The Colloquial Progressive (am-Progressiv)
In standard German, the regular present tense covers both "I play" and "I am playing." However, when speaking casually, Germans frequently use a special structure to emphasize that they are right in the middle of doing something right now.
To form this colloquial progressive, combine a conjugated form of sein (to be) with the word am and the nominalized infinitive of the action verb. Because the verb is functioning as a noun after am, it must be capitalized.
| We are gaming right now! | Wir sind gerade am Zocken! |
| The game is loading. | Das Spiel ist am Laden. |
This structure is perfect for communicating urgency and ongoing actions, especially when you are busy surviving a frantic video game session and cannot be distracted!
| Watch out, the enemy is attacking! | Pass auf, der Feind ist am Angreifen! |
| Be quiet, I am aiming! | Sei leise, ich bin am Zielen! |
| I am dodging, but the boss is too fast. | Ich bin am Ausweichen, aber der Boss ist zu schnell. |
The beim-Progressiv
While am is used for simple ongoing actions, you will sometimes hear beim used in the exact same way. Beim is especially common when the ongoing action is tied to an object or a specific phrase (like capturing the base).
Just like with am, it uses a conjugated form of sein and is followed by the capitalized nominalized verb.
| The enemy is in the middle of capturing the base. | Der Gegner ist beim Erobern der Basis. |
You can easily pair these progressive forms with regular present tense verbs or other clauses to set the scene during chaotic moments.
| You have to capture the base yourself, I am healing. | Du musst die Basis selber erobern, ich bin am Heilen. |
| Just don't attack, we are in the middle of defending! | Greif bloß nicht an, wir sind am Verteidigen! |