Ah, the living room! If there’s one room in the house I want to be comfortable, it’s the living room. Yes, the bedroom is important and the kitchen should have a nice feel as well. But for me, the living room is the centerpiece. It’s the one room I spend most of my leisure time in, so it has to be snug. Here we can meet with friends and family, play board games, enjoy a drink together or just watch TV. So let’s improve our German vocabulary once more and look at the translation for living room in German (or sitting room or lounge).
The German word for living room is Wohnzimmer, (n. das) (Plural: die Wohnzimmer).
The German word means literally more or less the same as in English. You could also translate it as “residing room” or “dwelling room.” In both languages it differs from most other rooms, as it is less of a “function room” than e.g. a kitchen, a bathroom or a dining room. OK, it does have a function, but that function is “living” (or “wohnen” in German). So it’s a room not for work or necessary household chores, but for meeting the rest of the family, for relaxing and winding down. Which explains my affection to it.
Living Room Furniture in German
As in other rooms, there is special furniture that is typical for living rooms. Most items are not exclusive to the living room, but most living rooms contain one of these pieces of furniture.
| English Expressions | German Translations | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| living room furniture | die Wohnzimmermöbel | plural |
| arm chair | der Sessel | masculine |
| book shelve | das Bücherregal | neuter |
| chaise corner sofa | das Chaiselongue-Ecksofa | neuter |
| chaise longue | die Chaiselongue | feminine |
| coffee table | der Couchtisch | masculine |
| couch | die Couch | feminine |
| floor lamp (American English) | die Stehlampe | feminine |
| living room table | der Wohnzimmertisch | masculine |
| recamier | die Récamière | feminine |
| shelf | das Regal | neuter |
| side table | der Beistelltisch | masculine |
| sofa | das Sofa | neuter |
| standard lamp (British English) | die Stehlampe | feminine |
| wall unit | die Wohnwand | feminine |
| wing chair | der Ohrensessel | masculine |
Example Sentences for Living Room in German
- Die Zeiten, in denen die große Samstagabendshow in den meisten deutschen Wohnzimmern im Fernsehen lief, sind längst vorbei. — The days when the big Saturday night show was on TV in most German living rooms are long gone.
- Jetzt habe ich mir schon wieder das Schienbein am Couchtisch gestoßen! — Now I’ve banged my shin on the coffee table again!
- Wenn du ständig neue Bücher kaufst, müssen wir auch mal welche aussortieren. Denn für ein neues Bücherregal fehlt uns der Platz! — If you constantly buy new books, we also have to sort out some. Because we lack the space for a new bookshelf!
- Früher bestand das typische deutsche Wohnzimmer hauptsächlich aus Eichenmöbeln. Diese Zeiten sind zum Glück vorbei. — In the past, the typical German living room consisted mainly of oak furniture. Fortunately, those times are over.
