department store
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department store
A large store, often with several floors, that offers a wide variety of goods in different departments, such as clothing, electronics, household goods, and food.
Früher sind wir samstags immer ins Kaufhaus gefahren, um für die ganze Familie einzukaufen.
In the past, we always drove to the department store on Saturdays to shop for the whole family.
'Kaufhaus' (department store) is a simple compound made from the verb 'kaufen' (to buy), here as the noun 'Kauf' (purchase), and 'Haus' (house). So it is literally a house where you can buy things.
Das neue Kaufhaus in der Innenstadt hat zehn Etagen.
The new department store in the city center has ten floors.
Pay attention to the difference in prepositions: movement toward a place is expressed with the accusative ('ins Kaufhaus gehen' — to go into/to the department store), while being at a place requires the dative ('im Kaufhaus sein' — to be in the department store).
Wir fahren am Nachmittag ins Kaufhaus, um ein Geschenk zu suchen.
We are going to the department store in the afternoon to look for a gift.
Typical verbs connected with 'Kaufhaus' (department store) describe the shopping experience. These include 'im Kaufhaus einkaufen' (to shop in the department store), 'bummeln' (to stroll/browse), or 'sich umsehen' (to look around).
An Regentagen kann man gut im Kaufhaus bummeln gehen.
On rainy days, you can have a nice browse around the department store.
shop / business
'das Geschäft' and 'das Kaufhaus' can both be places where you buy goods. 'Geschäft' is general and can be small or large. It may offer only one particular type of goods, for example flowers or books. 'Kaufhaus' is more specific: it is a large store, often with several departments and many different kinds of goods. Learners may confuse the words because a department store is also a shop. But not every shop is a department store.
Wegen des Wetters verbringen wir den Nachmittag im Kaufhaus.
Because of the weather, we're spending the afternoon in the department store.
Frau Müller geht morgen in ein Geschäft, um ein Geschenk zu kaufen.
Mrs. Müller is going to a shop tomorrow to buy a gift.