roommate
Loading your saved state.
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.
neighbor
'der Nachbar' and 'der Mitbewohner' both have to do with people near where you live. A neighbor lives in a different apartment, in a different house, or next door. A roommate or housemate lives with you in the same apartment or house and is usually not part of your family. Learners may confuse the words because both refer to people in your living environment. Remember: 'der Nachbar' lives next to you; 'der Mitbewohner' lives with you.
Mein Mitbewohner kocht heute in der Küche für uns beide.
My roommate is cooking in the kitchen for both of us today.
Der Nachbar bringt morgen ein Paket vorbei, weil ich nicht zu Hause war.
The neighbor is bringing by a package tomorrow because I was not at home.