Breakdown of Ich bin am Ausweichen, aber der Boss ist zu schnell.
ich
I
sein
to be
schnell
fast, quickly
aber
but
zu
too (e.g., too big)
am
on the / at the
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
der Boss
the boss
ausweichen
to dodge
Questions & Answers about Ich bin am Ausweichen, aber der Boss ist zu schnell.
Why is Ausweichen capitalized here?
In the colloquial progressive structure (am-Progressiv), the verb is turned into a noun (nominalized). Because it is acting as a noun following the preposition am (a contraction of an + dem), Ausweichen must be capitalized.
If am is short for an dem, what gender is Ausweichen?
All infinitives that are turned into nouns (nominalized) are automatically neuter in German. So it is das Ausweichen. In this structure, the preposition an requires the dative case, making it an dem Ausweichen, which contracts to am Ausweichen.
ausweichen is a separable prefix verb. Does it always stay together when used in this am structure?
Yes! When you nominalize a separable verb like ausweichen (to dodge), you keep the prefix attached and write it as one single capitalized word. If you were using it as a regular conjugated verb in a main clause, it would separate (for example, Ich weiche aus).
Can I use this am Ausweichen structure in formal writing, like an essay?
No, the am-Progressiv is very common in spoken German and casual situations (like chatting about a video game boss, as in this sentence), but it is strictly colloquial. In formal writing, you would just use the standard present tense: Ich weiche aus, aber der Boss ist zu schnell.
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