Breakdown of Ich gewöhne mich daran, dass es dunkel ist.
ich
I
sein
to be
es
it
dunkel
dark
daran
about it / of it
dass
that
sich gewöhnen an
to get used to
Questions & Answers about Ich gewöhne mich daran, dass es dunkel ist.
Why do we need daran before the dass clause? Can't we just use the preposition an?
The verb here is sich gewöhnen an (to get used to). In German, you cannot connect a preposition like an directly to a dass clause. Instead, you must use a da-compound like daran in the main sentence as a placeholder. It points forward to the dass clause, letting the listener know what you are getting used to.
The English translation says 'to the fact that'. Which German word means 'the fact'?
There isn't a literal word for 'the fact' in this German sentence! In English, we often insert 'the fact' to connect a preposition to a 'that' clause (like getting used TO THE FACT THAT). German does this much more smoothly by using the anticipatory da-compound daran paired with dass.
Why does daran have an r in the middle?
When you build a da-compound with a preposition that starts with a vowel, you add an r between the two parts to make it easier to pronounce. Since an starts with a vowel, da + an becomes daran instead of the awkward-sounding daan.
Why is mich used in this sentence?
The verb for 'to get used to' is reflexive in German: sich gewöhnen an. This means it requires a reflexive pronoun. Because the subject is Ich, you must use the matching pronoun mich.
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