Pointing at a whole statement
A da-word like darauf can point at a thing: Ich warte darauf. In texts the same forms do a bigger job. They point at a whole preceding statement and tie the next sentence to it. Three series do this work, and each has its own place.
Three series
| Series | Points to | Word order | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| dabei, dazu, dadurch, daraufhin | the previous statement | adverb: verb second | neutral |
| hierbei, hierzu, hierdurch, hiermit | what is right at hand: the last point, this text | adverb: verb second | formal, written |
| wobei, wodurch, worauf, woraufhin | the clause before the comma | relative: verb last | neutral to formal |
da- forms: the neutral link
A da-word opens the next sentence and takes the place of a whole clause: daraufhin means as a reaction to that, dadurch by doing that, dabei while doing that or, with a contrast, and yet. As an adverb it fills position one, so the verb follows directly.
Der Lieferant sagte ab. Daraufhin mussten wir den Termin verschieben.
The supplier cancelled. As a result, we had to move the date.
Wir haben die Abläufe vereinfacht. Dadurch sparen wir zwei Stunden pro Woche.
We simplified the processes. That saves us two hours a week.
Er beschwert sich ständig über das Essen. Dabei kocht er selbst nie.
He's always complaining about the food. And yet he never cooks himself.
dabei with a contrast: and yet, even though
Die Mieten sind stark gestiegen. Demgegenüber stagnieren die Löhne.
Rents have risen sharply. Wages, by contrast, are stagnating.
demgegenüber is formal: by contrast
hier- forms: formal and close
hier- forms do the same job in formal writing and point at something very close: the point just made, the example in front of the reader, or the letter itself. English hereby and herewith sound legal; German hier- forms are everyday tools in reports, emails and papers.
Hiermit kündige ich meinen Vertrag zum 31. März.
I hereby give notice to terminate my contract as of 31 March.
hiermit: by this letter
Die Ergebnisse sind uneinheitlich. Hierzu ein Beispiel aus der Praxis.
The results are mixed. Here is an example from practice.
Wir haben alle Daten neu erhoben. Hierbei zeigte sich ein deutlicher Unterschied.
We collected all the data again. In doing so, a clear difference emerged.
wo- forms: a relative link to the whole clause
When the reference to a whole clause needs a preposition, German cannot use was with it. The preposition fuses with wo(r)- instead, and the new clause is a relative clause with the verb at the end. English uses which or whereupon for this.
Er sagte kurzfristig ab, woraufhin das Treffen verschoben wurde.
He cancelled at short notice, whereupon the meeting was postponed.
Sie hat die Prüfung bestanden, worüber sich alle sehr gefreut haben.
She passed the exam, which everyone was very happy about.
Der Server fiel aus, wodurch alle Bestellungen verloren gingen.
The server went down, which meant all the orders were lost.
Wir haben uns geeinigt, wobei noch einige Details offen sind.
We have reached an agreement, although a few details are still open.
