ihr eigenes Eigenheim.
After buying it, the family lives in their own home.
zuhause
Obwohl sie nur zur Miete wohnt, fühlt sie sich in dieser Wohnung zuhause.
Although she only rents the apartment, she feels at home there.
In real life
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