barracks / tenement
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barracks
A building or group of buildings where soldiers are housed. Barracks serve as living and working quarters for the military.
Der Soldat verbrachte seine Grundausbildung in einer Kaserne am Stadtrand.
The soldier spent his basic training in a barracks on the outskirts of town.
The preposition 'in' is used with the accusative or dative depending on the context. Movement is expressed with 'in die Kaserne' (into the barracks, accusative), while being or staying somewhere is expressed with 'in der Kaserne' (in the barracks, dative).
Die neuen Rekruten marschieren in die Kaserne.
The new recruits march into the barracks.
In a military context, 'Kaserne' (barracks) is often combined with words such as 'Soldaten' (soldiers), 'stationiert sein' (to be stationed), 'einrücken' (to report for duty), or 'Grundausbildung' (basic training).
Tausende Soldaten sind in der größten Kaserne des Landes stationiert.
Thousands of soldiers are stationed in the largest barracks in the country.
You can recognize the colloquial meaning from the context. If the topic is 'wohnen' (living), 'Mieter' (tenants), or the appearance of a building, it usually means the derogatory word for a residential building.
Sie wohnt in so einer riesigen, grauen Mietskaserne am Stadtrand.
She lives in one of those huge, gray tenements on the outskirts of town.
When 'Kaserne' (barracks/tenement) describes a residential building, it is always colloquial and negative. It expresses that the building is perceived as impersonal and ugly.
Ich möchte nicht in solch einer anonymen Kaserne leben.
I don't want to live in such an anonymous tenement.
quarter / accommodation
'das Quartier' and 'die Kaserne' can both occur in a military context, because soldiers live or are accommodated there. But 'Kaserne' is a specific military building or a site with several buildings. 'Quartier' is more general and means accommodation, often only temporary. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with soldiers and accommodation. If you mean the permanent military site, 'Kaserne' is more precise. If you only mean the place where someone sleeps or stays, 'Quartier' is more likely to fit.
Vor der Kaserne wartet ein Bus, weil die Soldaten zum Training fahren.
A bus is waiting in front of the barracks because the soldiers are going to training.
Am Abend bezogen die Soldaten ihr Quartier in einer alten Schule.
In the evening, the soldiers took up their quarters in an old school.