I. Theory
Da-compounds are used in German as a way of referring back to a noun or action that was already stated in a prior clause or sentence. In English, we often use “that” or “it” in these instances (I don’t have time for that), (we are driving through it). However, in formal writing, we do still find examples like “thereto” or “therein” - this is essentially the same usage in German. These compounds can be used virtually with any preposition though some are used much more frequently than others.| Das Fest ist morgen; ich freue mich darauf! The party is tomorrow; I am looking forward to it! Ich habe Musik studiert, weil ich mich dafür interessierte. I studied music because I was interested in it. Das Projekt ist nicht gut gelaufen. Wir müssen darüber sprechen. The project didn’t go well. We have to talk about it. |
II. Da- and Dar-
As you can see in the last example above, dar- is used when the preposition begins with a vowel. Therefore, we get compounds such as: daran, darin, daraus, darauf, etc.| Der Hund liegt im Auto. Er schläft gern darin. The dog is in the car. He likes to sleep in there. Ich erinnere mich daran. I remember it. Heute habe ich meinen Kleiderschrank aufgeräumt. Darin fand ich die Turnschuhe, die ich schon lange gesucht hatte. Today, I cleaned out my closet. Inside, I found the sneakers that I had been looking for. |
III. Da-words
It is important to know that certain da-compounds are actually adverbs, and can have their own meaning (like “therefore” has in English). Below are some examples where we find no preposition reference point and instead, the compound has an abstract meaning. These are sometimes known as “da-words” or “da-adverbs”.| DaherWir haben den Zug verpasst und mussten daher ein Taxi rufen. We missed our train and that’s why we had to call a taxi. DazuIch esse gern Pizza. Dazu mag ich am liebsten ein Glas Wein. I like to eat pizza. With it, I prefer drinking wine. DabeiIch habe in Frankreich studiert und dabei Französisch gelernt. I studied in France and, in doing so, I learned French. DadurchDer Bär ist auf das dünne Eis gegangen und ist dadurch in den See gefallen. The bear went onto the thin ice and consequently fell into the lake. DanachIch gehe ins Büro. Danach komme ich zurück nach Hause. I am going to the office. I will come back home afterwards. |