meanwhile / while
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meanwhile
In the meantime; meanwhile. Refers to a period of time during which something else is happening.
Ich koche das Abendessen, du kannst derweil schon mal den Tisch decken.
I'll cook dinner; meanwhile, you can go ahead and set the table.
'Derweil' can be used as an adverb or as a subordinating conjunction. As an adverb, it often appears at the beginning of a sentence and forces inversion (verb in position 2). As a conjunction, it introduces a subordinate clause and sends the verb to the end of the sentence.
Die Kinder spielen im Garten. Derweil bereite ich das Mittagessen vor.
The children are playing in the garden. Meanwhile, I am preparing lunch.
The word is made up of 'der' and 'Weile' (a span of time). So it literally means 'in the time' or 'during this time'.
Du kannst den Fernseher reparieren, ich lese derweil die Zeitung.
You can repair the television; meanwhile, I'll read the newspaper.
'Derweil' belongs more to written language or an elevated style. It is used less often in everyday colloquial speech.
Der Minister verhandelte in Brüssel, derweil im Inland die Proteste wuchsen.
The minister was negotiating in Brussels, while protests were growing at home.
during / while
'während' and 'derweil' can both express that two things are happening at the same time. 'während' is very normal in everyday language and can be used as a preposition or as a conjunction: 'während des Essens' (during the meal), 'während ich koche' (while I am cooking). 'derweil' means 'in the meantime' or 'meanwhile' and sounds more written or narrative. 'derweil' can also introduce a subordinate clause, but it is less common in everyday speech. Learners may confuse the words because their meanings are similar. In normal conversations, 'während' is usually the safer choice; 'derweil' works well when you are narratively connecting two simultaneous actions.
Die Ärztin sprach mit den Eltern, derweil spielte das Kind im Wartezimmer.
The doctor spoke with the parents; meanwhile, the child played in the waiting room.
Während des Unterrichts schreibt sie sich wichtige Wörter auf.
During class, she writes down important words.