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bei
/baɪ/
at, by, with
Ich bin bei meinen Freunden.
I am at my friends' place.
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.
Related Phrases
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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