Furniture

Lesson Overview: Furniture and Describing Locations in German

This lesson introduces basic vocabulary related to furniture found in different rooms of a house while teaching you how to describe the presence and placement of objects using the phrases "es gibt" (there is/are) and the verb "sein" (to be).

Main Vocabulary Categories

• Living Room Furniture: das Sofa, der Esstisch, der Schrank, der Teppich, die Lampe
• Bathroom Fixtures: das Waschbecken, die Badewanne, die Dusche

Key Grammar Points: Using "es gibt" vs "sein"

Es gibt is used to express that something exists or is present somewhere. For example, Es gibt ein Sofa im Wohnzimmer. means "There is a sofa in the living room." It focuses on the existence of furniture without immediately positioning it.

Sein (to be) is used to describe where something stands or its state. For example, Das Sofa steht neben dem Fenster. means "The sofa stands next to the window." Here, "steht" (a form of sein) shows the location of the object.

Sample Sentences for Practice

• Es gibt viele Stühle im Esszimmer. (There are many chairs in the dining room.)
• Der Kleiderschrank ist im Schlafzimmer. (The wardrobe is in the bedroom.)
• Das Fenster ist über dem Waschbecken. (The window is above the sink.)
• Ich stelle den Stuhl an den Esstisch. (I put the chair next to the dining table.)

Useful Phrases for Describing Rooms

• Es gibt einen Tisch vor dem Sofa. – There is a table in front of the sofa.
• Der Tisch ist klein und rund. – The table is small and round.
• Der Schrank steht an der linken Wand. – The closet stands on the left wall.
• Der Spiegel ist groß und rund. – The mirror is large and round.

Language Notes for English Speakers

In German, "es gibt" is a fixed expression for saying "there is" or "there are," which differs from English because it always uses the third-person singular verb gibt regardless of what follows. For instance, Es gibt viele Stühle translates as "There are many chairs," but literally means "It gives many chairs."

Also, to describe location or position, German uses forms of sein combined with verbs like stehen (to stand) or liegen (to lie). For example, Das Sofa steht neben dem Fenster (The sofa stands next to the window) corresponds to the English "The sofa is next to the window," with an implied notion of standing or positioning.

To help you start forming sentences, here are some useful German expressions:

• Es gibt – there is/are
• stehen – to stand (used for furniture position)
• liegen – to lie (used for objects lying down)
• in, an, neben, über – prepositions meaning "in," "on/at," "next to," "above" respectively