Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.

Over time our apartment becomes cozier.

Breakdown of Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.

• unser: our
• werden: to become
• gemütlich: cozy
• die Wohnung: the apartment
• mit der Zeit: gradually

Questions & Answers about Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.

What does Mit der Zeit literally mean, and how is it used in German?

Literally, Mit der Zeit means “with the time”. Idiomatically, it means:

• “over time”
• “as time goes by”
• “in time / gradually”

It introduces the idea that something changes slowly, not suddenly.
So Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher = “Over time, our apartment is becoming cozier.”

Why is it der Zeit and not die Zeit after mit?

Because mit always takes the dative case.

• The basic (nominative) form is die Zeit (feminine).
• In the dative singular for feminine nouns, die becomes der.

So:

• Nominative: die Zeit
• Dative: der Zeit

Since mit requires the dative, you must say mit der Zeit, not mit die Zeit.

Could I also say Im Laufe der Zeit or Nach und nach instead of Mit der Zeit? Are they the same?

They’re very close in meaning, but with slight nuances:

• Mit der Zeit – neutral, “over time,” simply saying that change happens gradually.
• Im Laufe der Zeit – literally “in the course of time,” a bit more formal, but very common in both spoken and written German.
• Nach und nach – literally “after and after,” meaning “little by little,” emphasizing the step‑by‑step nature of the change.

In your sentence you could say:

• Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.
• Im Laufe der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.
• Nach und nach wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.

All are correct; the difference is mostly stylistic. Mit der Zeit is the most neutral and common.

Why is wird used here? Does werden mean “to become” or “will be”?

Werden has several important uses in German:

1. “to become”

   • Er wird müde. – “He is becoming tired.”
   • Unsere Wohnung wird gemütlicher. – “Our apartment is becoming cozier.”

2. Future tense auxiliary (“will do”)

   • Er wird morgen kommen. – “He will come tomorrow.”

3. Passive voice auxiliary

   • Das Haus wird gebaut. – “The house is being built.”

In your sentence, wird is the main verb meaning “becomes / is getting”, not a future auxiliary.

Is wird gemütlicher present or future tense? In English it feels like future (“will get cozier”).

Grammatically, wird gemütlicher is present tense.

German often uses the present tense to talk about:

• the present: Es wird gemütlicher. – “It’s getting cozier.”
• the near future: Nächsten Monat wird es gemütlicher. – “Next month it will be cozier.”

Context decides whether you translate it as “is getting cozier” or “will get cozier”.
In isolation, Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher can be:

• “Over time our apartment is getting cozier.”
  or
• “Over time our apartment will get cozier.”

Both are natural translations.

Why is it unsere Wohnung and not unser Wohnung?

Because Wohnung is feminine (die Wohnung) and it is the subject in the nominative case.

Possessive determiners (mein, dein, sein, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr) behave a bit like ein and must agree with the gender and case of the noun they modify.

For feminine nominative singular, the ending is typically -e:

• die Wohnung → meine Wohnung, deine Wohnung, unsere Wohnung

So here:

• Gender: feminine (die Wohnung)
• Case: nominative (subject of the sentence)
• Correct form: unsere Wohnung

Unser Wohnung would be ungrammatical.

What case is unsere Wohnung in, and how can I tell?

Unsere Wohnung is in the nominative case.

How to tell:

1. Ask who or what is doing something (the subject):

   • Who/what is becoming cozier? → unsere Wohnung.
     Subject → nominative.

2. The verb werden (“to become”) in this structure takes a subject and a predicate adjective (gemütlicher). There is no direct object here.

So:

• unsere Wohnung = nominative subject
• gemütlicher = predicate adjective describing the subject

How is gemütlicher formed, and when do I use gemütlicher vs mehr gemütlich?

Gemütlicher is the comparative form of the adjective gemütlich (“cozy / comfortable / homely”).

German comparative is usually formed by:

• adjective + -er

Examples:

• schnell → schneller (fast → faster)
• kalt → kälter (cold → colder)
• gemütlich → gemütlicher (cozy → cozier)

So gemütlicher = “more cozy / cozier”.

You normally do not say mehr gemütlich for the basic comparative; gemütlicher is the standard form.
Mehr gemütlich might appear only in very specific emphasis structures (e.g., noch mehr gemütlich machen – “to make (it) even more cozy”), but the direct comparative of gemütlich is gemütlicher.

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

Gemütlich is often translated as “cozy”, but it carries a bit more than just physical comfort. It can include:

• physical comfort: soft lighting, comfortable furniture, warmth
• emotional comfort: relaxed, friendly atmosphere
• social warmth: feeling at ease with people, not stressed or formal

So gemütlich can describe:

• a room: ein gemütliches Wohnzimmer – “a cozy/lovely living room”
• a place/setting: ein gemütliches Café – “a cozy café”
• an event/evening: ein gemütlicher Abend – “a relaxed, pleasant evening”

In unsere Wohnung wird gemütlicher, it suggests the apartment is becoming more homely, comfortable, welcoming, not just “less empty.”

Can I change the word order and say Unsere Wohnung wird mit der Zeit gemütlicher? Is there any difference?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

• Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher.
• Unsere Wohnung wird mit der Zeit gemütlicher.

Both follow the verb-second rule (the conjugated verb wird is in second position):

1. Mit der Zeit (element 1) – wird (2) – unsere Wohnung – gemütlicher
2. Unsere Wohnung (element 1) – wird (2) – mit der Zeit – gemütlicher

The difference is emphasis:

• Starting with Mit der Zeit highlights the time aspect: “As time passes, our apartment becomes cozier…”
• Starting with Unsere Wohnung emphasizes the apartment itself: “Our apartment becomes cozier over time…”

In everyday speech, both orders are natural.

How would I say “Our apartment has become cozier over time” in German?

You’d use the present perfect with geworden:

• Mit der Zeit ist unsere Wohnung gemütlicher geworden.

Breakdown:

• ist … geworden – perfect of werden (“has become”)
• gemütlicher – comparative “cozier”
• Mit der Zeit – “over time”

So:

• Mit der Zeit wird unsere Wohnung gemütlicher. – “Over time our apartment is getting / will get cozier.”
• Mit der Zeit ist unsere Wohnung gemütlicher geworden. – “Over time our apartment has become cozier.” (the change is already completed or at least viewed as such)

What is the difference between Wohnung, Haus, and Apartment in German?

• die Wohnung
  A dwelling unit inside a building – what English usually calls an apartment or flat.
  Example: Ich habe eine kleine Wohnung in der Stadt. – “I have a small apartment in the city.”

• das Haus
  A house / building. It can be a standalone house or the whole building that may contain several Wohnungen.
  Example: Wir haben ein Haus mit Garten. – “We have a house with a garden.”

• das Apartment
  A loanword, used less frequently, often for:

  • Small, often modern units (e.g. Ferienapartment = holiday apartment)
  • Hotel-style apartments, serviced apartments, etc.

For “our apartment” in the usual sense where several families live in the same building, unsere Wohnung is more idiomatic than unser Apartment.