Die Treuekarte an meinem Schlüsselbund sammelt dabei automatisch Punkte.

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Questions & Answers about Die Treuekarte an meinem Schlüsselbund sammelt dabei automatisch Punkte.

What does Treuekarte mean and how is it formed?
Treuekarte is a compound noun formed from treu (faithful/loyal) + Karte (card). It means “loyalty card” or “rewards card,” the kind of card you present at a store to collect points or stamps toward discounts.
Why is an used in an meinem Schlüsselbund instead of auf, bei, or mit?

The preposition an in German often expresses attachment or proximity—“hanging on” something. Here it tells you that the card is physically attached to your keychain. By contrast:

  • auf would mean “on top of” (lying on a surface),
  • bei means “at” or “with” (indicating presence),
  • mit means “with” (accompaniment), which wouldn’t emphasize the physical hanging/attachment.
Why is meinem in the dative case?
When an indicates a static location (where something is), German requires the dative case. The masculine noun Schlüsselbund takes the dative article meinem (from mein). So an meinem Schlüsselbund literally means “on/to my keychain” in the sense of “attached at that location.”
What does dabei mean in this sentence?
Here dabei means “in doing so” or “in the process.” It links the action of collecting points to whatever else is happening (e.g., you make a purchase), emphasizing that the point collection happens automatically alongside your main action.
Why is the verb sammelt in the third-person singular form?
The subject of the sentence is die Treuekarte, which is third-person singular (feminine). In German, verbs must agree with their subject in person and number, so sammeln becomes sammelt for “it collects.”
How is the word order structured in Die Treuekarte an meinem Schlüsselbund sammelt dabei automatisch Punkte?

German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule:
1) First position (the topic): Die Treuekarte an meinem Schlüsselbund (the whole noun phrase)
2) Second position: the finite verb sammelt
3) Following positions: adverbials dabei automatisch (manner/time)
4) Then the direct object Punkte
This order keeps the verb in second place while allowing you to bring different parts of the sentence into focus.

Why is Punkte plural and not singular?
You usually collect more than one point, so German uses the plural noun Punkte. If you referred to exactly one point, you’d say einen Punkt (accusative singular). Here, the general idea of accumulating multiple points makes the plural appropriate.
What role does automatisch play in this sentence?
automatisch is an adverb modifying sammelt, specifying the manner of the action. It tells you that the points are collected “automatically,” without any extra effort on your part. It sits after dabei and before the object Punkte, which is the usual position for manner adverbs in German.