Even if we all know that when speaking another language we shouldn’t simply translate from our first language, we instinctively avoid the structures we are not familiar with.

For many students of German, this may be the case with the ‘da‘-struture. Even students at a high level just don’t use it. Because it looks difficult? Because there isn’t anything similar in their mother tongue or in other languages they know? Because it does not express any meaning? I can’t think about any other language where it does exist as well (but if there is any, I would be very happy to learn about it – just to confirm that German does not have all these weird structures alone).

How to learn this structure? One way could be to understand why it sounds incorrect (to native speakers, of course) when it is omitted. Let’s see why it is necessary – and how you can sound like a German.

Similar to English, many verbs, some nouns and a few adjectives require a preposition in order to express their object.

I’ll wait for you.

Ich warte auf dich.

I am interested in the German language.

Ich bin an der deutschen Sprache interessiert.

The structures in German and English look pretty much the same.

But what happens when an action is involved?

I am interested in learning German.

Ich bin daran interessiert (,) Deutsch zu lernen.

Let’s see the differences. First, we have a different word order, which has to do with the second reason. In German, there is no ing-form, but an infinitive which has to be placed at the end of the sentence and which requires ‘zu’. And third, the ‚da’-part.

When do you have to use it? Compare these other two sentences:

Can you help me with my homework?

Kannst du mir bei den Hausaufgaben helfen?

Can you help me doing my homework?

Hilfst du mir dabei(,) die Hausaufgaben zu machen?

‘helfen’, as many other verbs, needs a preposition (bei). But how to get from the first sentence to the second one? Prepositions are used with nouns and can’t be used with verbs. In order to use a verb (or actually an infinitive sentence) another solution must be found. This is the reason for the ‘da-‘-structure.

Let’s have a closer look. In the first sentence there is a noun: Hausaufgaben, so the sentence is correct. But the situation in the second sentence is different, we got a whole sentence (with a verb): Deutsch lernen or Hausaufgaben machen.

It is simply wrong to use a preposition with a verb, because prepositions exclusively require a noun. Now, what the language does is offering a way  – let’s say – to cheat. We just add a nice ‘da’, put the infinitive at the end and add ‘zu’, and the language is happy with that. In this way, we have transformed the sentence without a noun in one which seems to have one. Pretty easy, right? Just don’t forget the ‘da’! When speaking German, feel as the Germans do!

There are two ways to attach the ‘da’ to the preposition: The first one is just in front of the preposition: da + mit = damit. The second one occurs when the prepositions starts with a vowel, like ‘an’. In order not to have two vowels in a row, we need to add ‘r’: da + r + an = daran.

This happens, for example, with ‘bitten um’ – darum, but not with ‘sich entschuldigen für’ – dafür.

Here is a list of the prepositions which can build the da-structure: an, auf, aus, bei, durch, für, gegen, hinter, in/ein, mit, nach, neben, über, um, unter, von, vor, zu, zwischen.

Why do we have the two different structures?

Er hat mich um einen Gefallen gebeten.

Oder: Er hat mich darum gebeten, ihm einen Gefallen zu tun.

Sie hat sich für die Verspätung entschuldigt.

Oder: Sie hat sich dafür entschuldigt zu spät gekommen zu sein.

The meaning of both sentences is more or less the same, but the structure is different. Okay, you might say: Why shall I use the longer, more complicated one? Simply because often you need a verb.

Ich freue mich darauf(,) in den Ferien nicht arbeiten zu müssen.

Sie hat sich dazu entschlossen(,) in Deutschland eine Arbeit zu suchen.

Er hat sich immer noch nicht daran gewöhnt(,) morgens früh aufzustehen.

Ich muss mich darauf konzentrieren(,) für die Prüfung zu lernen.

In these sentences, both verbs have the same subject. Therefore, we use the infinitive. What happens with two different subjects?

Ich freue mich darauf, dass du in den Ferien nicht arbeiten musst (und wir zusammen etwas unternehmen können).

Instead of the infinitive, we need a subordinated sentence (with a subject and the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence). The ‘da-.., dass’- structure (or with question words like ‘wann, wie’, ob, etc.) is used, when the subjects of both sentences are not identical. Other examples are:

Er freut sich darüber, dass seine Freunde ihn zu sich eingeladen haben.

Wir haben (mit ihm) darüber diskutiert, ob er das alleine schafft.

Ich frage die Leute danach, wie man zum Bahnhof kommt.

Es hängt davon ab, wann wir beginnen.

How to ask about the second part of the sentence?

Worüber freut er sich?

Worüber habt ihr diskutiert?

Wonach fragst du?

Wovon hängt es ab?

Both sentences (infinitive sentence or subordinated sentence) are possible answers.

The strange thing is that the ‘wo’-part actually means ‘was’, so things or situations. That is why most of the native speakers in the spoken (and often even in the written) language would say:

Über was freut er sich?

Über was habt ihr diskutiert?

Nach was hast du gefragt?

Von was hängt es ab?

Grammatically, it is not correct, but it is somehow accepted and much more used than the correct form.

Even more, when the object is a person, we must use this structure. ‘wen’ is the accusative of ‘wer’ (who), ‘wem’ the dative.

An wen kannst du dich gut erinnern? – Ich kann mich gut an meine Großmutter erinnern.

Mit wem hast du gerade telefoniert? – Mit meinem Chef.

Furthermore, we will find ‘da’ in other constructions too referring to a noun.

Mit diesem Stift? Damit kann man nicht schreiben.

Zuerst haben wir zu Mittag gegessen, danach sind wir spazieren gegangen.

In the first sentence ‘da’ means the pencil, in the second one the lunch.

This structure applies again only with things, places etc., but not with people. Talking about a person, the preposition and the personal pronoun are used.

Triffst du dich mit deinem Freund? Ja, ich treffe mich mit ihm.

For things, the pronoun is also used, but only without a preposition.

Siehst du den Baum dort? Ja, ich sehe ihn.

In some words, ‘da-‘  has become a fixed part, like ‘danach’, damals, ‘davor’, ‘dazugeben’, ‘dazufügen’, ‘dabei haben’, dabei sein, dabeibleiben, where it refers to something mentioned before or which we see just in front of us.

‚danach’ (afterwards) literally means after the event which was mentioned before. The same for ‚davor’ – before the mentioned event.

‚damals’ means in those times we are speaking about.

‘dazugeben’ means to add, but literally add to the other things we got already, e.g. wir geben die Eier dazu, dazu here means to the dough.

‘dabei’ (at the same time, however), e.g. Er hat nie Zeit, dabei sitzt er den ganzen Tag zu Hause und langweilt sich.

‘dabeihaben’ means to have something with/on you, e.g. Hast du Geld dabei? Oh nein, ich habe keins dabei.

‘dabei sein’ – to be present, to take part, e.g. Kommt Klaus heute? Ja, natürlich ist er auch dabei.

‘dabei bleiben’ – to stick to a decision, e.g. es bleibt dabei – we stick to that.

Some of them refer to a place, e.g.

da sein – be present, er ist da (which actually means here: he is here, present)

dableiben – to stay where you are, ich bleibe da – I’ll stay (I don’t leave)

da-/hierlassen – leave something in a place, ich lasse das Buch da/hier

da hinten/vorne – over there, e.g. die Post ist da hinten/vorne (with no big difference between ‚vorne’ and ‚hinten’, ‚vorne’ might be a bit closer than ‚hinten’)

dran sein (where the ‚a’ has been lost) – to be someone’s turn, e.g. wer ist dran? – Du bist dran.

drinnen – inside and draußen – outside

In the spoken language, especially in the southern parts of Germany, often the ‚d’ is doubled.

Hast du Lust auf einen Film? – Dadrauf habe ich keine Lust.

And then often separated: Da habe ich keine Lust drauf.

In the northern parts of Germany, both parts are often separated:

Da weiß sie nichts von. Instead of: Davon weiß sie nichts.

Hopefully, you have learnt how useful this structure is. Now, let’s just try to use it!