All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| mieten | rent something as the paying user | apartments, rooms, cars and equipment | accusative item; optional dative mir; hat gemietet |
| vermieten | rent out; let property to someone | landlords and rental providers | inseparable; accusative item; dative recipient or an + accusative |
mieten
Meaning and usage: Mieten describes taking something into use for payment rather than acquiring ownership. It can apply to a long-term apartment or a short-term car. The duration does not determine which verb you choose. An optional dative reflexive pronoun highlights obtaining it for yourself.
Grammar: Regular, nonseparable verb: mietet, mietete, hat gemietet. The rented item is accusative: eine Wohnung mieten. With a dative reflexive pronoun, say ich miete mir ein Auto. Bei + dative can name a rental company; von + dative can name the provider.
Wir mieten für das Wochenende ein kleines Auto.
We are renting a small car for the weekend.
Nora hat eine Wohnung in der Nähe ihres Arbeitsplatzes gemietet.
Nora has rented an apartment near her workplace.
vermieten
Meaning and usage: Vermieten describes providing an item or property for someone else's paid use. Ownership is not the grammatical point: the subject is the person or organization offering the rental. A person may also sublet property, which requires its own contractual context; the vocabulary alone does not establish permission.
Grammar: Regular and inseparable: vermietet, vermietete, hat vermietet. The item is accusative. Name the recipient with dative or an + accusative: jemandem eine Wohnung vermieten; eine Wohnung an jemanden vermieten. No ge- is added to vermietet.
Die Eigentümerin vermietet die Wohnung an ein junges Paar.
The owner rents the apartment to a young couple.
Die Firma vermietet Fahrräder für Tagesausflüge.
The company rents out bicycles for day trips.
Overlap and context
The verbs describe opposite perspectives on the same arrangement, rather than different kinds of accommodation. Wir mieten die Wohnung and sie vermietet die Wohnung can both be true. In advertisements, zu vermieten means available to rent; Wohnung gesucht introduces someone looking for a place. Do not infer the tenant's or provider's role solely from an English translation.
Common mistakes
- If you are looking for a home to live in, say Ich möchte eine Wohnung mieten, not vermieten.
- In the perfect, use gemietet but vermietet; the inseparable ver- prefix blocks additional ge-.
- The object stays accusative with both verbs. The tenant named after an with vermieten also takes accusative.
Memory aid: Mieten: I use it and pay. Vermieten: I provide it and receive rent.
Try it
Complete from the property provider's perspective: Meine Nachbarin ___ ihr freies Zimmer an eine Studentin.
Show the answer
vermietet
The neighbor offers the room for another person's paid use.