Beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter bekomme ich die Bordkarte.

Beim is short for bei dem.

In beim Einchecken, it means something like during check-in or when checking in. German often uses bei + a noun to express that something happens in the course of an activity.

So:

• bei dem Einchecken → beim Einchecken
• literally: at/during the checking-in
• natural English: when checking in

Because bei always takes the dative case, you get dem, which contracts to beim.

Because here Einchecken is being used as a noun, not as a normal verb.

German often turns verbs into nouns this way. When that happens, they are capitalized:

• einchecken = to check in
• das Einchecken = checking in / the act of checking in

After a preposition like bei, German commonly uses this noun form:

• beim Einchecken

A full clause version would be:

• Wenn ich am Check-in-Schalter einchecke, bekomme ich die Bordkarte.

That means basically the same thing.

Am is short for an dem.

So:

• am Check-in-Schalter = at the check-in counter/desk

This is a very common contraction in German:

• an dem → am
• bei dem → beim
• in dem → im

Also, an is the normal preposition used with counters, desks, and service windows:

• am Schalter
• an der Rezeption
• am Ticketschalter

So am Check-in-Schalter is the natural phrasing.

Because German allows different elements to come in the first position of the sentence.

The key rule is: in a normal main clause, the conjugated verb must be in second position.

Here, the first position is occupied by the whole time/place phrase:

• Beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter = first position
• bekomme = second position
• ich = comes after the verb

So the structure is:

• Beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter bekomme ich die Bordkarte.

If you start with ich, that is also correct:

• Ich bekomme beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter die Bordkarte.

Both are grammatical. The original version puts more focus on the situation/time: when checking in at the counter.

No. This is a very important false friend.

• bekommen = to get / receive
• become in German = werden

So here:

• bekomme ich die Bordkarte = I get / receive the boarding pass

Not:

• I become the boarding pass — which would of course make no sense

This is one of the most common vocabulary traps for English speakers.

Die Bordkarte is the direct object of bekomme, so it is in the accusative case.

The noun Bordkarte is feminine:

• nominative: die Bordkarte
• accusative: die Bordkarte

For feminine singular nouns, the article does not change between nominative and accusative, so it still looks like die.

That is why you see:

• ich bekomme die Bordkarte

German often uses the definite article when the thing is understood as the specific, expected item in that situation.

At check-in, there is a particular boarding pass you are supposed to receive, so die Bordkarte sounds very natural.

In many contexts, eine Bordkarte could also be possible, but it would sound less tied to that specific situation.

So:

• die Bordkarte = the boarding pass, the one you receive in this process
• eine Bordkarte = a boarding pass, one boarding pass

The definite article is the most natural choice here.

German uses the present tense very often where English might also use present tense, or sometimes even future-like meaning depending on context.

Here the present tense can express:

• a general fact
• a routine action
• what normally happens in that situation

So:

• Beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter bekomme ich die Bordkarte.

means something like:

• When I check in at the check-in counter, I get the boarding pass.

It describes the normal process, not necessarily something happening only right now.

It is a German compound built with an English loanword.

German very often combines words into compounds, and hyphens are especially common when one part is foreign or already contains punctuation.

Here:

• Check-in = check-in
• Schalter = counter / desk / service window

Together:

• Check-in-Schalter = check-in counter

The final part, Schalter, is the main noun, so the whole compound is masculine:

• der Check-in-Schalter
• am Check-in-Schalter

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural alternative.

Compare:

• Beim Einchecken am Check-in-Schalter bekomme ich die Bordkarte.
• Wenn ich am Check-in-Schalter einchecke, bekomme ich die Bordkarte.

The difference is mostly stylistic:

• beim Einchecken is more compact and noun-based
• wenn ich ... einchecke is more clause-based and may feel a bit more straightforward to learners

Both mean essentially the same thing here. The original version is just slightly more concise and typical of informational or explanatory language.