Talking about things: da- and wo-

Understand the rule, see it in context, then put it into practice.

67 chapters · 64 common verbs

Talking about things: da- and wo-

For things or ideas, use da- plus a preposition to refer back, and wo- plus a preposition to ask a question. Add -r- before a vowel: darauf, worauf. For people use preposition plus wen/wem or a personal pronoun.

Understand the idea

Da- and wo-compounds can refer to things, actions or ideas linked by a preposition. They help avoid repeating an entire complement. They normally do not replace a person in the same way; a person is usually referred to with a preposition and a pronoun.

Build it step by step

Combine da- with the required preposition for a reference, and wo- for a question. Add r before a vowel-starting preposition, as in daran or worauf. Keep the underlying verb-preposition combination intact. Some compounds can point forward to a clause or infinitive phrase rather than back to a noun.

See it in a sentence

Ich warte auf das Ergebnis. Ich warte darauf.

I am waiting for the result. I am waiting for it.

Wir sprechen über das Problem. Wir sprechen darüber.

We are talking about the problem. We are talking about it.

A useful memory aid

Start from the full complement, then replace only the thing or idea. This keeps the preposition connected to the verb's meaning.

A common trap

Do not use a da-compound as your default for a person. Also avoid choosing daran and darauf interchangeably; their prepositions signal different constructions.

Sources & how to use this book

Original explanations, tips and learning examples by DeutschLearner, with grammar facts checked against the references below. The A1–B2 labels guide study; they do not certify a proficiency level. Reading a chapter does not mark a topic as mastered. Existing exercises provide the translated examples; no source exercise bank or example sentences were copied.