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dabei. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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German
Etymology
da + bei. Compare English thereby, Yiddish דערבײַ (derbay).
Pronunciation
Adverb
dabei
- pronominal adverb of bei (replaces bei + demonstrative or personal pronoun, unless referring to people)
- with one, on one
Hast du Geld dabei?- Do you have money on you?
- (when) indeed, (but) actually (expressing a contradiction)
Er will einkaufen gehen. Dabei ist heute Sonntag.- He wants to go shopping, when indeed today is Sunday.
- in the process of
Ich bin dabei, meine Wohnung zu streichen.- I’m in the process of painting my apartment.
- thereby, thus
Saatgut und Pollen können dabei über weite Distanzen verschleppt werden.- Seed and pollen can thereby be dispersed across great distances.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “dabei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “dabei” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “dabei” in Duden online