Skip to content

indem

by (doing)

conjunction in-DAYM Less Common
Grammar & Structure Conjunctions

Also means

while

Usage Note

indem is a subordinating conjunction that introduces the means by which something is done, sending the verb to the end: Er lernt, indem er liest. It answers 'how?' rather than 'when?'. Don't confuse it with in dem written as two words, which is a preposition plus relative pronoun.

Examples

"Er hilft, indem er zuhört."

Natural Translation

He helps by listening.

Literal Translation

He helps, by-means-of he listens.

Explore German by topic