Learn Hardcore German: Am Abend bin ich oft noch am Arbeiten, obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten möchte. - In the evening I am often still working, although I actually want to switch off.

am Abend usually refers to a (possibly specific) evening:
- Am Abend bin ich müde. – In the evening I’m tired.
  This can be general, but it also fits a particular evening from context.
abends is an adverb meaning “in the evenings / at night, as a habit”:
- Abends bin ich müde. – I’m tired in the evenings (as a rule).

In your sentence, the meaning is habitual (“I’m often still working in the evening”), so abends would also be possible and perhaps even a bit more typical for describing routine:

Abends bin ich oft noch am Arbeiten, …

Why is it bin ich instead of ich bin?

German main clauses follow the verb-second rule: the conjugated verb must be in second position in the sentence.

If the subject is in first position, you get:

Ich bin oft noch am Arbeiten. – I’m often still working.

If you move another element to the front (here: Am Abend), the verb stays second, and the subject moves behind it:

Am Abend (1st position) bin (2nd) ich (3rd) oft noch am Arbeiten.

This inversion is completely normal and very common whenever something other than the subject is put in first position for emphasis or structure.

What exactly does noch mean here, and why is it used?

In this context, noch means “still”, in the sense of “continuing to do something”.

Ich bin noch am Arbeiten. – I’m still working.
Ich bin am Arbeiten. – I’m working. (neutral, no emphasis on continuity)

So noch highlights that the working is continuing later than you would like or later than expected. That’s what sets up the contrast with “although I actually want to switch off”.

Why is the order oft noch and not noch oft?

Both oft noch and noch oft are grammatically possible, but they don’t feel the same:

oft noch = “often still”: frequency (oft) first, then continuation (noch). This is the most natural here.
noch oft = “still often”: suggests that something happens often even now, though maybe less than before. Different nuance.

So:

Ich bin abends oft noch am Arbeiten.
= In the evenings I’m often still working (ongoing situation, neutral description).

oft noch is the usual, unmarked word order here.

What is the structure am Arbeiten? Is it like “am working” in English?

am Arbeiten comes from an dem Arbeiten:

an (preposition) + dem (dative article) + Arbeiten (noun) → am Arbeiten

Here Arbeiten is a noun meaning “(the) working” / “the act of working”. With sein plus this construction, German forms a kind of progressive-like expression:

Ich bin am Arbeiten. – I’m (in the middle of) working.
Er ist am Telefonieren. – He’s on the phone / is phoning.
Wir sind am Essen. – We’re eating.

So yes, in meaning it’s quite similar to English “am working”, but grammatically it’s “am + noun”, not a true continuous tense.

Important notes:

It is colloquial and more common in some regions (especially western Germany).
In neutral standard German you would often just say:
Abends arbeite ich oft noch, … – In the evenings I’m often still working.

Why is Arbeiten capitalized here?

Because in am Arbeiten, Arbeiten is no longer a verb; it’s a noun formed from the verb arbeiten. German capitalizes all nouns.

The pattern is:

verb: arbeiten – to work
noun (activity): das Arbeiten – (the) working

After a preposition like an, you often get such a noun:

am Arbeiten – at (the) working
beim Essen – while eating / at (the) eating
im Schlafen (rare, but possible) – in (the) sleeping

So Arbeiten is capitalized because it’s used as a noun (“the act of working”), not as a finite verb.

Could I also say beim Arbeiten or just arbeite ich instead of bin ich … am Arbeiten? What’s the difference?

Yes, you have alternatives, and they’re often preferable in neutral German:

Ich arbeite abends oft noch, obwohl …
- Most straightforward and standard.
- No progressive construction; just the simple present.
Abends bin ich oft noch beim Arbeiten, obwohl …
- beim Arbeiten = “in the middle of working / while working”.
- Similar idea to am Arbeiten, but stylistically a bit more neutral.
Abends bin ich oft noch am Arbeiten, obwohl …
- Colloquial, regionally common progressive-like form.

Meaning-wise, all three express approximately the same idea. In formal writing, option 1 (with arbeite) is the safest and most standard. The am Arbeiten form feels clearly spoken and informal.

Why is the verb at the end in obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten möchte?

obwohl is a subordinating conjunction. In German, such conjunctions push the conjugated verb to the end of the clause.

Main clause:

Ich möchte eigentlich abschalten.
Subject (ich) – finite verb (möchte, 2nd position) – rest – infinitive (abschalten) at the end.

Subordinate clause with obwohl:

…, obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten möchte.
- obwohl introduces the clause,
- subject (ich) comes next,
- adverb (eigentlich),
- then abschalten
  - möchte at the end.

In subordinate clauses with a modal verb:

the infinitive (abschalten) comes just before
the finite modal (möchte), which is the very last word in the clause.

What does eigentlich add here? It doesn’t sound exactly like “actually”.

You’re right: in this sentence eigentlich doesn’t mean plain factual “actually”. It softens the statement and expresses an inner preference or ideal that contrasts with reality.

Ich möchte abschalten. – I want to switch off.
Ich möchte eigentlich abschalten. – I really / actually / ideally want to switch off (but something is stopping me).

So eigentlich here helps express the tension:

In the evening I’m often still working, even though I’d really rather switch off.

You could leave eigentlich out and the sentence would still be correct, just slightly more blunt and less “nuanced”.

Is abschalten a separable verb, and how would it look in a simple main clause?

Yes, abschalten is a separable verb (trennbares Verb). In a simple main clause in the present tense, the prefix ab goes to the end:

Ich schalte ab. – I switch off / I disconnect.
Ich schalte den Computer ab. – I switch the computer off.

With a modal verb like möchte, the verb stays together as an infinitive at the end:

Ich möchte abschalten. – I’d like to switch off.

In your sentence it’s in a subordinate clause and combined with möchte, so we get:

…, obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten möchte.

Could I also say “… obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten will” instead of “… möchte”? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s grammatically fine:

…, obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten möchte.
…, obwohl ich eigentlich abschalten will.

The difference is nuance:

möchte (would like to)
- more polite and soft, a bit less direct
- often expresses a wish or preference
will (want to)
- stronger, more determined
- can sound a bit more blunt or insistent

In this context of “I’m still working although I’d like to switch off”, möchte fits well because it describes an inner wish that conflicts with reality, without sounding too harsh or demanding.