One’s own home is a kind of retreat for many people. It is a place where you can relax and spend time with your family and friends.

In 2009, I spent some time in London (UK) where I did an internship in a kind of real estate agency. The company rented separated rooms in house and apartment shares. I soon recognized that the designation for various apartment types differ between German and Anglo-Saxon culture.

I was very confused when I found out that, for example, a two-bedroom apartment did actually consist of three separated rooms.  A typical German flat is clearly divided into several separated rooms. The standard configuration is: ein Flur (a hallway), eine Küche (kitchen), ein Badezimmer (bathroom), and several rooms, which are utilized as Wohnzimmer (living room), Schlafzimmer (bedroom), Kinderzimmer (children’s room), Esszimmer (dining room), and Arbeitszimmer (study). The reason why I was so confused is that the German designations for apartment types do always contain the entire number of rooms that are available in an apartment – the living room included. Here are the German designations and their English equivalents.

Einraumwohnung – one-room apartment / studio apartment

Zweiraumwohnung – two-room apartment / one-bedroom apartment

Dreiraumwohnung – three-room apartment / two-bedroom apartment

Vieraumwohnung – four-room apartment / three-bedroom apartment

 

An empty apartment or house is not very comfortable. Therefore, I want you to furnish a Fünfraumwohnung (five-room apartment / four-bedroom apartment). Simultaneously, you can practice some German. Below you can find different options how to ask for what kind of furniture is there in a particular room in an apartment and how to answer these questions. Choose the forms you like best and apply them to the exercises that you can find below my example. Good luck and enjoy!

Questions:

– Was für Möbel stehen in …? (What kind of furniture ‘do stand’ in …?) – Was für Möbel gibt es in …? (What kind of furniture is there in …?) – Was gibt es in …? – What is there in …? – Was für Möbel hast Du / habt Ihr / haben Sie in …? (What kind of furniture do you have in …?)

Answers:

Im [room] steht (sgl.) / stehen (pl.) [furniture]. (In the … there is …) Im [room] befindet sich (sgl.) / befinden sich (pl.) [furniture].

Example:

Flur: einen Schuhschrank, eine Garderobe

Question: Was für Möbel stehen im Flur? (What kind of furniture is there in the hallway?)

Answer: Im Flur stehen ein Schuhschrank und eine Garderobe. (In the hallway there is a shoe cabinet and a coat rack.)

1. im Wohnzimmer:	ein Sofa, zwei Sessel, einen Fernsehapparat, einen Couchtisch, eine Stehlampe
2. im Esszimmer:	einen Esstisch, sechs Stühle, ein Büffet
3. im Schlafzimmer:	ein Doppelbett, einen Kleiderschrank, zwei Nachttische
4. in der Küche:	einen Kühlschrank, einen Herd, eine Spüle
5. im Arbeitszimmer:	einen Schreibtisch, einen Aktenschrank, ein Bücherregal
6. im Kinderzimmer:	ein Bett, einen Schreibtisch, einen Kleiderschrank
7. im Badezimmer:	eine Dusche, eine Badewanne, ein Waschbecken

Vocabulary:

(der) Flur – hallway

(das) Wohnzimmer – living room

(das) Esszimmer – dining room

(das) Schlafzimmer – bedroom

(die) Küche – kitchen

(das) Arbeitszimmer – study

(das) Kinderzimmer – children’s room

(das) Badezimmer – bathroom

(der Schuhschrank – shoe cabinet

(die) Garderobe – coat rack

(das) Sofa – sofa

(der) Sessel – armchair

(der) Couchtisch – coffee table

(der) Fernsehapparat – TV set

(die) Stehlampe – floor lamp

(der) Esstisch – dining table

(der) Stuhl – chair

(das) Büffet – sideboard

(das) Doppelbett – double bed

(der) Kleiderschrank – wardrobe

(der) Nachttisch – nightstand

(der) Kühlschrank – refrigerator

(der) Herd – stove

(die) Spüle – sink

(der) Schreibtisch – desk

(der) Aktenschrank – file cabinet

(das) Bücherregal – bookshelf

(das) Bett – bed

(die) Dusche – shower

(die) Badewanne – bathtub

(das) Waschbecken – washbasin