der Haushalt
household
The entirety of the people who live together in an apartment or house and form an economic unit.
EXAMPLE
In unserem Haushalt leben vier Personen.
Four people live in our household.
der Haushalt
household / budget
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Meanings
der Haushalt
housework
The activities involved in running a home, such as cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry.
EXAMPLE
Meine Mutter hat sich immer um den Haushalt gekümmert.
My mother always took care of the housework.
der Haushalt
budget
The financial plan of a public institution (such as a state or municipality) or an organization for a specific period; the budget.
EXAMPLE
Der Bundestag hat den neuen Haushalt für das kommende Jahr verabschiedet.
The Bundestag passed the new budget for the coming year.
der Haushalt
balance
In biology or ecology, the balance between intake and output of a certain substance in a system.
EXAMPLE
Ein ausgeglichener Wasserhaushalt ist für den Körper sehr wichtig.
A balanced water balance is very important for the body.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Haushalt' is made up of 'Haus' (house) and 'Halt'. The word part 'Halt' is related to the verb 'halten' (to hold) and here means something like 'management' or 'organization'. A Haushalt is therefore the organization of a house or system.
EXAMPLE
Ein gut organisierter Haushalt spart Zeit und Geld.
A well-organized household saves time and money.
Typical collocations
When referring to the people living together, 'Haushalt' (household) is often combined with numbers or size descriptions, e.g. 'Ein-Personen-Haushalt' (single-person household), 'Mehrpersonen-Haushalt' (multi-person household), or 'kinderloser Haushalt' (childless household).
EXAMPLE
In Deutschland gibt es immer mehr Ein-Personen-Haushalte.
There are more and more single-person households in Germany.
Typical verbs
To describe housework, 'Haushalt' is often combined with the verbs 'machen' (to do) or 'führen' (to run). The expression 'den Haushalt schmeißen' (to run the household) is also colloquial and very common.
EXAMPLE
Wer schmeißt bei euch zu Hause den Haushalt?
Who runs the household at your place?
Political context clue
You can recognize the meaning 'Budget' (budget) from the context. When politics, the state, finances, or a government are being discussed, it almost always means the public financial plan.
EXAMPLE
Die Ministerin verteidigte ihren Entwurf für den Haushalt.
The minister defended her draft of the budget.
Scientific context clue
In scientific texts, especially in biology or medicine, 'Haushalt' (balance) refers to a system in equilibrium. It is then usually part of compounds such as 'Wasserhaushalt' (water balance), 'Energiehaushalt' (energy balance), or 'Säure-Basen-Haushalt' (acid-base balance).
EXAMPLE
Sportler müssen auf ihren Elektrolythaushalt achten.
Athletes have to pay attention to their electrolyte balance.
Compare with
Haushalt vs Wirtschaft
economy / pub
Both Wirtschaft and Haushalt can refer to managing cooking, cleaning, and household finances. Today, people generally say “den Haushalt führen.” Wirtschaft on its own sounds outdated in this sense and is more likely to occur in older texts.
Haushalt
Heute führen beide Eltern gemeinsam den Haushalt der Familie.
Today, both parents run the family household together.
Wirtschaft
In dem Roman von 1900 führt die älteste Tochter die Wirtschaft der Familie.
In the 1900 novel, the eldest daughter runs the family household.
In real life
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