Learn Hardcore German: Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt.

sein + gewohnt → to be used to something
- Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
  = I am used to the noisy stairwell.
haben + gewohnt would normally be the perfect tense of wohnen (to live / reside):
- Ich habe in Berlin gewohnt.
  = I lived in Berlin / I have lived in Berlin.

So „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt“ uses sein because gewohnt functions like an adjective, not like a past participle forming a perfect tense.

Why is it „das laute Treppenhaus“ (accusative) and not dative, like „dem lauten Treppenhaus“?

The adjective gewohnt (in the sense of “accustomed to”) takes a direct object in the accusative case.

jemanden / etwas gewohnt sein = to be used to someone / something (accusative)

Examples:

Ich bin Lärm gewohnt. (Lärm = accusative)
Sie ist lange Arbeitstage gewohnt. (lange Arbeitstage = accusative)
Wir sind das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.

Dative (dem lauten Treppenhaus) would be wrong here, because gewohnt does not govern the dative in this structure.

Why is there no preposition like „an“: why not „Ich bin an das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt“?

With gewohnt sein meaning “to be used to”, German normally does not use a preposition:

Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt. ✅
Ich bin an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt. (possible, but different structure – see below)

Different but related structures:

gewohnt sein + Akkusativ (no preposition)
- Emphasizes a state: you are accustomed to something.
- Ich bin Lärm gewohnt.
an etwas gewöhnt sein (with an + Akkusativ/Dativ)
- This uses the participle gewöhnt from (sich) gewöhnen an.
- Ich bin an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt.
- This is possible, but feels closer to: “I have become used to the noisy stairwell; I am habituated to it.”
sich an etwas gewöhnen
- Emphasizes the process of getting used to something.
- Ich habe mich an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt. = I got used to it.

In the original sentence, the natural, idiomatic form is „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.“ without a preposition.

What is the difference between „gewohnt“ and „gewöhnt“?

They look and sound similar but are grammatically different:

gewohnt (no umlaut):
- Adjective meaning “customary / usual / used to”.
- From an older verb gewohnen, now mostly fossilized in this adjective.
- Used with sein
  - Akkusativ:
    - Ich bin Lärm gewohnt.
    - Er ist harte Arbeit gewohnt.
gewöhnt (with umlaut ö):
- Past participle of the verb (sich) gewöhnen (to get used to).
- Often used in:
  - Ich habe mich an den Lärm gewöhnt.
  - Ich bin an den Lärm gewöhnt.

Meaning overlap:

Ich bin den Lärm gewohnt.
Ich bin an den Lärm gewöhnt.

Both can mean “I am used to the noise”, but gewohnt (no umlaut) is the classic adjectival form with an accusative object.

Is „gewohnt“ here an adjective or a verb form?

In „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt“, gewohnt is used as an adjective in predicate position:

It behaves like other predicate adjectives with sein:
- Ich bin müde. (tired)
- Ich bin nervös. (nervous)
- Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt. (used to the noisy stairwell)

Key signs it’s adjectival here:

It can be modified by schon (already), just like other adjectives:
- Ich bin schon müde.
- Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt.
It can sometimes take comparative/superlative in other contexts:
- etwas mehr gewohnt sein (be used to something more)

So you should think of it as:
„to be accustomed“ + direct object, not as a perfect tense verb form.

What is the role and meaning of „schon“ in this sentence?

Here schon means “already” and emphasizes that the state of being used to the noise exists now, earlier than someone might expect:

Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt.
= I am already used to the noisy stairwell.

Without schon:

Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
= I am used to the noisy stairwell. (neutral statement)

With schon, you imply a contrast, for example:

Maybe you moved in recently, but already you’re used to it.
Maybe someone thought it would take you longer, but it didn’t.

Could we move „schon“ somewhere else in the sentence? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, schon can move, and position affects subtle emphasis:

Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt.
- Default, very natural. Slight focus on the state of being already used to it.
Ich bin schon das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
- Stylistically less common; sounds slightly more marked.
- It can emphasize “already” in relation to the object: I’m already used to the noisy stairwell (perhaps not to other things yet).
- Could imply: there are other things in the building you are not yet used to.
Schon bin ich das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
- Very unusual, poetic or rhetorical.

In everyday speech, „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus schon gewohnt“ is the natural choice.

Why is it „das laute Treppenhaus“ and not „der“ or „die“ Treppenhaus?

In German, compound nouns get their gender from the last part of the compound:

Treppenhaus = Treppe + Haus
- Haus is neuter: das Haus
- Therefore Treppenhaus is also neuter: das Treppenhaus

So you get:

Nominative / Accusative singular: das Treppenhaus
In the sentence: das laute Treppenhaus (neuter article das
- adjective laut with ending -e)

Why is it „laute“ and not „laut“ or „lautes“ Treppenhaus?

The article–adjective–noun combination follows weak adjective declension because there is a definite article (das) in front:

Pattern with neuter singular definite article:

Nominative: das laute Treppenhaus
Accusative: das laute Treppenhaus
(nominative and accusative are identical for neuter)

So:

das = definite article (shows gender, number, case)
laut = adjective stem
-e = weak adjective ending after definite article

You would only see „lautes Treppenhaus“ in patterns like:

ein lautes Treppenhaus (indefinite article → mixed declension)
lautes Treppenhaus (no article → strong declension)

But with „das“, you need „das laute Treppenhaus“.

How does „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt“ differ from „Ich habe mich an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt“?

Both relate to being used to something, but they focus on different aspects:

Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
- Focus: current state.
- Means: I am (now) used to the noisy stairwell; it doesn’t bother me anymore.
- Stylistically a bit more formal or “bookish”.
Ich habe mich an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt.
- Focus: the process of becoming used to it.
- Literally: I have gotten used to the noisy stairwell.
- Very common in everyday speech.

In many contexts they can describe the same situation, but:

Use „bin … gewohnt“ when you want to state a habitual state.
Use „habe mich gewöhnt“ when you want to emphasize the change or the adaptation process.

Is „Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt“ common in everyday speech, or is there a more natural alternative?

It is correct and idiomatic, but sounds somewhat more formal or literary.

In everyday conversation, many native speakers are more likely to say:

Ich habe mich schon an das laute Treppenhaus gewöhnt.
An das laute Treppenhaus habe ich mich schon gewöhnt.

Still, you will certainly hear „etwas gewohnt sein“ in spoken language, especially with short objects like:

Ich bin Lärm gewohnt.
Er ist das gewohnt.

Can „gewohnt sein“ also be used with verbs, like English “I am used to hearing …”?

Not directly in the same way. Common patterns are:

With noun (as in your sentence):
- Ich bin das laute Treppenhaus gewohnt.
- Ich bin den Lärm gewohnt.
To express “used to doing something”, German often uses:
a) „gewohnt sein, etwas zu tun“
- Ich bin gewohnt, früh aufzustehen.
  = I am used to getting up early.
- Sie ist gewohnt, im Lärm zu arbeiten.
b) Or more colloquially with „(sich) gewöhnen an“:
- Ich habe mich daran gewöhnt, im Lärm zu arbeiten.

So you don’t say „Ich bin gewohnt, den Lärm zu hören“ as a calque of English “I am used to hearing the noise” unless it is carefully phrased; more natural would be something like:

Ich bin daran gewöhnt, den Lärm zu hören.
Ich bin daran gewöhnt, dass es im Treppenhaus laut ist.

Is „Treppenhaus“ literally “stair house”? How is it used in German?

Yes, literally Treppe (stair) + Haus (house), but idiomatically it means:

„Treppenhaus“ = (enclosed) stairwell / stairway area in a building

It refers to the:

vertical space in a building where the stairs are,
often including landings, railings, and sometimes elevator shafts,
usually the common staircase area of an apartment building or office block.

So „das laute Treppenhaus“ evokes an echoing, noisy stairwell (people walking, doors slamming, children running, etc.).