bei

/baɪ/
prepositionBeginner
general

Indicates location or presence at a place or with a person.

Sie arbeitet bei einer Bank.

She works at a bank.

Kannst du bei mir bleiben?

Can you stay with me?

💡

Often used to express being in a place or with someone.

general

Used to indicate a relationship or association with something.

Er ist bei der Feuerwehr.

He is with the fire department.

Das Buch ist bei mir.

The book is with me.

💡

Can also mean 'with' in the sense of possession or belonging.

Collocations

bei jemandemwith someonebei etwaswith somethingbei mirat my place

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

bei sich habenphrase
to have something with oneself
bei jemandem vorbeischauenphrase
to drop by someone's place

💡Pro Tip

Common Usage

'Bei' is often used to indicate location or presence, similar to 'at' or 'with' in English.

Gold Rule

Preposition Rules

'Bei' is always followed by the dative case in German.

📖Word Origin

From Middle High German 'bī', from Old High German 'bī', from Proto-Germanic 'bī' (at, by).

📝Usage Notes

Can be used to indicate physical presence, association, or belonging. Often interchangeable with 'mit' in some contexts.

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