Deutsch · A2 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Household chores
Learn housework as separable verbs and fixed noun combinations.
Understand the choice
Chores are easier as action-object pairs: die Küche aufräumen, Wäsche waschen, den Müll hinausbringen, Staub saugen, and die Spülmaschine ausräumen. The prefix often reveals direction or completion.
Core rule: Separable household verbs split in main clauses; direct objects sit inside the verb bracket.
Notice it in context
Heute räume ich die Küche auf und bringe den Müll hinaus.
Today I tidy the kitchen and take out the rubbish.
Räume…auf and bringe…hinaus form two separable brackets around their objects.
Mein Mitbewohner wäscht die Wäsche und bügelt die Hemden.
My flatmate washes the laundry and irons the shirts.
Wäsche and bügelt/hemden name two tasks.
Der Staubsauger steht neben der Spülmaschine.
The vacuum cleaner is next to the dishwasher.
Both appliance nouns appear in a fixed-location sentence.
What to remember
- Wäsche is a collective noun for laundry; Kleidungsstück is one item.
- Putzen can mean clean or brush, depending on the object.
Common trap: Do not leave a separable prefix attached in a main clause: ich räume auf.