Breakdown of Die Wohnung ist komplett leer.
Questions & Answers about Die Wohnung ist komplett leer.
In German, every noun has a fixed grammatical gender that you simply have to learn:
- die Wohnung is feminine (singular): die Wohnung
- masculine would use der (e.g. der Tisch)
- neuter would use das (e.g. das Haus)
So Wohnung is always feminine:
- Nominative singular: die Wohnung
- Accusative singular: die Wohnung
- Dative singular: der Wohnung
- Genitive singular: der Wohnung
In this sentence, die is the definite article in the nominative case for a feminine noun that is the subject of the sentence.
Wohnung is closest to apartment or flat in English. It means a self-contained living unit inside a building (with rooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
- die Wohnung = flat / apartment
- das Haus = house (the whole building)
- das Apartment = also apartment, but often used for smaller, more “modern” or temporary places (e.g. holiday apartments, studio apartments)
So Die Wohnung ist komplett leer means specifically that the apartment/flat is completely empty, not the whole house.
Die Wohnung is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence — the thing that is being described.
- Wer oder was ist komplett leer? → Die Wohnung.
(Who or what is completely empty? The apartment.)
In a basic sein sentence (X ist Y), the noun before ist is usually in the nominative case as the subject:
- Die Wohnung ist leer.
- Das Zimmer ist klein.
- Der Tisch ist rund.
German uses sein (ist) to describe a state or condition of the subject:
- Die Wohnung ist leer. – The apartment is empty. (state of being)
- Der Tisch ist rund. – The table is round.
You use haben when the subject possesses something:
- Die Wohnung hat drei Zimmer. – The apartment has three rooms.
- Die Wohnung hat keine Möbel. – The apartment has no furniture.
So to say the apartment is empty, you must use sein: Die Wohnung ist leer.
Yes, in this kind of structure the normal order is:
sein + adverb + adjective
So:
- Die Wohnung ist komplett leer. ✅
- Die Wohnung ist leer komplett. ❌ (sounds wrong / ungrammatical)
Other examples:
- Der Raum ist völlig dunkel.
- Das Glas ist fast leer.
- Der Bus ist schon voll.
Adverbs like komplett, völlig, fast, schon normally come right before the adjective they modify.
- leer = empty
- komplett leer = completely empty / totally empty
leer alone already means empty, but komplett makes it stronger, emphasizing that there is absolutely nothing there:
- Die Wohnung ist leer. – There are no obvious things inside, but maybe a few small items could still be there.
- Die Wohnung ist komplett leer. – You expect it to be totally cleared out: no furniture, nothing left.
Other similar intensifiers:
- völlig leer – completely empty
- ganz leer – totally empty (style can be a bit more colloquial)
- total leer – very colloquial, strong emphasis
Because leer here is a predicate adjective: it comes after the verb sein and describes the subject.
Predicate adjectives in German do not take endings:
- Die Wohnung ist leer.
- Das Auto ist neu.
- Der Tisch ist rund.
- Die Zimmer sind groß.
Adjectives only get endings when they are in front of a noun (attributive adjectives):
- die leere Wohnung – the empty apartment
- ein neues Auto – a new car
- der runde Tisch – the round table
So:
- After sein → leer (no ending)
- Before a noun → leere Wohnung (with ending)
You can say Die komplette Wohnung ist leer, but the focus changes slightly:
Die Wohnung ist komplett leer.
– Emphasis on how empty it is. The state of the apartment: completely empty.Die komplette Wohnung ist leer.
– Emphasis on the whole apartment. Not just one room, but every part of the apartment is empty.
Grammar difference:
- komplett leer → komplett modifies the adjective leer (predicate adjective).
- komplette Wohnung → komplette modifies Wohnung (attributive adjective with ending -e).
Both are correct, but they stress slightly different things.
komplett is a fully accepted German word (from French/Latin originally, and English also has complete from the same root). It’s very common in everyday German and means complete(ly).
Usage:
As an adverb:
- Die Wohnung ist komplett leer. – completely empty
- Das ist komplett falsch. – totally wrong
As an adjective:
- ein komplettes Set – a complete set
- die komplette Mannschaft – the whole team
Register: komplett is neutral and common in both spoken and written German. Alternatives are völlig, ganz, vollständig, depending on style and context.
Approximate pronunciation (IPA and a rough English guide):
Wohnung – /ˈvoːnʊŋ/
- Woh-: like voh (long o as in tOtal)
- The h is silent but lengthens the o
- -nung: like noong, but the u is short and the final ng is clear
komplett – /kɔmˈplɛt/
- stress on the second syllable: kom-PLETT
- o like in not, e like in bed
leer – /leːɐ̯/
- long e sound, like lay but without the y
- then a short, soft r sound at the end; often very light in many accents
So the sentence is roughly:
DEE VOH-noong ist kom-PLETT LAYR (very rough guide).
Plural of die Wohnung is die Wohnungen.
So:
- Singular: Die Wohnung ist komplett leer. – The apartment is completely empty.
- Plural: Die Wohnungen sind komplett leer. – The apartments are completely empty.
Changes:
- Noun: Wohnung → Wohnungen
- Verb: ist (3rd person singular) → sind (3rd person plural)
Everything else stays the same.