dazugehören

Dazugehören is a German verb meaning to belong to something or to be part of a group, system, or context. It expresses inclusion, membership, or fit within a set of people, objects, or circumstances. The concept is used to indicate that something is not merely related but is considered a natural or expected element of the whole.

Etymology and sense

The form combines dazu, meaning “to it/with that,” with gehören, “to belong.” The expression emphasizes that a person or item is an integral component of a larger whole. In everyday language, speakers often use the fixed phrases gehört dazu or gehört zu, depending on the construction, to convey that inclusion is natural or expected.

Usage

Dazugehören is commonly used in discussions of social belonging, teams, communities, and classifications. Examples include:

- Wir gehören zur gleichen Gruppe. (We belong to the same group.)

- Das gehört dazu. (That goes with it / That’s part of it.)

- Wer gehört zur Familie? (Who belongs to the family?)

There is also the closely related construction gehört zu, as in Das gehört zur Aufgabe dazu, meaning something like “that is part of the job.”

Grammatical notes

Dazugehören is an intransitive verb that governs a prepositional complement rather than a direct object, typically with dazu or zu in phrases such as gehört dazu or gehört zu. It is used to discuss inclusion within a set, as well as the idea that something is a natural or necessary element of a situation.

See also

Zugehören; dazugehören; Teil von etw sein. The concept contrasts with exclusion or not belonging, such as nicht dazu gehören.