Pension

pension

noun pang-ZYON Less Common

Origin: from French 'pension'

Also means

guesthouse

Usage Note

Pension carries two senses: a retiree's pension, and a small guesthouse offering bed and board, cosier than a Hotel. As a French loanword its nasal opening is often kept; in Pension gehen means 'to retire'.

Examples

"Wir übernachten in einer kleinen Pension."

Natural Translation

We're staying in a small guesthouse.

Literal Translation

We overnight in a small guesthouse.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Tipping in Germany: A Visitor's Etiquette Guide

Tipping in Germany means saying your total out loud, not leaving coins. Learn the exact phrases, how much to tip, and the Sie-vs-du etiquette travelers need.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

How to Tell Time in German Without Mistakes

Halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30. Master telling time in German — Viertel nach, halb, vor, the 24-hour clock, and the prepositions that trip up beginners.

June 5, 2026 5 min read