Hierbei

Hierbei is a German adverb that serves as a discourse marker meaning in this regard, in this case, or hereby. It is commonly used in formal or written German to introduce a statement about something already mentioned or to identify what is being discussed. A typical construction is the phrase hierbei handelt es sich um, meaning “this concerns” or “this is a matter of.”

Etymology and function: Hierbei blends hier (here) with dabei (thereby/with it), producing a fixed particle that signals reference to the current matter. It is a Präpositionaladverb and often appears at the beginning of a clause, especially in legal, administrative, or scientific writing. It can be used to introduce a fact, to emphasize a point, or to qualify a statement with a formal tone. In everyday speech, its usage tends to be less frequent and more direct alternatives such as in diesem Fall or dazu are common.

Usage notes and translations: In English, hierbei is typically translated as in this regard, in this context, or hereby, depending on the sentence. It is not interchangeable with all uses of dabei; hierbei specifically ties the statement to the present matter. Common examples include Hierbei handelt es sich um eine neue Methode (This concerns a new method / This is a new method) and Hierbei ist zu beachten, dass alle Daten anonymisiert werden müssen (It should be noted here that all data must be anonymized).

See also related German discourse particles such as dabei, hierzu, and darum, which serve to connect statements within formal argumentation.