Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich.

When the fire in the fireplace is burning, the apartment seems especially cozy.

Breakdown of Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich.

• in: in
• dem: the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• gemütlich: cozy
• besonders: especially
• wenn: when
• die Wohnung: the apartment
• brennen: to burn
• wirken: to seem
• der Kamin: the fireplace
• das Feuer: the fire

Questions & Answers about Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich.

Why is the verb brennt at the end of „Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt“?

Because wenn introduces a subordinate clause in German.

In subordinate clauses (introduced by dass, weil, wenn, obwohl, als, etc.), the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause:

• Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, …
  – subject: das Feuer
  – place phrase: im Kamin
  – conjugated verb at the end: brennt

So the pattern is: [wenn] + subject + (other elements) + verb.

Why does the main clause start with wirkt instead of die Wohnung wirkt after the comma?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb must be in second position.

When the sentence starts with a subordinate clause, that whole subordinate clause counts as position 1. So after the comma, the verb of the main clause must come first:

• Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich.
  
  1. Position: Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt (whole clause)
  2. Position: wirkt (verb)
  3. Position: die Wohnung (subject)

If you start directly with the main clause, you get normal word order:

• Die Wohnung wirkt besonders gemütlich, wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt.
  
  1. Position: Die Wohnung
  2. Position: wirkt

Why is it wenn here and not als or wann?

These three look similar but are used differently:

• wenn

  • for repeated or general situations: “whenever / when(ever)”
  • also for conditions: “if”
  • Example: Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung gemütlich.
    → “Whenever the fire is burning…”

• als

  • for a single event in the past: “when (once, at that time)”
  • Example: Als ich klein war, hatten wir keinen Kamin.
    → “When I was little…”

• wann

  • for questions (direct or indirect): “when?”
  • Example: Wann brennt das Feuer im Kamin?
    → “When does the fire burn in the fireplace?”

In your sentence, it’s about a general condition (“whenever / if the fire is burning”), so wenn is correct.

What is the difference between wirkt gemütlich and ist gemütlich?

Both are possible, but they don’t mean exactly the same:

• ist gemütlich = “is cozy”
  
  • states a direct fact, more objective-sounding
• wirkt gemütlich = “seems/appears/comes across as cozy”
  
  • focuses on the impression something makes

So:

• Die Wohnung ist gemütlich.
  → The flat is cozy (as a property).

• Die Wohnung wirkt gemütlich.
  → The flat seems cozy / comes across as cozy (to people who see it).

In the original sentence, wirkt suggests that the fire changes the atmosphere or the impression of the flat.

What exactly is im Kamin grammatically, and why not in den Kamin?

im is a contraction of in dem:

• in
  • dem Kamin → im Kamin

Points to note:

1. Kamin is masculine: der Kamin.
2. in can take dative (location: “in/inside”) or accusative (movement: “into”).
3. Here it’s a location (where the fire is burning), so it takes dative: in dem Kamin → im Kamin.

• Das Feuer brennt im Kamin.
  → The fire is burning in the fireplace (static location, dative).

Compare:

• Ich lege Holz in den Kamin.
  → I put wood into the fireplace (movement, accusative: in den).

What are the genders and cases of das Feuer, im Kamin, and die Wohnung here?

In this sentence:

1. das Feuer

   • Gender: neuter (das)
   • Case: nominative (subject) in the subordinate clause
   • Clause: Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt

2. im Kamin

   • im = in + dem → dative
   • Gender: masculine (der Kamin)
   • Function: prepositional phrase of place (“in the fireplace”)

3. die Wohnung

   • Gender: feminine (die)
   • Case: nominative (subject) in the main clause
   • Clause: … wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich

So each clause has its own subject in the nominative:

• Subordinate: das Feuer
• Main: die Wohnung

Why doesn’t gemütlich have an ending here (like gemütliche)?

Because gemütlich is used as a predicative adjective after a verb (wirkt), not directly before a noun.

Rules:

• Before a noun → adjective endings:

  • eine gemütliche Wohnung
  • die gemütliche Wohnung

• After sein / werden / wirken / bleiben → no ending:

  • Die Wohnung ist gemütlich.
  • Die Wohnung wirkt gemütlich.
  • Die Wohnung bleibt gemütlich.

Here, gemütlich describes the subject die Wohnung via the verb wirkt, so it stays in the basic form, without an ending.

besonders is an adverb (“especially”), modifying gemütlich, so it also doesn’t get an ending:
→ besonders gemütlich = “especially cozy”.

What does gemütlich really mean? Is it just “cozy”?

gemütlich often translates as “cozy”, but it has a slightly wider, cultural feel:

• physically comfortable (soft light, warmth, comfy seating)
• emotionally pleasant (relaxed, friendly, no stress)
• inviting atmosphere (you want to stay and enjoy it)

Related is the noun die Gemütlichkeit, which is a whole concept in German: a warm, relaxed, pleasant atmosphere, often with friends, food, drink, and comfort.

So besonders gemütlich suggests not just “extra cozy furniture” but an especially warm, homely, relaxed atmosphere in the flat.

Is this talking about something happening now, in the future, or generally?

The German Präsens (present tense) is flexible. Here, it expresses a general or habitual situation:

• Wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt, wirkt die Wohnung besonders gemütlich.
  → Whenever the fire is burning in the fireplace, the flat feels especially cozy.

You can understand it as:

• a general rule (whenever this condition is true)
• a repeated situation (every time you light a fire)

German present can also cover near future or general truths, so no extra tense is needed here.

Can I switch the order and start with Die Wohnung wirkt… instead?

Yes, you can, and it’s very natural:

• Die Wohnung wirkt besonders gemütlich, wenn das Feuer im Kamin brennt.

When the main clause comes first, it keeps normal V2 word order:

• Die Wohnung (position 1 – subject)
• wirkt (position 2 – verb)
• besonders gemütlich (rest)
• then the subordinate clause with wenn… at the end.

Meaning and grammar are the same; only the emphasis changes slightly:

• Original: more focus on the condition (the fire).
• Swapped: more focus on the effect (the cozy flat).