dran sein
to be up
Colloquial for being one's turn to do something.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe die letzte Runde bezahlt, jetzt bist du dran.
I paid for the last round; now you're up.
dran
on it / attached
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Meanings
dran sein
to be attached
Colloquial for 'to be fastened' or 'to be stuck on'.
EXAMPLE
Pass auf, der Zettel ist nicht mehr richtig dran und könnte abfallen.
Careful, the note isn't properly attached anymore and could fall off.
dran sein an
to be on it
Colloquial for currently working on a task or pursuing a matter.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin dran an dem Problem, ich melde mich, wenn ich eine Lösung habe.
I'm on the problem; I'll get back to you when I have a solution.
dran sein
to be on the line
Colloquial for currently speaking on the phone or being on the line.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du kurz warten? Meine Mutter ist noch am Telefon dran.
Can you wait a moment? My mother is still on the phone.
Usage tips
Short form of 'daran'
'Dran' is the colloquial short form of the adverb 'daran' (on it / at it). It is used very frequently in spoken language instead of 'daran', especially in fixed expressions with 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Denk dran, die Blumen zu gießen!
Remember to water the flowers!
Colloquial style
The word 'dran' clearly belongs to colloquial language. In formal or written texts, you should use the full form instead or a suitable paraphrase.
EXAMPLE
Wer ist als Nächstes dran mit dem Vortrag?
Who's up next with the presentation?
Being one's turn
The most common meaning of 'dran sein' is that it is one's turn. This can refer to games, tasks, or a queue.
EXAMPLE
Du hast gewürfelt, jetzt bin ich dran.
You rolled the dice; now I'm up.
Working on a task
The phrase 'an etwas dran sein' means that you are currently working on something or pursuing a problem. The preposition 'an' followed by the dative makes this meaning clear.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin an einer Lösung für das IT-Problem dran.
I'm working on a solution to the IT problem.
Compare with
dran vs da
there / since / then
On the phone, da and dran can both ask whether the other person is still present or reachable. Da focuses on presence and the ability to respond. Dran emphasizes that the phone connection is still active. Use dran when being on the line is what you mean.
dran
Bist du noch dran, oder ist die Verbindung abgebrochen?
Are you still on the line, or did we get disconnected?
da
Bist du noch da, oder ist die Verbindung abgebrochen?
Are you still there, or did we get disconnected?
In real life
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