Deutsch · B1 · grammar · 4 minutes
Da- and wo-compounds
Replace preposition + thing with damit/darauf and ask about it with womit/worauf.
Understand the choice
German avoids many preposition + es combinations. A da-compound packages the preposition with an inanimate or abstract reference, while a wo-compound asks for that same complement.
Core rule: For things, da(r)+preposition refers back and wo(r)+preposition asks; before a vowel, insert r. For people, use preposition + pronoun.
Notice it in context
Ich warte auf die Antwort; ich warte schon lange darauf.
I am waiting for the answer; I have been waiting for it for a long time.
Darauf replaces auf die Antwort; the inserted r prevents adjacent vowels.
Womit öffnest du die Datei?
What do you use to open the file?
Womit asks about a thing after mit.
Mit wem sprichst du? Mit meiner Kollegin.
Who are you speaking with? With my colleague.
A person requires mit wem, not womit.
What to remember
- Darüber can mean about it; darauf can mean on it, for it, or to it depending on the governing phrase.
- Compounds are written as one word.
Common trap: Do not use womit for a person. Say mit wem.