roommate
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roommate / housemate
A person who lives together with one or more other people in an apartment or house without being part of the family.
Mein Mitbewohner ist diese Woche für das Putzen des Badezimmers zuständig.
My roommate is responsible for cleaning the bathroom this week.
'Mitbewohner' (roommate/housemate) consists of the prefix 'mit-' (together/with) and 'Bewohner' (resident). So it is literally a person who lives together with someone.
Ich suche einen neuen Mitbewohner für meine Wohnung.
I'm looking for a new roommate for my apartment.
The word 'Mitbewohner' (roommate/housemate) is closely connected with the concept of a 'Wohngemeinschaft' (shared apartment/house), or 'WG' for short. A WG is a very common living arrangement in Germany, especially for students and young people in cities.
In unserer WG wohnen drei Mitbewohner zusammen.
Three roommates live together in our shared apartment.
Common expressions are 'einen Mitbewohner suchen' (to look for a roommate), 'sich eine Wohnung mit Mitbewohnern teilen' (to share an apartment with roommates), or 'gut mit seinen Mitbewohnern auskommen' (to get along well with one's roommates).
Zum Glück komme ich sehr gut mit meinen Mitbewohnern aus.
Luckily, I get along very well with my roommates.
subtenant
A Mitbewohner lives with other people in the same apartment or house. An Untermieter, on the other hand, rents part of an apartment or a room from the main tenant. Mitbewohner is the right term for living together; Untermieter is more precise when referring to this specific rental arrangement.
Mein Mitbewohner und ich teilen uns die Küche in unserer Wohnung.
My roommate and I share the kitchen in our apartment.
Mein Untermieter und ich teilen uns die Küche in meiner Wohnung.
My subtenant and I share the kitchen in my apartment.
