Immediate Intention (im Begriff sein zu)
Imagine a teenager tiptoeing through a dark, silent house at midnight. To describe the suspenseful moments right before an action happens—like being on the verge of or about to do something—German uses the phrase im Begriff sein.
To build a sentence with this expression, conjugate the verb sein (to be) for your subject and include im Begriff. Then, use a comma to separate this main clause from an infinitive clause using zu.
| The teenager is on the verge of leaving the house. | Der Teenager ist im Begriff, das Haus zu verlassen. |
This structure works seamlessly in the past tense by conjugating sein into its past form, like war.
If the action you are about to take involves a separable verb, the zu wedges itself between the separable prefix and the verb stem, forming a single word (for example, herunterzudrücken).
| She was on the verge of pushing the door handle down carefully. | Sie war im Begriff, die Türklinke vorsichtig herunterzudrücken. |
You can also use this structure inside subordinate clauses, such as after wenn (when/if). Remember that in a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb (like bin or ist) gets pushed to the very end of its clause, right before the comma that introduces the zu infinitive.
| My pulse always races when I am on the verge of going out secretly. | Mein Puls rast immer, wenn ich im Begriff bin, heimlich auszugehen. |
Finally, here is how a tense midnight escape might abruptly end:
| The father was on the verge of catching them. | Der Vater war im Begriff, sie zu ertappen. |