When to use “zu Hause” or “nach Hause”

Jun 3

Often, German students find it difficult to determine whether they should use “zu Hause” or “nach Hause” in German. After reading this article, you will know which one to choose the next time you will need it.

The confusion with “zu” or “nach”

So many students mix up with them both because they only differ in the words “zu” and “nach.” Now, the meaning of both prepositions can be “to” in the sense of direction, but “zu” can also mean “at,” and this is the critical point because while one can still go home, it can also be that one already arrived and does something at home. Obviously, it makes a huge difference which one you choose.

Recommended study materials on the topic:

A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)

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“nach Hause”

In German, we use “nach Hause” when we want to say that something is moving to its home. It might be confusing that the word “Haus,” which usually represents a house in general, gets an “e” at the end. You can remember that if you consider your home not just a simple house. Also, many other languages use a particular version of the house to express home.

For instance:

“Ich gehe nach Hause.” – “I walk home.”
“Wir fahren mit dem Auto nach Hause.” – “We’re going home by car.”

“zu Hause”

After you go home, you are situated at home. To express this in German, you need to use “zu Hause” which you can also write “zuhause“. An alternative to say the same is by using “daheim”.

For instance:

“Ich bleibe heute zu Hause / zuhause / daheim.” – “I stay at home today.”
“Er hat sein Handy zu Hause / zuhause /daheim vergessen.” – “He forgot his cell phone at home.”

Be aware of what you want to say

Now, as you can easily understand, it does make a difference what you want to say and which one you choose. A typical mistake is, for instance: “Ich gehe zu Hause.” which means “I walk at home.” However, most of the time, people want to express that they are walking home, and since they are using the wrong version, they send a completely different message.

If you are having trouble differentiating the two, try to remember the meaning of one of them so you can work with the exclusion procedure. This way, you avoid mixing them up.

To clarify another phenomenon, check out the article “How to have fun in German“.

Bis bald!

Steffie

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