noun
staircase, stairwell
B1
Means 'staircase' or 'stairwell' (the interior set of stairs in a building). Neuter noun: das Treppenhaus. Plural: Treppenhäuser (umlaut + -er). The plural shows an umlaut change; regular declension otherwise. No special preposition. Common in housing and building contexts for access between floors.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Das Treppenhaus wird einmal pro Woche gereinigt.
The stairwell is cleaned once a week.
Das Paket liegt im Treppenhaus.
The package is in the stairwell.
Im Treppenhaus wurde die alte Lampe entfernt, bevor neue Beleuchtung installiert wurde.
The old lamp was removed in the stairwell before new lighting was installed.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
imagine a long house corridor filled with stairs — the 'Treppenhaus' is where the stairs live
sounds like 'trek' + 'house' (imagine a house with a trek up stairs)
das: think 'das' sounds like 'dust' which collects in stairwells (visual anchor for neuter)
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Treppenhaus is commonly used for the internal stair area of an apartment building. Plural often used when referring to stairwells in multiple buildings: die Treppenhäuser.