meantime
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meantime
The period of time that lies between two specific events or points in time. It is almost always used in the expression 'in der Zwischenzeit' (in the meantime).
Mein Flug geht erst in drei Stunden; in der Zwischenzeit trinke ich noch einen Kaffee.
My flight doesn't leave for another three hours; in the meantime, I'll have a coffee.
The word is very logically built: it consists of 'zwischen' (between) and 'Zeit' (time). So it literally describes the time that lies between two other points in time or events.
Der Zug hat eine Stunde Verspätung. Was machen wir in der Zwischenzeit?
The train is an hour late. What should we do in the meantime?
This noun is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'in der Zwischenzeit' (in the meantime). It then works like an adverb that can introduce a whole sentence.
Die Wäsche trocknet. In der Zwischenzeit können wir den Abwasch machen.
The laundry is drying. In the meantime, we can do the dishes.
When the expression 'In der Zwischenzeit' (in the meantime) stands at the beginning of the sentence (position 1), the conjugated verb moves to position 2. This is called inversion.
In der Zwischenzeit hat meine Mutter schon das Essen gekocht.
In the meantime, my mother has already cooked the meal.
meanwhile
'mittlerweile' and 'die Zwischenzeit' both have to do with a time between two moments. The important difference is the part of speech: 'mittlerweile' is an adverb and appears directly in the sentence, for example when talking about a change up to now. 'die Zwischenzeit' is a noun and is usually used in the fixed expression 'in der Zwischenzeit' (in the meantime). They are easy to confuse because both often feel similar to 'inzwischen' (by now / in the meantime). If you need a single time adverb, use 'mittlerweile'. If you mean the period of time itself, 'in der Zwischenzeit' fits.
In der Zwischenzeit repariere ich das alte Fahrrad im Garten.
In the meantime, I'll repair the old bicycle in the garden.
Fiona kauft mittlerweile meistens online ein, weil es schneller geht.
Fiona now usually shops online because it is faster.