How to Say “I Want to Go Home” in German

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ich will nach Hause
In German, "I want to go home" is said as ich will nach Hause.
This phrase is used to express a desire to return to your own place of residence. If you want to add the word "just" to your sentence, you can use the word einfach.

Which one should you use?

While ich will nach Hause is very common in everyday speech, ich möchte nach Hause is a more polite way to say "I would like to go home," making the request sound less demanding.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In northern Germany, you might hear the regional variation Ik will na Huus.

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase nach Hause is used specifically for movement towards home. In colloquial speech, it is common to omit the verb at the end, but the grammatically complete version of this sentence is ich will nach Hause gehen, which includes the verb gehen (to go) at the end. Do not confuse this with zu Hause, which is used to describe being at home in a static location.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use zu Hause when expressing the desire to go home. You should use nach Hause instead, as zu Hause describes being at home rather than the movement toward it.

Did you know?

  • The word Hause in nach Hause is a remnant of an old dative case ending that is no longer used in most modern German nouns.
  • The German word nach is a linguistic cousin of the English word 'nigh', which means 'near'.
  • In very formal or poetic German, you might see heimgehen used as a single verb to describe the act of returning home.

Examples in context

  • Ich will nach Hause.
    I want to go home.
    Tatoeba #6057623 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #256506 by CK
  • Ich will nach Hause!
    I want to go home!
    Tatoeba #7429247 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7426360 by Hybrid
  • Ich will nach Hause und schlafen.
    I want to go home and sleep.
    Tatoeba #1918724 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1911936 by Spamster
  • Ich will einfach nach Hause gehen.
    I just want to go home
  • Es zieht mich so nach Hause.
    I want to go home so badly
  • 1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Example conversation

At a loud party, Felix and Julia are feeling tired.

  1. Felix

    Es ist so laut hier.
    It is so loud here.
  2. Julia

    Ja, ich will nach Hause.
    Yes, I want to go home.
  3. Felix

    Ich will auch nach Hause gehen.
    I want to go home too.
  4. Julia

    Dann lass uns gehen.
    Then let's go.

Sources

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Tony Ian
Tony IanHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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