Da-Compounds (Da-Komposita)
A scan-friendly list of major commonly used da-compounds, including usage rule and person-vs-thing examples.
Quick Rule
If the preposition starts with a vowel, German inserts an "r" after "da" for pronunciation: da + r + an = daran.
1) Vowel Starters (with r)
| Word | Literal/Core Meaning | English Equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daran | at/on that | about it / of it | Ich denke daran. I am thinking about it. |
| Darauf | upon/on that | to it / for it / on it | Ich freue mich darauf. I am looking forward to it. |
| Daraus | out of that | from it / out of it | Was wird daraus? What will come out of it? |
| Darin | inside that | in it / inside | Das Buch ist alt, darin stehen Geheimnisse. The book is old, inside it are secrets. |
| Darum | around/because of that | therefore / that is why / for it | Ich bitte darum. I am asking for it. |
| Daruber | over/above/about that | about it / across it | Wir sprechen daruber. We are talking about it. |
| Darunter | under/among that | under it / among them | Was verstehst du darunter? What do you understand by that? |
2) Consonant Starters (no r)
| Word | Literal/Core Meaning | English Equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davon | from/of that | of it / from it / about it | Ich habe davon gehort. I have heard of it. |
| Danach | after/towards that | after that / afterwards | Erst essen wir, danach gehen wir. First we eat, after that we go. |
| Damit | with that | with it / so that | Was machst du damit? What are you doing with it? |
| Dazu | to/in addition to that | to it / with it / plus that | Ich gehore nicht dazu. I do not belong to it. |
| Dafur | for that | for it / in favor of it | Danke dafur. Thank you for it. |
| Dagegen | against that | against it / compared to it | Ich habe nichts dagegen. I have nothing against it. |
| Dahinter | behind that | behind it | Wer steckt dahinter? Who is behind it? |
| Daneben | next to that | next to it / beside it | Dein Tipp lag vollig daneben. Your guess was totally off. |
| Davor | before/in front of that | before it / in front of it | Ich habe Angst davor. I am afraid of it. |
| Dazwischen | between that | in between / in the middle | Lass uns nicht dazwischen reden. Let us not interrupt and talk in between. |
3) Archaic or Rare Forms
- Darob (over that / because of that - archaic)
- Dahinterher (running after it)
- Darinnen (deep inside there - poetic variant of darin)
Golden Rule
Use da-compounds when referring to a thing, idea, or action. For people, use a normal pronoun.
Thing (Correct)
Ich erinnere mich daran.
I remember it.
Person (Use pronoun)
Ich erinnere mich an ihn.
I remember him.