die
Hausgemeinschaft
🏘️ What does 'die Hausgemeinschaft' mean?
Die Hausgemeinschaft (feminine, plural: die Hausgemeinschaften) refers to the entirety of residents living in an apartment building or housing complex. They are connected by the fact that they live together in the same building.
It's less about close personal friendships (like often found in a Wohngemeinschaft/WG, a shared flat) and more about the organizational and social aspects of living together in one building. This includes things like adhering to the Hausordnung (house rules), sharing common areas (laundry room, courtyard), or organizing building events.
🚨 The word is always feminine: die Hausgemeinschaft.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ft/ -schaft → almost always feminine.
All -schaft nouns are feminine, but not all -ft nouns are.
🧐 Grammar and Declension: Die Hausgemeinschaft
The noun 'Hausgemeinschaft' is feminine. Here are the declension tables:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Hausgemeinschaft |
| Genitive | der | Hausgemeinschaft |
| Dative | der | Hausgemeinschaft |
| Accusative | die | Hausgemeinschaft |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Hausgemeinschaften |
| Genitive | der | Hausgemeinschaften |
| Dative | den | Hausgemeinschaften |
| Accusative | die | Hausgemeinschaften |
Example Sentences
- Die gesamte Hausgemeinschaft wurde zur jährlichen Versammlung eingeladen.
(The entire house community was invited to the annual meeting.) - Zwischen einigen Mitgliedern der Hausgemeinschaft gibt es Spannungen wegen der Lärmbelästigung.
(There are tensions between some members of the house community due to noise complaints.) - Wir haben in unserer Hausgemeinschaft einen gemeinsamen Garten angelegt.
(We created a communal garden in our house community.) - Die Verwaltung kümmert sich um die Belange der Hausgemeinschaft.
(The administration takes care of the house community's concerns.)
💬 How is 'Hausgemeinschaft' used?
'Hausgemeinschaft' is typically used in the context of apartment buildings or multi-family houses. It describes the social unit formed by the residents, often in relation to:
- Hausordnung: Following the rules (quiet hours, waste separation).
- Gemeinschaftliche Bereiche: Use and maintenance of the staircase, cellar, laundry room, courtyard, etc.
- Versammlungen: Meetings of owners or tenants to discuss building matters.
- Konflikte: Disagreements or disputes between neighbors.
- Gemeinschaftsaktivitäten: Organizing courtyard parties or joint projects.
It differs from 'Wohngemeinschaft' (WG), which usually describes a smaller group of people consciously sharing a single apartment and often maintaining closer personal relationships. A 'Hausgemeinschaft' encompasses all residents of the entire building.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: Think of 'community' in English, which feels like a collective noun often associated with feminine concepts in languages like German. Remember 'die Gemeinschaft' (the community) is feminine. A community living in a 'Haus' (house) stays feminine: die Hausgemeinschaft.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine a whole Haus (house) where many people live together like one big Gemeinschaft (community) – that makes up the Hausgemeinschaft.
↔️ Synonyms and Contrasts
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Bewohnerschaft: The entirety of residents of a house.
- Mieterschaft: Specifically, the tenants of a house.
- Nachbarschaft (in the narrow sense): The people in the same building.
- Hausbewohner (plural): The individual people living in the house.
Antonyms/Contrasts (Opposite Meaning/Concept):
- Einzelhaushalt: A single household (one person or family) in their own house/apartment without direct community aspects.
- Eigenheim: A privately owned home, often without shared responsibilities with neighbors in the same building structure.
- Anonymität: Anonymity; a state where neighbors hardly know or interact with each other.
⚠️ Be careful: A 'Wohngemeinschaft (WG)' (shared flat) is not a direct synonym, as it describes a closer, often self-chosen living arrangement within one apartment, not the entire building's residents.
😄 A Little Joke
German: Fragt ein Freund den anderen: "Wie ist eure Hausgemeinschaft so?"
Antwortet der: "Sehr gemischt. Die einen hassen mich, die anderen ignorieren mich!"
English Translation: A friend asks another: "How's your house community?"
The other replies: "Very mixed. Some hate me, the others ignore me!"
📜 Poem about the Hausgemeinschaft
German:
Im Haus, da wohnen viele Leut',
mal ist's ruhig, mal gibt's Geschrei heut'.
Die Hausgemeinschaft, bunt und klar,
lebt Tür an Tür, Jahr für Jahr.
Man grüßt sich nett im Treppenhaus,
tauscht Klatsch und Tratsch, mal leis', mal kraus.
Gemeinsam wird der Hof gekehrt,
auch wenn man sich nicht immer ehrt.
English Translation:
In the house, there live many folks,
Sometimes it's quiet, sometimes there are loud jokes.
The house community, colorful and clear,
Lives door to door, year after year.
Nice greetings exchanged in the stairwell's space,
Swapping gossip with varying pace.
Together the courtyard is swept neat,
Even if respect isn't always complete.
❓ Riddle
German:
Ich bin kein einzelnes Gesicht,
doch wohne unter einem Dach dicht an dicht.
Ich teile Flur, Hof, manchmal Streit,
bin die Summe der Leute weit und breit,
die in einem Gebäude leben.
Wer kann mir einen Namen geben?
English Translation:
I am not a single face,
But live beneath one roof, in a shared space.
I share the hall, the yard, sometimes a fight,
I am the sum of people, day and night,
Who live within one building's frame.
Who can give me a name?
Solution: die Hausgemeinschaft
🧩 Word Components and Other Info
Word Composition:
'Hausgemeinschaft' is a compound noun, formed from:
- das Haus: Meaning 'the house' or 'the building'.
- die Gemeinschaft: Meaning 'the community' or 'association'.
The gender of the compound noun is determined by the last part (the base word), which is 'Gemeinschaft'. Since 'Gemeinschaft' is feminine ('die Gemeinschaft'), 'Hausgemeinschaft' is also feminine ('die Hausgemeinschaft').
Legal Context: In Germany, specific regulations (e.g., in tenancy law or the Condominium Act - Wohnungseigentumsgesetz) often govern how residents live together and how the building is managed within a 'Hausgemeinschaft'.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Hausgemeinschaft?
The word 'Hausgemeinschaft' refers to the community of residents within an apartment building. It is always feminine, so the correct article is always die Hausgemeinschaft.
