Housing language at A2 covers flats and shared flats, ads, cost questions, viewings, contracts, flatmate routines and polite problem reports. Complete phrases matter more than isolated nouns.
1.The main types of housing
| German | Sense |
|---|---|
die Wohnung | self-contained flat |
das Apartment | usually a small flat |
das Zimmer | individual room |
das WG-Zimmer | room in a shared flat |
die Wohngemeinschaft (WG) | several people share one flat |
das Studentenwohnheim | student residence |
das Einfamilienhaus | single-family house |
das Mehrfamilienhaus | building with several flats |
2.What does WG mean?
WG is short for Wohngemeinschaft: several people live in the same flat. Each person typically has ein eigenes Zimmer; kitchen, bathroom, hall, living room and balcony are often shared.
3.Rooms in a home
| das Schlafzimmer | das Wohnzimmer | die Küche | das Bad | der Flur | der Balkon |
Also: die Terrasse, der Keller, der Abstellraum, das Arbeitszimmer, das Badezimmer.
4.Size of a flat
Size is normally in square metres (m² or qm).
5.Number of rooms
In ads, living rooms and bedrooms count as Zimmer; kitchen, bathroom and hall are usually not included. A 2-Zimmer-Wohnung typically means one living room and one bedroom, plus kitchen and bathroom.
6.möbliert or unmöbliert
möbliert = furnished; unmöbliert = unfurnished. Typical furniture: das Bett, der Schrank, der Tisch, der Schreibtisch, das Sofa, der Stuhl, das Regal.
7.die Einbauküche
die Einbauküche is a fitted kitchen; ads often abbreviate it as EBK.
8.Balcony, terrace, and garden
Common labels: mit Balkon, mit Terrasse, mit Garten, mit Gartenmitbenutzung.
9.Location
die Lage describes place and surroundings: zentral, ruhig, verkehrsgünstig, stadtnah, am Stadtrand, in der Innenstadt, in einem Wohngebiet.
10.Public transport connections
Useful nouns: die Haltestelle, die U-Bahn, die S-Bahn, der Bus, die Straßenbahn, der Bahnhof, die Verbindung. Ads often say 5 Minuten zur U-Bahn, gute Verkehrsanbindung, Bahnhof in der Nähe.
11.in der Nähe
More formal: in der Nähe des Bahnhofs.
12.Rent
The central word is die Miete.
13.Kaltmiete and Warmmiete
Kaltmiete is base rent before many additional costs; Warmmiete includes many additional costs. Exact inclusions still depend on the ad or contract.
14.Nebenkosten
die Nebenkosten are running costs on top of the base rent and may include heating, water, waste, cleaning or caretaker services.
15.Electricity and internet
Not everything is automatic in the Warmmiete.
In a WG, internet is often organised together.
16.The deposit
die Kaution is a security deposit at the start of a tenancy.
17.Agency fee and estate agent
Terms: der Makler / die Maklerin, die Provision, die Maklergebühr. provisionsfrei means no estate-agent commission for the house-hunter.
18.befristet and unbefristet
befristet = fixed period; unbefristet = no fixed end date.
19.ab sofort
ab sofort means available immediately. Other frames: ab 1. Oktober, ab November, ab nächster Woche.
20.verfügbar
verfügbar means available.
21.Reading a housing ad
A typical ad groups place, size, room count, rent, Nebenkosten, deposit, fittings, move-in date and contact. Those categories are the fastest path through the text.
22.Common abbreviations in ads
| Abbreviation | Full form |
|---|---|
WG | Wohngemeinschaft |
NK | Nebenkosten |
KM | Kaltmiete |
WM | Warmmiete |
EBK | Einbauküche |
m² / qm | Quadratmeter |
Zi. | Zimmer |
Whg. | Wohnung |
23.Example of a short flat ad
Key facts: 2 rooms, 58 m², 720 € cold rent, 180 € Nebenkosten, kitchen + balcony, from 1 November.
24.Example of a shared-flat ad
Key facts: 16 m², furnished, 520 € warm including internet, 3er-WG, available immediately.
25.hell, dunkel, ruhig, laut
Frequent adjectives: hell, dunkel, ruhig, laut, groß, klein, modern, alt, gemütlich, praktisch.
26.renoviert and renovierungsbedürftig
renoviert = renovated; renovierungsbedürftig = needs renovation.
27.Floor and level
das Erdgeschoss, der erste Stock, der zweite Stock, die Etage.
28.Lift
der Aufzug matters especially on higher floors.
29.Pets
In a WG, flatmates’ agreement matters as well.
30.Smoking
Labels: Nichtraucherwohnung, Rauchen nicht erlaubt, Rauchen nur auf dem Balkon.
31.Anmeldung and Wohnungsgeberbestätigung
die Anmeldung and die Wohnungsgeberbestätigung matter when the address will be an official residence.
32.Contacting someone about an ad
A short polite message often follows: greeting → interest → availability → viewing request → closing.
33.sich für etwas interessieren
Pattern: sich interessieren für + Akkusativ.
34.Is it still available?
Both frei and verfügbar are common here.
35.Arranging a viewing
36.Responding to an appointment
37.Greeting at a viewing
In a WG a more informal greeting is common: Hi, ich bin Anna. Danke für die Einladung.
38.Asking about the rent
39.Asking what is included
40.Asking about the deposit
41.Asking about move-in
42.einziehen and ausziehen
einziehen = move in; ausziehen = move out.
43.The tenancy agreement
Key words: der Mietvertrag, der Vermieter / die Vermieterin, der Mieter / die Mieterin.
44.unterschreiben
45.Flatmates
der Mitbewohner, die Mitbewohnerin, die Mitbewohner.
46.2er-WG, 3er-WG, 4er-WG
These forms name a shared flat with 2, 3 or 4 people.
47.Zweck-WG and social shared flats
A Zweck-WG usually shares mainly for practical reasons. Other WGs may emphasise cooking together, shared activities or regular talk. Expectations are best clarified before moving in.
48.Introducing yourself to a WG
Typical points: name, age, studies or work, daily schedule, interests, previous WG experience.
49.Asking about shared-flat life
50.Cleaning rota
Many WGs use einen Putzplan.
51.Household chores
Useful verbs: putzen, aufräumen, staubsaugen, wischen, den Müll rausbringen, einkaufen, die Spülmaschine ausräumen.
52.Shared costs
A WG may share internet, cleaning products, toilet paper, rubbish bags or shared food.
53.Kitchen and bathroom rules
54.Visitors
55.Quiet hours and noise
Useful words: ruhig, laut, die Musik, die Party, die Nachtruhe, Rücksicht nehmen.
56.Rücksicht nehmen
57.Raising an issue politely
A useful structure is observation + polite request + short reason.
58.Reporting a housing problem
59.kaputt and funktionieren
60.Informing the landlord
61.Asking for a repair
62.Washing machine and laundry room
Nouns: die Waschmaschine, die Waschküche, der Trockner, der Wäscheständer.
63.Basement and bicycle
64.Parking
der Parkplatz, der Stellplatz, die Garage.
65.Waste separation
der Restmüll, der Biomüll, das Papier, die Verpackungen, das Altglas.
66.Neighbours
der Nachbar, die Nachbarin, die Nachbarn.
67.House rules
die Hausordnung may cover quiet hours, stairwell, waste, bicycles and shared spaces.
68.Keys
der Haustürschlüssel, der Wohnungsschlüssel, der Briefkastenschlüssel.
69.Mailbox and doorbell
der Briefkasten, die Klingel, das Namensschild.
70.Internet and working from home
71.Describing a flat
Useful frame: size/feel → rooms → location → rent → a strong point.
72.Describing a WG room
73.gemeinsam genutzt
74.passen
75.gefallen
gefallen takes the dative (mir, dir, ihm, ihr …).
76.Showing interest after the viewing
77.Declining politely
78.Understanding an acceptance
79.Understanding a rejection
Here vergeben means already rented to someone else.
80.Important housing verbs
| wohnen | mieten | vermieten | einziehen | ausziehen | besichtigen |
Also: unterschreiben, zahlen, teilen, putzen, reparieren, kündigen.
81.mieten and vermieten
mieten = rent as a tenant; vermieten = let to someone else.
82.Vermieter and Mieter
Vermieter lets the property; Mieter pays rent for it.
83.A typical phone call
84.A typical WG conversation
85.A typical message to a WG
86.A typical message to a landlord
87.Formal or informal?
With landlords and agents, Sie, Guten Tag and Mit freundlichen Grüßen are usual. In a WG, du, Hallo / Hi and Viele Grüße are common. The ad itself often signals the expected tone.
88.Useful question patterns
| Pattern | Use |
|---|---|
Wie hoch ist …? | price or amount |
Ist … inklusive? | what is included |
Gibt es …? | facilities |
Darf man …? | permission |
Ab wann …? | start date |
Wie lange …? | duration |
Wo kann man …? | place |
Wie funktioniert …? | how something works |
89.Avoiding misunderstandings
Clear questions about Warmmiete, Nebenkosten, Strom, Internet, Kaution, furniture, move-in date, fixed term and Anmeldung prevent costly assumptions. Short concrete questions are safer than guessing.