Lesson 35 · German A1-2

Furniture & Rooms

Möbel und Zimmer

This lesson is partly new vocabulary and partly a workout for Lesson 34's trickiest grammar point - describing where furniture is, and where you're putting it, is the single best way to practice the wohin/wo distinction until it's automatic.

Today's win: name common furniture and rooms, and correctly describe both where something is (dative) and where you're placing it (accusative).

Rooms

das Schlafzimmerbedroomdas Wohnzimmerliving room
die Küchekitchendas Badbathroom

Furniture

der Schrankcloset/cabinetdas Bettbed
der Stuhlchairdas Sofasofa
der Tischtabledas Regalshelf

Practicing wohin vs. wo

Der Tisch ist in der Küche. (Wo? - dative, state)
Ich stelle den Tisch in die Küche. (Wohin? - accusative, movement: "stellen," to put/place upright)
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (Wo? - dative, "liegen," to lie/be positioned)
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. (Wohin? - accusative, "legen," to lay/put down)

Note the verb pairs: stehen/stellen (to stand/to put standing) and liegen/legen (to lie/to lay down) - German has separate verbs for state vs. movement, which reinforces the case choice from Lesson 34 instead of fighting it.

Try it out loud: describe your actual living room - name three pieces of furniture and say where each one is (wo, dative), then say where you'd move one of them to (wohin, accusative).

Quick recall check

1. What's the article for "Schrank" (closet)?

Show answer
der

2. "The table is in the kitchen." (Wo, dative) - Der Tisch ist in ______ Küche.

Show answer
der

3. "I'm putting the table into the kitchen." (Wohin, accusative) - Ich stelle den Tisch in ______ Küche.

Show answer
die

4. Which verb means "to lie/be positioned" (state)?

Show answer
liegen

5. What's the article for "Bett" (bed)?

Show answer
das

Primary source

Vocabulary cross-checked against the "Wohnen" (housing) topic in the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.

Still unsure about wohin vs. wo in a specific sentence? Ask your teaching agent for more practice.