Past and future homes
To say how long you have lived somewhere, you must use the word seit.
Seit means 'since' and is used with the present tense when it implies that you still live there, eg
Seit wann wohnst du dort?– How long have you lived there?
Ich wohne seit acht Jahren dort.– I have lived there for eight years (literally: I am living there since eight years ago - and am still living there).
Question
How would you say the following in German?
- I have lived there for six years.
- I have lived there for four months.
Ich wohne seit sechs Jahren dort.
Ich wohne seit vier Monaten dort.
Question
What do you think this means?
Ich wohne mein ganzes Leben dort.
I have lived there all my life.
Wo hast du früher gewohnt?– Where did you used to live?
If you want to say where you lived previously, you must use the perfect tense together with früher (earlier, previously) or bis (until), eg
Ich habe früher in Bern gewohnt.– I used to live in Bern.
Ich habe früher in Graz gewohnt.– I used to live in Graz.
Ich habe bis 2014 in Kiel gewohnt.– I lived in Kiel until 2014.
Question
How would you say the following in German?
- I used to live in Kassel.
- I lived in Geneva until 2013.
Ich habe früher in Kassel gewohnt.
Ich habe bis 2013 in Genf gewohnt.
Wo möchtest du in der Zukunft wohnen?– Where would you like to live in future?
Wie wäre dein Traumhaus?– What would your dream house be like?
To answer these questions, you need to use the conditional tense.
- Ich möchte in ... wohnen. – I would like to live in...
- Mein Traumhaus wäre... – My dream house would be...
- Mein Traumhaus hätte... – My dream house would have...
Question
Practise translating these statements into German:
- In the future I would like to live in a city because there is a lot to do.
- My dream house would be small and old and in a village.
- My dream house would have a garden and three bathrooms.
In der Zukunft möchte ich in einer Großstadt wohnen, weil es viel zu tun gibt.
Mein Traumhaus wäre klein und alt und in einem Dorf.
Mein Traumhaus hätte einen Garten und drei Badezimmer.
Did you know?
If you are invited to a German speaker's house for any kind of hospitality, you are expected to take a small gift - ein kleines Geschenk - for the host, even if it's not their birthday.
Popular gifts to bring are flowers or chocolates. However, be careful which flowers you take. Germans believe that lilies, chrysanthemums and carnations represent death and mourning. And you should only take red roses along if you have romantic intentions towards your host.
Pretty yellow flowers or small potted plants will always be well-received. Other popular gifts are candles or books.
