Bist du da?

Are you there?

Breakdown of Bist du da?

• sein: to be
• du: you
• da: there

Questions & Answers about Bist du da?

Why does the verb come first in Bist du da?

Because yes/no questions in German put the conjugated verb in first position (V1). The statement would be Du bist da. For a direct question, you invert: Bist du da?

What exactly does da mean here? How is it different from hier or dort?

• In Bist du da?, da means present/available rather than a specific location.
• hier = here (where the speaker is). Bist du hier? asks if you’re physically at the same place as the speaker.
• dort = over there (away from both of us), not the idea of availability.
• Set phrase: da sein = to be present. Hence Ich bin da. = I’m here/present.

When would a German actually say Bist du da?

• In chats/texts to check if someone is available or paying attention.
• On the phone to see if the connection is still live: often Bist du noch da?
• At someone’s door or outside a room to check if they’re around. It’s informal/neutral; you can soften it with a greeting: Hallo, bist du da?

How do I say it formally or to more than one person?

• Formal you (singular or plural): Sind Sie da?
• Informal plural (you guys): Seid ihr da?
• Singular informal (original): Bist du da?

Does Bist du da? mean Are you at home? If not, how do I ask that?

Not necessarily. Bist du da? is about presence/availability in general. To ask specifically about home, use:

• Bist du zu Hause? (standard)
• Bist du daheim? (colloquial/regional)

Can I say Du bist da? as a question?

Yes, but it has a different nuance. Du bist da? is an echo/confirmation question expressing surprise or seeking confirmation. The neutral information‑seeking yes/no question uses inversion: Bist du da?

How do I negate it or ask Are you still/no longer there?

• Not there: Bist du nicht da?
• Still there: Bist du noch da?
• Already there (arrived yet): Bist du schon da?
• No longer there: Bist du nicht mehr da?

Are there colloquial variants or contractions?

• Northern colloquial: Biste da? (for Bist du da?), common in speech.
• Very casual ellipses in chat: Noch da?, Da? (context-dependent).
• Don’t write Bist da? in standard German; it sounds dialectal/telegraphic.

Is it okay to capitalize Du: Bist Du da?

Standard today is lowercase du. In personal letters/emails/messages, capital Du is optionally allowed as a politeness choice. Both Bist du da? (default) and Bist Du da? (polite in direct address) are acceptable in that context.

Any pronunciation tips?

• bist = [bɪst], du = [duː], da = [daː].
• In fast speech, Bist du often sounds like [ˈbɪstu] (bistu) due to assimilation; that underlies colloquial Biste.
• Don’t confuse bist with bis (until). And there’s no ß in bist.

Can I add small words (particles) for nuance?

Yes. Common options:

• Bist du denn da? (adds friendly curiosity)
• Bist du eigentlich da? (softens; just wondering)
• Bist du überhaupt da? (expresses doubt)
• Du bist ja da! (exclamation: oh, you are here)

Could da here mean since/because, like the conjunction da?

No. In Bist du da?, da is an adverb meaning there/present. The conjunction da (since/because) introduces a clause and triggers verb-final order, e.g., Da du da bist, … (Since you are here, …).

How do I use this with other persons?

Conjugate sein:

• Bin ich da?
• Bist du da?
• Ist er/sie/es da?
• Sind wir da?
• Seid ihr da?
• Sind sie/Sie da?

Is Bist du hier? wrong?

Not wrong, just different. Bist du hier? asks if you are physically at the same location as the speaker (for example, here in the building). Bist du da? is the default for Are you there/available?

Could it sound abrupt? How do I make it softer?

It can feel curt as a first message. Soften with:

• Hallo/Hi, bist du da?
• Kurze Frage: Bist du da?
• Hast du kurz Zeit? Bist du da?

What should I say on the phone to check the line?

Use:

• Bist du noch da? (informal)
• Sind Sie noch dran? (formal; are you still on the line)
• Hallo? Hörst du mich? (informal: can you hear me)