Unit 12: Da- Compounds
2. Some Common Da- Words
In older forms of English and often in English-language legal documents, there are a large variety of words formed with the prefix there-, such as “therefore,”“thereby,” “therein,” “thereafter,” etc. In German there are a number of similar adverbs, which represent special meanings of da– compounds (remember that one of the meanings of da is “there”).
Be sure not to confuse these da– words with the da– compounds described in the preceding section. The difference is that these adverbs use da– to refer not to a specific object already mentioned in the text, but rather to a more abstract concept, such as a time or logic relationship. Da– words have their own entries in your dictionary, whereas the simple da– compounds do not.
Sie bringt immer einen Regenschirm, damit sie nie naß wird.
She always brings an umbrella, so that she never gets wet.
Er sprang von der Mauer. Dabei brach er das Bein.
He jumped from the wall. In the process he broke his leg.
Sie kaufte die Aktien rechtzeitig und wurde dadurch reich.
She bought the stock at the right time and thereby became rich.
Ich habe kein Geld. Dafür bin ich gesund und glücklich.
I have no money. On the other hand, I’m healthy and happy.
Following are some commonly used da– words:
| dabei | in the process, in this matter, there, at the same time, as well |
| dadurch | thereby, in doing so |
| dafür | instead, on the other hand |
| dagegen | but, in comparison, on the other hand, whereas |
| daher | therefore, that is why |
| damit | so that, because of that, with that / this |
| danach | accordingly |
| daneben | compared with (something or someone), at the same time, as well as (something, that) |
| darauf | after that |
| darin | in this respect |
| darüber hinaus | beyond that, furthermore |
| darum | because of that |
| darunter | among them |
| dazu | along with (it / that), in addition to (it / that), for (it / that), about (it / that) |
