in between
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in between
Indicates a position in space or time that is located between two or more things, people, or events.
Das Haus steht zwischen zwei großen Bäumen und das kleine Tor ist genau dazwischen.
The house stands between two large trees, and the small gate is exactly in between.
'Dazwischen' (in between) is a pronominal adverb, formed from 'da' and 'zwischen'. It replaces 'zwischen + noun/pronoun' and refers to something that has already been mentioned.
Links ist ein Supermarkt, rechts eine Bank. Dazwischen findest du die Post.
On the left there is a supermarket, on the right a bank. You’ll find the post office in between.
As an adverb, 'dazwischen' (in between) can stand at the beginning of the sentence (position 1). In this case, the verb follows directly after it, and the subject moves to position 3.
Wir wollten uns treffen. Dazwischen kam aber ein wichtiger Anruf.
We wanted to meet. But an important call came up.
'Dazwischen' (in between) often functions as a separable prefix for verbs like 'kommen' (to come), 'gehen' (to go), 'reden' (to talk), or 'funken' (to radio/interfere). In main clauses, the prefix then stands at the end of the sentence.
Ich wollte gerade anfangen, aber dann kam mir etwas dazwischen.
I was just about to start, but then something came up.
In the expression 'etwas kommt dazwischen' (something comes up), the person whose plan is disrupted is often in the dative. The phrasing is then: 'Mir ist etwas dazwischengekommen' (Something came up for me).
Leider kann ich nicht kommen, mir ist kurzfristig etwas Wichtiges dazwischengekommen.
Unfortunately, I can’t come; something important came up at short notice.
between
'zwischen' and 'dazwischen' both have to do with a position in the middle, either in space or in time. The most important difference is the grammar: 'zwischen' is a preposition and normally needs a complement, for example 'zwischen den Häusern' (between the houses) or 'zwischen acht und neun Uhr' (between eight and nine o'clock). 'dazwischen' is an adverb and stands on its own, because the things or times are already known. Learners can easily confuse the words because both point to something in the middle. As a practical rule: if you directly say which things something is between, use 'zwischen'. If you refer back to something already mentioned, 'dazwischen' fits.
Die beiden Regale stehen eng zusammen, aber ein kleiner Stuhl passt noch dazwischen.
The two shelves are close together, but a small chair still fits in between.
Der Schlüssel liegt zwischen dem Sofa und dem Tisch.
The key is between the sofa and the table.