meanwhile / in the meantime
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meanwhile
During the time that lies between two other events or points in time; in the meantime.
Die Suppe muss eine Stunde kochen; zwischenzeitlich können wir den Salat vorbereiten.
The soup has to cook for an hour; meanwhile, we can prepare the salad.
The word is a combination of 'zwischen' (between) and 'zeitlich' (temporal). So it literally describes an action that takes place in the time between two other events.
Er wartete auf den Bus und las zwischenzeitlich die Zeitung.
He waited for the bus and read the newspaper meanwhile.
As an adverb, 'zwischenzeitlich' (meanwhile/in the meantime) can be placed flexibly in the sentence. It can stand in position 1 (then the verb follows), or after the verb and subject in the middle of the sentence.
Zwischenzeitlich hatte sich das Wetter deutlich verbessert.
Meanwhile, the weather had improved significantly.
'Zwischenzeitlich' (meanwhile/in the meantime) creates a connection between an earlier and a later point in time. It is often used to describe how a waiting period is bridged.
Der Flug hatte Verspätung. Ich habe die Wartezeit zwischenzeitlich genutzt, um zu arbeiten.
The flight was delayed. I used the waiting time in the meantime to work.
meanwhile
Mittlerweile and zwischenzeitlich refer to a time after an earlier point. Mittlerweile usually emphasizes the state reached by now, while zwischenzeitlich refers to something within the period and can also describe a temporary situation. Use mittlerweile for the situation today and zwischenzeitlich for an intervening phase.
Zwischenzeitlich war die Straße wegen der Bauarbeiten vollständig gesperrt.
In the meantime, the road was completely closed because of the construction work.
Mittlerweile ist die Straße wieder geöffnet und der Verkehr läuft normal.
By now, the road is open again and traffic is moving normally.
