01
die Wohnung
apartment
A self-contained unit of several rooms in a building that is used for living in.
example
Wir suchen eine neue Wohnung mit drei Zimmern und Balkon.
We are looking for a new apartment with three rooms and a balcony.
die Wohnung
apartment
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The word 'Wohnung' (apartment) is derived directly from the verb 'wohnen' (to live/reside). The ending '-ung' is often used in German to form a noun from a verb that describes the action or its result.
EXAMPLE
Hier kann man gut wohnen, die Wohnung ist sehr schön.
You can live well here; the apartment is very nice.
Correct preposition
Pay attention to the case after the preposition 'in'. To express movement, use the accusative ('in die Wohnung' — into the apartment). To describe a location, use the dative ('in der Wohnung' — in the apartment).
EXAMPLE
Wir ziehen morgen in die neue Wohnung ein.
We are moving into the new apartment tomorrow.
Typical collocations
There are fixed combinations around the topic of housing. You can 'suchen' (look for), 'finden' (find), 'mieten' (rent), or 'kaufen' (buy) an apartment. You can also 'in eine Wohnung einziehen' (move into an apartment) or 'aus einer Wohnung ausziehen' (move out of an apartment).
EXAMPLE
Es ist schwer, in dieser Stadt eine bezahlbare Wohnung zu finden.
It is hard to find an affordable apartment in this city.
Compare with
Wohnung vs Haus
house
'das Haus' and 'die Wohnung' both have to do with living somewhere, but they do not mean the same thing. A 'Haus' is a whole building. A 'Wohnung' is a self-contained living unit in a building, often with several rooms. There can be an apartment inside a house, but a house can also have several apartments. Learners often confuse the words because both can describe a place to live. Also important: 'zu Hause' (at home) and 'nach Hause' (home, toward home) refer to one's own place of residence, not necessarily an actual house. So you can live in an apartment and still say: 'Ich gehe nach Hause.'
Wohnung
Morgen zeigt uns der Vermieter die Wohnung im dritten Stock.
Tomorrow the landlord will show us the apartment on the third floor.
Haus
Hinter dem Haus spielen die Kinder am Abend im Garten.
Behind the house, the children play in the garden in the evening.
In real life
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