German Furniture Vocabulary — Finding Your Way Out of IKEA
After this lesson you can name the things in a room and ask where a department is.
Do this first: der, die, das
Übungen
Eight exercises on what you just watched. Get 80% and the lesson is marked done and added to your A1 progress.
1 / 8 · Type the missing word
2 / 8 · Type the missing word
3 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
Where do I find the lamps?
4 / 8 · Word order
Put the words in the right order.
The bed is on offer.
5 / 8 · Choose
What does die Möbel mean?
6 / 8 · Choose
How do you ask where you find something?
7 / 8 · Choose
What does der Ausgang mean?
8 / 8 · Choose
What does die Kasse mean?
In short
Furniture nouns are the best possible practice for der, die and das, because you can see them. der Tisch, der Stuhl, der Schrank; die Lampe, die Couch, die Küche; das Bett, das Regal, das Sofa. Ask for directions with Wo finde ich …?
How it works
A furniture shop is the ideal place to make noun gender concrete. You are surrounded by objects with articles attached, and unlike abstract vocabulary you can picture every one of them. Learn each item as der Tisch, not Tisch, and the habit from lesson 22 becomes automatic.
There is a rough pattern worth noticing. Many large pieces of furniture are der — der Tisch, der Stuhl, der Schrank, der Sessel, der Teppich. Many soft or lamp-like things are die — die Lampe, die Couch, die Kommode. And a group of flat or box-like things are das — das Bett, das Regal, das Sofa, das Kissen. It is a tendency, not a rule, but it helps.
For getting around, two questions do everything: Wo finde ich …? (where do I find…?) and Wo ist der Ausgang? (where is the exit?). And two shop words you will need at the till: die Kasse (checkout) and die Abholung (collection point). Note the Pfand system does not apply here, but Lieferung (delivery) and Aufbau (assembly) will both be offered as paid extras.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Tisch | table |
| der Stuhl | chair |
| der Schrank | wardrobe, cupboard |
| der Sessel | armchair |
| der Teppich | rug, carpet |
| der Spiegel | mirror |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Lampe | lamp |
| die Couch | couch |
| die Kommode | chest of drawers |
| die Küche | kitchen |
| die Matratze | mattress |
| die Pflanze | plant |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Bett | bed |
| das Regal | shelf, shelving unit |
| das Sofa | sofa |
| das Kissen | cushion, pillow |
| das Bild | picture |
| das Zimmer | room |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wo finde ich …? | Where do I find …? |
| Wo ist der Ausgang? | Where is the exit? |
| Wo ist die Kasse? | Where is the checkout? |
| Haben Sie das auf Lager? | Do you have that in stock? |
| Was kostet die Lieferung? | How much is delivery? |
| Bieten Sie Aufbau an? | Do you offer assembly? |
Examples
- Wo finde ich die Lampen?Where do I find the lamps?
- Der Tisch ist zu groß für die Küche.The table is too big for the kitchen.
- Ich suche ein Regal für das Wohnzimmer.I'm looking for a shelf for the living room.
- Das Bett ist im Angebot.The bed is on offer.
- Haben Sie den Schrank auf Lager?Do you have the wardrobe in stock?
- Wo ist der Ausgang?Where is the exit?
- Was kostet die Lieferung?How much is delivery?
- Ich nehme zwei Stühle.I'll take two chairs.
- Die Couch passt nicht ins Auto.The couch doesn't fit in the car.
- Bieten Sie Aufbau an?Do you offer assembly?
Mistakes to avoid
✗ die Tisch
✓ der Tisch
Learn the article with the object. A furniture shop is the easiest place in the world to drill this, because you can point at every noun.
✗ Ich suche ein Regal für das Wohnzimmer → das Regal für den Wohnzimmer
✓ für das Wohnzimmer
für takes the accusative, but das is unchanged in the accusative. Only masculine moves — der → den.
✗ Assuming das Sofa and die Couch are interchangeable in gender
✓ das Sofa but die Couch
Two words for nearly the same object, two different genders. There is no logic — only the word form.
✗ Expecting free delivery
✓ Asking Was kostet die Lieferung?
Lieferung and Aufbau are almost always paid extras in Germany, and the price is per order, not per item.
Wortschatz
The words from this lesson.
| die Möbel | furniture | plural |
| der Tisch | table | |
| der Stuhl | chair | plural: die Stühle |
| der Schrank | wardrobe, cupboard | |
| das Regal | shelf, shelving unit | |
| das Bett | bed | |
| die Lampe | lamp | |
| das Zimmer | room | |
| die Lieferung | delivery | |
| der Aufbau | assembly |
Kulturnotiz
Germany rents more than almost any country in Europe, and German flats are often let completely unfurnished — which can mean no kitchen at all, just pipes and a bare wall. Tenants buy and install their own Einbauküche and take it with them when they leave. It is why furniture shops are such a fixture of German life, and why Wo finde ich die Küchen? is a genuinely useful sentence.
Common questions
+Is there a pattern to furniture genders?
A loose one: many large pieces are der (Tisch, Stuhl, Schrank), soft and lamp-like things tend to be die (Lampe, Couch, Matratze), and flat or box-like things das (Bett, Regal, Sofa). Treat it as a hint, not a rule.
+How do I ask where something is?
Wo finde ich …? is the natural shop question — "where do I find". Wo ist …? works too but sounds more like you have lost something.
+Why do German flats come without a kitchen?
Because unfurnished genuinely means unfurnished. Tenants install their own fitted kitchen and take it when they move, which is why kitchens are bought, sold and transported so often.
+Is delivery usually included?
No. Lieferung and Aufbau are separate paid services almost everywhere in Germany. Ask the price before assuming.