Learn Hardcore German: Ich gewöhne mich langsam an die laute Straße vor dem Haus. - I am slowly getting used to the loud street in front of the house.

Because with sich an etwas gewöhnen the reflexive pronoun is the direct object of the verb, so it must be in the accusative: ich gewöhne mich an ….

Using dative (mir) belongs to a different verb: sich (DAT) etwas an•gewöhnen = to get oneself into the habit of something. Example: Ich habe mir frühes Aufstehen angewöhnt.

Do I always need the reflexive pronoun with gewöhnen?

Yes, for the meaning “to get used (oneself) to something” you need it: sich an etwas gewöhnen.

Without the reflexive, jemanden an etwas gewöhnen means “to accustom someone else to something”: Ich gewöhne die Katze an das neue Zuhause.

Why is it an die laute Straße (accusative) and not an der lauten Straße (dative)?

Here an is part of the verb’s government: many verbs take an + accusative (e.g., denken an, glauben an, sich gewöhnen an). It’s not the two-way “direction vs. location” rule. So you must say an die … after sich gewöhnen an.

By contrast, with a spatial meaning: Ich wohne an der Straße (location → dative), Ich gehe an die Straße (movement → accusative).

Why is vor dem Haus dative?

vor is a two-way preposition. Here it describes a static location (the street is in front of the house), so it takes dative: dem Haus (neuter dative). If it were movement to a position in front of the house, you’d say vor das Haus (accusative).

What does vor dem Haus attach to here—the verb or the noun?

It belongs to the noun phrase die laute Straße: it specifies which street, namely “the loud street in front of the house.” So vor dem Haus is inside the noun phrase, not an adverbial of the clause.

Why is the adjective laute and not laut or lauten?

Attributive adjectives take endings. With a definite article and feminine singular accusative (die Straße), the weak ending is -e: die laute Straße.

Compare: der laute Bus (nom. masc.), den lauten Bus (acc. masc.), das laute Auto (neut.), die lauten Autos (plural).

Where should langsam go, and what does it modify?

langsam is an adverb modifying the process “getting used.” The most natural place is after the verb (or pronouns) and before the an-phrase:

Neutral: Ich gewöhne mich langsam an …
Emphasis by fronting: Langsam gewöhne ich mich an …
Sentence-final … an … langsam sounds odd in standard usage.

Can I start the sentence with Langsam?

Yes. German main clauses are verb-second, so if you front Langsam, the conjugated verb still stays in position 2:

Langsam gewöhne ich mich an die laute Straße vor dem Haus.

What’s the difference between sich an etwas gewöhnen and sich etwas an•gewöhnen?

sich an etwas gewöhnen = to get used to something external (a situation, noise, climate). It takes an + accusative: Ich gewöhne mich an die laute Straße.
sich etwas an•gewöhnen (separable) = to acquire a habit. Dative for the person, direct object for the habit: Ich habe mir angewöhnt, früh aufzustehen.

What’s the difference between Ich gewöhne mich … and Ich bin … gewöhnt?

Ich gewöhne mich … describes the ongoing process.
Ich bin an … gewöhnt describes the resulting state (“I am used to …”).
Completed process (perfect): Ich habe mich an die laute Straße gewöhnt.

How do I refer back to the an-phrase with a pronoun?

Use the da-compound daran (and woran for questions):

Ich gewöhne mich langsam daran.
Woran gewöhnst du dich? – Daran. Colloquial: dran, woran stays standard.

Is Straße with ß required? Is Strasse okay?

In Germany and Austria, standard spelling is Straße (with ß after a long vowel). In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Strasse (with ss) is standard. Both are understood; use the convention of the region you’re writing for.

Is an die laute Straße natural here, or should I say an den Lärm?

Both are possible. German often says an den Lärm (der Straße) to be more explicit about what you’re getting used to:

Ich gewöhne mich langsam an den Lärm der lauten Straße vor dem Haus. Your original sentence is still idiomatic via metonymy (the street stands for its noise).

Could I contract vor dem?

Yes, in informal speech and writing: vorm Haus. So you might hear: … an die laute Straße vorm Haus. Keep vor dem in neutral/formal contexts.

Any tips on pronunciation for tricky parts?

gewöhne: the ö is rounded (like French eu), [gə-VOEH-ne] roughly.
Straße: ß is like a voiceless s: [SHTRAH-sə].
ich: the ch is the soft “ich-sound” [ɪç].
langsam: the ng is [ŋ], and the s here is voiced: [LAHNG-zahm].