Chores that come apart
Two of this lesson's verbs are separable, so the prefix jumps to the end of a main clause — the pattern you have had since L34.
| verb | main clause | |
|---|---|---|
| abwaschen | to wash up, do the dishes | Ich wasche nach dem Abendessen *ab.* |
| wegwerfen | to throw away | Er wirft die Flasche *weg.* |
Note wegwerfen takes the same vowel change as werfen: ich werfe weg, but du *wirfst weg, er **wirft weg*.
| I wash up after dinner. | Ich wasche nach dem Abendessen ab. |
die Wäsche is not a plural
die Wäsche is a singular mass noun covering everything in the laundry basket — English the laundry, never the laundries. It takes a singular verb.
Die Wäsche liegt noch in der Küche.
Renting in both directions
German splits what English says with one word plus a particle. The pair differs only by the prefix ver-, which here flips who is paying.
| mieten | to rent (you pay, you move in) | Wir *mieten eine Wohnung.* |
| vermieten | to rent out (you are paid) | Der Nachbar *vermietet sein Haus.* |
The noun die Miete (the rent) you already have from L133.
| The neighbour rents out his house to students. | Der Nachbar vermietet sein Haus an Studenten. |
Which floor
das Erdgeschoss is the floor at street level — the ground floor, not the first. German counts upward from it, so der erste Stock is one flight up, and that is a real source of confusion when someone gives you an address.
