Log inSign up

Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.

Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
I have been living in this city for a year.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning German now

Questions & Answers about Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.

Why is the present tense (wohne) used in German when in English we say “I have been living”?

German usually uses the present tense with seit to express an action that started in the past and continues up to now:

  • Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
    = I have been living in this city for a year.

English uses the present perfect progressive (“have been living”) for this meaning. German does not need a perfect tense here; using:

  • Ich habe seit einem Jahr in dieser Stadt gewohnt.

would typically sound like you’re focusing on the completed experience up to now or hinting that it might no longer be true, and is much less common in this context. For an ongoing state, the simple present wohne is the default with seit.

Why is it seit einem Jahr and not seit ein Jahr?

The preposition seit always takes the dative case.

  • ein Jahr is nominative/accusative (the base form).
  • The dative form of ein Jahr is einem Jahr.

So after seit, you must use the dative:

  • seit einem Jahr ✅
  • seit ein Jahr ❌

This is just a rule of German prepositions: seit → dative.

Why is it dieser Stadt and not diese Stadt?

Again, this is about case.

The preposition in can take dative or accusative:

  • Dative: location (where?)
  • Accusative: direction (where to?)

Here we are talking about location: “in this city” (not “into this city”), so dative is required.

  • die Stadt (feminine, nominative)
  • Dative singular feminine: der Stadt
  • The demonstrative diese behaves like a definite article:
    • Nominative feminine: diese Stadt
    • Dative feminine: dieser Stadt

So we get:

  • in dieser Stadt = in this city (location, dative)

in diese Stadt would be accusative and mean “into this city” (movement).

What exactly does seit mean here, and how is it different from für or lang?

In this sentence:

  • seit einem Jahr means for a year (up to now), i.e. from one year ago until now, the action is continuing.

Contrast:

  1. seit

    • dative

    • Focus: duration up to the present, ongoing
    • Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
      = I have been living in this city for a year (and I still do).

  2. für

    • accusative

    • Often used for planned or bounded future/finite time spans, not necessarily connected to now:
    • Ich bleibe für ein Jahr in dieser Stadt.
      = I will stay in this city for a year.

  3. Duration + lang

    • Emphasizes how long something lasts, often when the period is completed or considered as a block:
    • Ich habe ein Jahr lang in dieser Stadt gewohnt.
      = I lived in this city for a year (and not anymore, typically).

So seit implies “since/for (up to now, still true)”.

Can I change the word order? Is Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in dieser Stadt also correct?

Yes, several word orders are correct, as long as German verb-second (V2) rules are respected.

All of these are grammatical and mean basically the same:

  1. Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.

    • Seit einem Jahr is placed first for emphasis on the duration.

  2. Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in dieser Stadt.

    • Neutral, very natural everyday word order.

  3. Ich wohne in dieser Stadt seit einem Jahr.

    • Slight shift of emphasis toward the place first, then the duration.

General pattern: time, manner, place often appears as time–manner–place, but there is flexibility. The finite verb (wohne) must remain in second position in the clause, counting the first element as one “slot”.

What is the difference between wohnen and leben? Could I say Seit einem Jahr lebe ich in dieser Stadt?

You can say:

  • Seit einem Jahr lebe ich in dieser Stadt.

and it is grammatically correct.

But wohnen and leben are not identical:

  • wohnen: to reside, to live somewhere (focus on your dwelling/place of residence)

    • Ich wohne in dieser Stadt. = My residence is in this city.

  • leben: to live (be alive, have a life), or live (in a place) in a more general/existential sense.

    • Ich lebe in dieser Stadt. = I live (my life) in this city, my life is based here.

In many everyday contexts they can overlap when talking about cities/countries. But:

  • Wohnen is more specific to where you live (as an address).
  • Leben is broader and also covers “to be alive” (Er lebt noch. = He is still alive).
Could I leave out the article and say Seit Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt?

No, that sounds ungrammatical in standard German.

For time expressions with Jahr, you typically use:

  • ein Jahr (a year)
  • ein ganzes Jahr (a whole year)
  • seit einem Jahr (for a year, up to now)

Without any article (seit Jahr) is not idiomatic here. You need the indefinite article declined in the correct case:

  • seit einem Jahr ✅
Why is Seit einem Jahr at the beginning? Does that change the meaning?

Putting Seit einem Jahr at the beginning is mostly about emphasis and style, not about changing the basic meaning.

Compare:

  1. Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.

    • Emphasis on the duration: it’s been a year already.

  2. Ich wohne seit einem Jahr in dieser Stadt.

    • More neutral; the statement is about where you live, with the duration as added information.

German lets you move constituents to the front to highlight them, as long as the verb remains in second position. So starting with Seit einem Jahr just foregrounds the time frame.

How would I say “I lived in this city for a year (but not anymore)”?

To stress that the action is finished (you no longer live there), don’t use seit, because seit implies continuation to the present.

Instead, use:

  • Ich habe ein Jahr lang in dieser Stadt gewohnt.
  • Ich habe für ein Jahr in dieser Stadt gewohnt.

Both can indicate a completed period.

  • ein Jahr lang is very idiomatic.
  • für ein Jahr is also used, often when the duration is seen as a planned, limited period.
Can seit be used with past tenses like Präteritum or Perfekt?

It can, but the meaning shifts and it’s less common in everyday speech.

  1. With present tense (most common for ongoing situation):

    • Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
      = I have been living here for a year (and still do).

  2. With Präteritum or Perfekt, you usually refer to a time span in the past, often from a past reference point, not now:

    • Seit einem Jahr wohnte ich in dieser Stadt, als ich meinen Job verlor.
      = I had been living in this city for a year when I lost my job.

    • Ich hatte seit einem Jahr in dieser Stadt gewohnt, als ich umzog.
      = I had lived in this city for a year when I moved away.

These forms are possible but used in more narrative, written, or formal contexts. For a simple “I have been living here for a year” in everyday German, present + seit is standard.

Is there any difference between seit einem Jahr and schon seit einem Jahr?

Yes, schon adds a nuance of “already”, often expressing surprise, emphasis, or mild emotional coloring.

  • Seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
    = I have been living in this city for a year. (neutral statement)

  • Schon seit einem Jahr wohne ich in dieser Stadt.
    = I have already been living in this city for a year.
    (emphasizes that a whole year has passed; can imply “time flies” or “I didn’t expect it to be that long,” depending on context)

So schon doesn’t change the core meaning, but it changes the tone.