dormitory / residential home
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dormitory
A building with rooms or small apartments that serves as accommodation for specific groups of people, such as students, trainees, or workers.
Während des Studiums habe ich in einem Wohnheim gelebt, weil es günstig war.
During my studies, I lived in a dormitory because it was affordable.
residential home
A facility that provides a home, and often also care, for older people or people with disabilities.
Ihre Großmutter ist nach dem Sturz in ein Wohnheim für Senioren gezogen.
After her fall, her grandmother moved into a residential home for seniors.
'Wohnheim' (dormitory / residential home) is a compound made from the stem of the verb 'wohnen' (to live) and the noun 'das Heim' (home). So it describes a building that serves as a communal home.
Das Wohnheim wurde erst vor wenigen Jahren modernisiert.
The dormitory was modernized only a few years ago.
Pay attention to the case with the preposition 'in': movement toward the place is expressed with the accusative ('ins Wohnheim ziehen' — to move into the dormitory / residential home), while staying at the place is described with the dative ('im Wohnheim leben' — to live in the dormitory / residential home).
Nächstes Semester ziehe ich in ein Wohnheim in der Nähe der Uni.
Next semester, I’m moving into a dormitory near the university.
What kind of 'Wohnheim' (dormitory / residential home) it is often becomes clear from a preceding word or from the context. Terms like 'Studentenwohnheim' (student dormitory) or 'Seniorenwohnheim' (senior residence / residential home for seniors) make the meaning more precise.
Die Plätze im Studentenwohnheim sind sehr begehrt.
Places in the student dormitory are in high demand.
In the context of students or trainees, you often hear phrases like 'einen Platz im Wohnheim bekommen' (to get a place in a dormitory), 'sich um ein Zimmer im Wohnheim bewerben' (to apply for a room in a dormitory), or 'aus dem Wohnheim ausziehen' (to move out of the dormitory).
Ich habe Glück gehabt und schnell einen Platz im Wohnheim bekommen.
I was lucky and quickly got a place in the dormitory.
boarding school
Both words refer to accommodation where people live for an extended period. An Internat is additionally connected to a school and normally includes lessons and care. A Wohnheim, by contrast, mainly provides rooms or small apartments for a particular group of people, without being connected to a school.
Lena wohnt während ihres Studiums im Wohnheim, besucht aber ihre Universität außerhalb.
Lena lives in a dormitory while she studies, but attends her university elsewhere.
Lena wohnt während des Schuljahres im Internat und wird dort auch unterrichtet und betreut.
Lena lives at boarding school during the school year, where she also receives lessons and supervision.
