dabei

• dabey, darbey, darbei (obsolete)

da +‎ bei. Compare English thereby, Yiddish דערבײַ (derbay).

• IPA^(key): /daˑˈbaɪ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ̯

dabei

1. pronominal adverb of bei (replaces bei + demonstrative or personal pronoun, unless referring to people)
2. with one, on one

   Hast du Geld dabei? ― Do you have money on you?

3. (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.

4. in the process of [with zu (+ infinitive) ‘doing something’]

   Ich bin dabei, meine Wohnung zu streichen. ― I’m in the process of painting my apartment.

5. in the process

   Sie fuhren mit dem Traktor über die Wiese und zerstörten sie dabei. ― They drove over the meadow with the tractor and destroyed it in the process.

6. thereby, thus

   Saatgut und Pollen können dabei über weite Distanzen verschleppt werden. ― Seed and pollen can thereby be dispersed across great distances.

• dabeisein

The following table shows the most common derivational combinations of German prepositions with other morphemes. These include pronominal adverbs, contractions with the definite articles, directional adverbs and reciprocal pronouns.

¹colloquial   ²higher register   ³becoming dated

• “dabei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “dabei” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “dabei” in Duden online