der  Hausarrest

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈhaʊsʔaʁʁɛst/

🧐 What Exactly is Hausarrest?

Der Hausarrest (masculine) describes a punishment or restriction where a person is ordered not to leave their home (Haus oder Wohnung) for a specific period.

• In a legal context: A court-ordered measure, often as an alternative to pre-trial detention or as part of probation. Compliance is sometimes monitored electronically (e.g., with an ankle monitor - Fußfessel).
• In a family/educational context: A common punishment for children or teenagers who have broken certain rules (often also called Stubenarrest - being confined to one's room or the house). They are then not allowed to leave the house, except perhaps for school.

There is only this one meaning, and the word is always masculine (der).

📝 Grammar of 'der Hausarrest' in Detail

The noun „Hausarrest“ is masculine. It is mainly used in the singular, as it often describes a specific state or measure. The plural („die Hausarreste“) is rare and refers to multiple individual cases or periods of house arrest.

Example Sentences

1. Wegen wiederholten Zuspätkommens bekam er eine Woche Hausarrest.
   (Because of repeated lateness, he got one week of house arrest/grounding.)
2. Der Richter ordnete Hausarrest mit elektronischer Fußfessel an.
   (The judge ordered house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.)
3. Während seines Hausarrests durfte er nur zur Arbeit gehen.
   (During his house arrest, he was only allowed to go to work.)
4. Die Eltern verhängten einen strengen Hausarrest über ihre Tochter.
   (The parents imposed strict grounding on their daughter.)

🗣️ How to Use Hausarrest?

The term Hausarrest is used in two main contexts:

• Legal/Official: Here, it refers to a formal sanction or measure in criminal or juvenile law. It's a milder form of detention (Freiheitsentzug) than prison. It's often used in conjunction with terms like Bewährung (probation), elektronische Überwachung (electronic monitoring), or Auflage (condition/requirement).
• Private/Educational: In a family setting, Hausarrest (or its synonym Stubenarrest) is a disciplinary measure for children or teenagers. The rules here are often less strictly defined than in the legal context (e.g., the child might be allowed in the garden but not to visit friends).

Important verbs used with Hausarrest:

• Hausarrest haben (to be under house arrest/grounded)
• Hausarrest bekommen / erhalten (to get/receive house arrest/grounding)
• Hausarrest verhängen / auferlegen (to impose house arrest/grounding)
• unter Hausarrest stehen (to be under house arrest)
• den Hausarrest antreten (to begin the house arrest)
• den Hausarrest verletzen / brechen (to violate/break the house arrest)

Compared to Ausgangssperre (curfew), which usually refers to an order for a larger group or the entire population (e.g., during a pandemic or unrest), Hausarrest is always individual.

💡 Mnemonics

Article Mnemonic: Think of der Arrest. The word Arrest (arrest, detention) is masculine in German, and Hausarrest takes its gender. Imagine: Der strict father imposes den Arrest in das Haus. (Focus on 'Der Arrest').

Meaning Mnemonic: Haus (house) + Arrest (arrest). You are 'arrested' in your Haus. Picture your house as a small prison where you are 'arrested' for a while.

🔄 Similar and Opposite Words

⚠️ Beware of Confusion: Don't confuse Hausarrest with Ausgangssperre (curfew), which usually applies to a larger group and is often time-limited (e.g., a nighttime curfew).

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat der Computer Hausarrest bekommen?

Weil er zu viele Fenster offen hatte!

(Why did the computer get grounded?)

(Because it had too many windows open!)

📜 A Little Poem

Der Hausarrest

Die Tür bleibt zu, das Fenster auch,
so will's der strenge Vatersbrauch.
Kein Freund, kein Spiel, kein Draußensein,
ich sitz' zu Haus, ganz Mütterlein allein.
Der Grund? Vergessen, nicht so wichtig,
doch diese Strafe, die ist wuchtig.
Der Hausarrest, er drückt aufs Gemüt,
bis bald die Freiheit wieder blüht.

(House Arrest
The door stays shut, the window too,
That's what the strict father wants me to do.
No friend, no game, no being outside,
I sit at home, nowhere to hide.
The reason? Forgotten, not key,
But this punishment weighs heavily.
House arrest depresses the soul,
Until freedom soon makes me whole.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich bin eine Strafe, doch kein Gefängnis mit Gitter.
Ich halte dich zu Hause, bei Sturm und Gewitter.
Mal vom Richter gegeben, mal von Mama und Papa,
damit du lernst, was war falsch, na klar!

Was bin ich?

(I am a punishment, but not a prison with bars.
I keep you at home, through storms near and far.
Sometimes given by the judge, sometimes by Mom and Dad,
So you learn what was wrong, it's really not bad!

What am I?)

Solution: Der Hausarrest (House arrest / Grounding)

🧩 Other Information

Word Composition:

The word „Hausarrest“ is a compound noun (Kompositum), made up of:

• Haus (noun): Meaning house or home.
• Arrest (noun): Meaning arrest, detention, custody.

So, it literally describes „detention in the house“.

Cultural Context: While the term in its legal sense is known internationally (house arrest), the concept of Stubenarrest or Hausarrest as an educational measure is particularly common and culturally embedded in German-speaking countries.