1. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Startblock In German, personal pronouns following a preposition can only refer to people. Special forms are used when the object of the preposition refers to a thing or an idea.

2. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
In 1A.2 and 1A.3, you learned to use personal pronouns to refer to the object of a preposition. When the object is a thing or an idea, use a da-compound instead.
Kennst du Alex? Wir sind am Samstag mit ihm essen gegangen.
Do you know Alex? We went out to eat with him on Saturday.
Wo ist der Teddybär? Das Baby will damit spielen.
Where’s the teddy bear? The baby wants to play with it.

3. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Form a da-compound by adding da- to a preposition. If the preposition begins with a vowel, insert an -r- after da-.
Wo ist der Bus? Wir warten seit einer halben Stunde darauf.
Where’s the bus? We’ve been waiting for it for half an hour.
—Hat Max dir ein Geschenk gegeben?
—Ja, und ich habe ihm dafür gedankt.
Did Max give you a present?
—Yes, and I thanked him for it.

4. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
German speakers often drop the -a- in da-compounds that begin with dar-.
Wer ist da drin?
Who’s in there?
Denk mal drüber nach.
Think it over.

5. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Use wen or wem to ask about the object of a preposition when it refers to a person. When you ask about a thing or idea, use a wo-compound.
Mit wem seid ihr ins Restaurant gegangen?
Who did you go to the restaurant with?
Womit spielen die Kinder?
What are the children playing with?

6. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Form a wo-compound by combining wo(r)- with a preposition.
Wofür braucht sie den Spiegel?
What does she need
the mirror for?
Woran denkst du jetzt?
What are you thinking about now?
Worüber sprecht ihr?
What are you talking about?

7. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
ACHTUNG
Note that warten auf (to wait for), denken an (to think about), and sprechen über (to talk about) always take accusative objects.

8. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
In 1B.3, you learned to use the question word wohin to ask where to? Use the question word woher to ask from where?
Wohin soll ich den Spiegel hängen?
Where should I hang the mirror?
Woher hast du diese Möbel bekommen?
Where did you get this furniture?

9. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
In conversation, hin and her can be separated from wo, moving to the end of the sentence.
Wo gehst du jetzt hin?
Where are you going to now?
Wo kommst du her?
Where are you from?

10. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
ACHTUNG
The phrase hin und her means back and forth: Warum laufen die Kinder hin und her?

11. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Use the adverb dahin or daher to replace a prepositional phrase expressing motion.
Reist ihr in die Schweiz?
Are you going to Switzerland?
Ja, wir reisen dahin.
Yes, we’re going there.

12. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Hin or her can also be combined with the prefix of a separable prefix verb, to indicate motion. Note that hin generally indicates motion away from the speaker, while her indicates motion toward the speaker.
Birgit geht die Treppe hinauf.
Birgit is going up the stairs.
Paul kommt die Treppe herunter.
Paul is coming down the stairs.
Komm herein oder geh hinaus!
Either come in or go out!
Rapunzel, lass dein Haar herunter!
Rapunzel, let down your hair!

13. Da-, wo-, hin, and her- compounds
Compound prefixes like herauf-, herein-, herunter-, or heraus- are often shortened in spoken German to rauf-, rein-, runter-, raus-, and so on.
Lässt du mich bitte ins Badezimmer rein?
Will you please let me into
the bathroom?
Papa soll die alte Kommode in den Keller runterbringen.
Dad is supposed to bring the old dresser down to the basement.