New here? This is lesson 140 of a free 240-lesson German course.
Rent and bills in German
Herr Schulze is in the courtyard with his clipboard. Priya needs the warm rent, the extra charges, the deposit, and how to pay.
He will name a date and not much else. Keep Sie with him, because he is the landlord.
By the end, you'll ask how high the warm rent and the deposit are, what the extra charges cover, and how you pay.
By the end of this lesson
Ask about warm rent, bills, the deposit, and how to pay.
- Wie hoch ist die Warmmiete?How much is the rent including heating?
- Was sind die Nebenkosten?What are the extra charges?
- Wie hoch ist die Kaution?How much is the deposit?
- Kann ich per Überweisung zahlen?Can I pay by bank transfer?
- Bis wann muss ich die Miete zahlen?When is the rent due?
- Bekomme ich dafür eine Quittung?Do I get a receipt for that?
Scene — the courtyard
The Hinterhof is quiet. Bikes lean on the ivy. Herr Schulze stands by the stairwell with his clipboard under one arm.
Priya comes down from the third floor. She still uses Sie with him, and he has no time for extra talk.
Learn — rent, bills, deposit
Six questions for the landlord: warm rent, extra charges, the deposit, bank transfer, the due date, and a receipt.
Keep Sie. He answers short.
Wie hoch ist die Warmmiete?
How much is the rent including heating?
When to use it: Ask your landlord this to get the monthly rent with heating.
Learn die Warmmiete with the noun, as the rent with heating.
Say it: Warmmiete puts the stress on the first syllable.
Was sind die Nebenkosten?
What are the extra charges?
When to use it: Ask this after the warm rent to hear what extras you pay.
Learn die Nebenkosten with the noun, as the extra charges on the flat.
Wie hoch ist die Kaution?
How much is the deposit?
When to use it: Ask your landlord this to hear how big the deposit is.
Learn die Kaution with the noun, as the deposit for the flat.
Kann ich per Überweisung zahlen?
Can I pay by bank transfer?
When to use it: Ask this when you want to pay the rent from your bank.
Per Überweisung is a bank transfer, not cash and not a card.
Say it: For ü, round your lips while making an ee sound.
Bis wann muss ich die Miete zahlen?
When is the rent due?
When to use it: Ask this so you know the last day you can pay rent.
In this question, muss comes second and zahlen stays last.
Bekomme ich dafür eine Quittung?
Do I get a receipt for that?
When to use it: Ask this after you pay, so you have paper proof.
Eine Quittung is accusative, because you want to get one receipt.
Story — the clipboard
Watch Priya ask Herr Schulze in the courtyard. He names a date and little else.
The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.
- Herr Schulze looks down at his clipboard in the courtyard.
Herr SchulzeGuten Tag.Good afternoon.
PriyaGuten Tag. Wie geht es Ihnen?Good afternoon. How are you?- Herr SchulzeGut.Fine.
- He taps the clipboard. He does not look at the bikes.
- PriyaWie hoch ist die Warmmiete?How much is the rent including heating?
- Herr SchulzeNeunhundert Euro im Monat.Nine hundred euros a month.
- PriyaWas sind die Nebenkosten?What are the extra charges?
- Herr SchulzeHeizung, Wasser und Müll.Heating, water and rubbish.
- PriyaWie hoch ist die Kaution?How much is the deposit?
- Herr SchulzeDrei Kaltmieten.Three months of cold rent.
- PriyaKann ich per Überweisung zahlen?Can I pay by bank transfer?
- Herr SchulzeJa.Yes.
- PriyaBis wann muss ich die Miete zahlen?When is the rent due?
- Herr SchulzeImmer bis zum dritten.Always by the third.
- PriyaBekomme ich dafür eine Quittung?Do I get a receipt for that?
- Herr SchulzeJa.Yes.
Practice — warm rent or extras
Ten short exercises wait here. You'll listen, match, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.
They stay on rent, bills, and how you pay Herr Schulze.
0 of 10 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
German
Kann ich per Überweisung zahlen?Drop the English hereBis wann muss ich die Miete zahlen?Drop the English hereBekomme ich dafür eine Quittung?Drop the English hereEnglish
What do you say?
What do you say?
The landlord just named the warm rent. Ask what the extra charges are.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
How much is the deposit?
Wie hoch ist die ____?
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
Kann ich per Überweisung zahlen?
Swap the word
Swap the word
You need the last day you can pay the rent.
Bis wann muss ich die ____ zahlen?
Pick the reply
Herr Schulze says:
Pick the reply
Die Überweisung ist da.
The bank transfer is in.
And you reply with:
Build the line
Build the line
Can I pay by bank transfer?
?
Tap the words in order.
What do you say?
What do you say?
You see Herr Schulze in the courtyard in the afternoon. Greet him.
What do you say?
What do you say?
After hello, ask your landlord how he is, the polite way.
Say it — ask the landlord
Now you're Priya with Herr Schulze and his clipboard. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.
Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.
- Herr SchulzeGuten Tag.Good afternoon.
- Priya (you)Ask how much the rent is, including heating.
Ask how much the rent is, including heating.
Wie hoch ist die Warmmiete?
How much is the rent including heating?
0 of 6 said
Recap — what you can say now
| German | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Wie hoch ist die Warmmiete? | How much is the rent including heating? | |
| Was sind die Nebenkosten? | What are the extra charges? | |
| Wie hoch ist die Kaution? | How much is the deposit? | |
| Kann ich per Überweisung zahlen? | Can I pay by bank transfer? | |
| Bis wann muss ich die Miete zahlen? | When is the rent due? | |
| Bekomme ich dafür eine Quittung? | Do I get a receipt for that? |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Want to keep these rent questions handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.
A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your rent questions ready for the courtyard.
Open Yak Cards