Questions & Answers about Im Moment arbeite ich nicht.
Why is the word order arbeite ich instead of ich arbeite?
In German, the verb must always be in the second position of a statement. Because the time phrase Im Moment takes up the first position, the verb arbeite comes second, which pushes the subject ich into the third position.
If I wanted to add a frequency adverb like oft (often) to this sentence, where would it go?
It would go right after the subject: Im Moment arbeite ich oft nicht. Adverbs of frequency like oft, immer, and manchmal typically stay close to the conjugated verb and the subject, and they come before the negative word nicht.
The translation says "I am not working", but isn't arbeite just "work"?
German does not have an "-ing" form (present continuous tense) like English does. Ich arbeite translates to both "I work" and "I am working" depending on the context. Here, the phrase Im Moment makes it clear that you mean right now.
Why is the first word Im and not just In?
Im is a contraction of the preposition in and the article dem (the). So Im Moment literally translates to "in the moment", which is the standard German way to say "at the moment".
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