German word of the day: Da

A two-letter word that somehow means here, there and seemingly any location in time and space, Da is a little word with a big meaning.

"Since" and "because" can also be synonyms for the all-powerful Da. 

'Here'

We'll start with physical locations. First, Da can simply mean "here." 

"Ich bin da." 

"I am here." 

READ ALSO: 10 ways to sound like a native German speaker

'There'

A second meaning: there. 

"Ich bin hier, und er ist da."

"I am here, and he is there." 

'At this moment'

Okay, cool. Not too bad. Let's move on to something more complicated. 

Another meaning: At this moment. 

"Von da an, wusste ich, dass es eine Katastrophe wird."

"From that moment on, I knew it would be a disaster."  

New circumstances

Da can also mean "under these circumstances." 

"Wenn Sie mich bitten zu gehen, da bin ich schon weg." 

"If you ask me to leave, I'm as good as gone." 

'Because'

Da can also mean "because." Not that in this context it acts as a subordinating conjunction like 'weil' (also because) and 'ob' (whether), meaning that it shifts the verb order in the clause in which it's used.

READ: German word of the day: Ob

"Da er seine Stöcke vergessen hat, konnte er nicht Skifahren." 

"Because he forgot his poles, he couldn't go skiing." 

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