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Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies

Glossary

Glossary of the department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies.
A
  • ab sofort - available immediately
  • die Absprache - arrangement, agreement
  • nach Absprache - by arrangement
  • der Abstellraum - storage space/room
  • der Altbau - older building
  • das Anderkonto - escrow (account)
    –>Geld auf ein Anderkonto legen - to put money in escrow
  • das Angebot (-e) - offer
  • die Anliegerwohnung - adjacent apartment/flat, flat next to a house or apartment building, above-garage apartment
    –>die Einliegerwohnung - apartment/flat inside a house, granny flat
  • der Ansprechpartner - contact person
  • die Anzahl - number (of)
    –>Anzahl Schlafzimmer - number of bedrooms
  • die Anzahlung - down payment
  • das Apartment/Appartement - studio apartment/flat, bedsit
  • das Atelier - studio (apartment)
  • der Aufzug - elevator
    Don’t be surprised if your German apartment house has no elevator, even if your apartment is on the 5th or 6th floor! Older German apartment complexes of six floors or less are likely to have no elevator.
  • der Autobahnanschluss - (easy) access to autobahn
  • die Aussicht - view
    –>herrliche Aussicht - great view
B
  • das Bad (Bäder) - bath(s)
  • das Badezimmer - bathroom(s)
  • der Balkon - balcony
  • barrierefrei - handicapped access
  • barrierefreies Wohnen - designed for disabled living
  • das Baujahr - year of construction
  • das Bett (-en) - bed(s)
  • brutto - gross, before expenses
    –>netto (net) - after expenses
C
  • circa, zirka - approximately, about
D
  • die Dämmung - insulation
  • die Diele (-n) - entry hall; floorboard, wood floor
  • die Dielung - wood paneling
  • die Doppelgarage - 2-car garage
  • die Dusche - shower
E
  • das Eigenheim - private residence/home; one’s own home
  • die Eigentumswohnung - condo, condominium
  • der Eigentümer - owner, property owner
  • Einbau- - built-in (prefix)
  • die Einbaugarderobe - built-in closet
  • die Einbauküche (EBK) - built-in kitchen
  • die Einbauschränke - built-in cabinets
  • das Einfamilienhaus (EFH) - single-family dwelling/house
  • der Eingang - entrance, entry
    –>eigener Eingang - separate entrance
  • die Einliegerwohnung - apartment/flat inside a house, granny flat, in-law apartment
  • die Einzimmerwohnung - one-room apartment
  • das Erdgeschoss - ground floor
  • das Eßzimmer - Dining room
  • die Etage - floor (story)
    If you’re American, when dealing with German or European floors, remember that an American second floor is the first in Germany – and so on. Same thing applies to elevator buttons! (“E” is the ground floor – das Erdgeschoss, or sometime “P” for French Parterre).
  • die Etagenwohnung - apartment occupying an entire floor
    –>in der vierten Etage - on the 4th floor
  • der Euro - euro (€)
    –>200 € warm - 200 euro incl. heat
    –>300 € +NK - 300 euro + utilities
F
  • das Ferienhaus - vacation home
  • die Ferienwohnung - vacation apartment, holiday flat
  • der Festpreis - fixed/firm price
  • die Fliese (-n) - floor tile
  • der Flur - hall, hallway
  • frei - available, vacant
  • frei ab… - available as of…
  • frei ab sofort - available immediately
  • das Freizeitzentrum - recreation room, activity room
  • der Fußboden - floor, flooring
    –>der Parkettfußboden - wood floors, parquet
  • der Fußbodenbelag - flooring, floor covering
G
  • die Garage - garage
    –>die Doppelgarage - 2-car garage
  • die Gardine (-n) - window curtain, lace curtain
  • der Garten - garden, yard
  • das Gäste-WC - guest toilet, restroom
  • gefliest - tiled
  • gepflegt - well cared for, in good shape
  • die Grundfläche - floor area
  • der Grundriss - floor plan
  • das Grundstück - land, property
  • die Größe - size, sq. footage
H
  • das Haus (Häuser) - house(s)
    NOTE: das Haus can also mean “building”
  • die Hausordnung - house rules
  • die Haustiere - pets
    –>keine Haustiere - no pets
  • die Heizung - heat, heating
    –>die Elektroheizung - electric heat
    –>die Etagenheizung - heat for a full floor
    –>die Fußbodenheizung - floor heat
    –>die Gasheizung - gas heating
    –>die Nachtspeicherheizung - night storage heat
    –>die Ölheizung - oil heat
    –>die Zentralheizung - central heat
  • die Hypotheke - mortgage
I
  • die Immobilie - property, house, piece of real estate
  • die Immobilien - real estate
  • isoliert - insulated
  • die Isolierung - insulation
  • die Isolierverglasung - insulated glass, windows
J
  • jährlich - annually, yearly
  • die Jahresmiete - annual rent, lease
K
  • der Kabelanschluss - cable TV (hook-up)
  • der Kacheloffen - tiled stove
  • kalt - cold (rent not including heat)
  • die Kaltmiete - rent not including heat
    German apartments are rented kalt (no heat & utilities) or warm (with heat & utilities). When comparing prices, be sure you are aware of this difference.
  • der Kataster - land register/registry
  • das Katasteramt - land registry office
  • die Kaution (KT) - deposit
  • der Keller - basement, cellar
  • der Kellerraum - basement room
  • das Kind / die Kinder - child(ren)
    –>kinderfreundlich, familenfreundlich - children welcome, kids OK
  • der Kinderspielplatz - children’s playground
  • der Kleiderschrank (-schränke) - (clothes) closet, wardrobe
    German houses and apartments rarely have built-in closets (Einbaugarderobe). They are usually free-standing pieces of furniture that must be bought, just as a bed or any other furniture.
  • die Kleinanzeige (-n) - classified ad
  • die Kochnische - kitchenette
  • die Küche (-n) - kitchen
L
  • die Lage - location
    –>ruhige Lage - quiet location
    –>zentrale Lage - central location
M
  • die Maisonette - maisonette apartment, small duplex apartment
  • die Mansarde - mansard, attic apartment, garret
  • die Miete - (monthly) rent
  • der Mietvertrag - contract
    Be aware that some German apartments are sold “bare” – with no light fixtures or even the proverbial kitchen sink! Read your Kaufvertrag (sales contract) carefully to avoid having to wash the dishes in the bathroom by candlelight after you move in to your new apartment.
  • das Mehrfamilienhaus - multi-family dwelling, apartment house
  • möbliert - furnished
  • die Monatsmiete - monthly rent, month’s rent
N
  • die Nebenkosten (NK) - utility costs (not included in rent)
  • netto - net, after expenses
    –>brutto - gross, before expenses
  • der Neubau - new house, new building
  • neuwertig - like new
  • Nichtraucher (NR) - non-smokers
  • Nutzfläche (Nfl.) - usable floor space
O
  • das Obergeschoss (OG) - upper floor
  • offener Kamin - fireplace
  • der Ort - city, town
  • der Ortsteil - section, part of town
P
  • der Pkw-Stellplatz - tenant parking
  • die Provision - commission fee
  • provisionsfrei - no commission fee
Q
  • Quadratmeter (pl.) (qm, m2) - square meters
R
  • das Reihenhaus (-häuser) - row house, town house
    –>das Reihenendhaus - row house on the end
    –>das Reihenmittelhaus - row house in the middle
S
  • die Satellitenanlage (-n) - sat TV system
  • saniert, renoviert - renovated, remodeled
  • die Sanierung - renovation, remodeling
  • die S-Bahn (S) - commuter rail, metro
  • der S-Bahnhof - commuter rail, metro station
  • separat - separate, separately
  • die Solaranlage (-n) - solar heating system
  • das Souterrain (-s) - half-basement (flat)
  • die Stadt - city, town
  • der Stadtteil - part, section of town
  • der Stellplatz - parking space
T
  • die Tiefgarage (-n) - underground parking, lower-level garage
  • der Teppichboden - carpeted floor, wall-to-wall carpeting
  • die Terrasse (-n) - terrace, patio
U
  • die U-Bahn (U) - metro, subway
  • das Untergeschoss (UG) - basement floor, lower level
V
  • die Verhandlungbasis (VB) - negotiable price (“or best offer”)
  • der Vermieter - landlord
  • der Vertrag - contract, agreement
    –>der Mietsvertrag - rental contract, lease agreement
W
  • warm - rent with utilities
  • die Warmmiete - rent with utilities
    –>Opposite: die Kaltmiete - rent without utilities
  • das Wohnzimmer (WZ) - Living room
  • die Wohnfläche - living area, usable space
  • die Wohnung - appartment, flat
  • die Wohnungssuche - house hunting
Z
  • das Zimmer (-) - room
  • die Zinsen (pl.) - interest (percentage)