The present continuous ("Ich spiele gerade Fußball")

German has no “-ing” form: how to say “right now”

In English you often use am/are + -ing: I am watering…

In German you usually use the normal present tense and add a helper:

• gerade = “right now / at the moment”
• dabei sein + zu + infinitive = “to be in the middle of doing …”

Option 1: Verb + gerade (simple, very common)

Meaning: The action is happening now (or around now).

Word order tip: In a normal statement, gerade is often placed after the verb. Other positions are possible later, but this one is safest at A1.

Option 2: dabei sein + zu + infinitive (emphasizes “in progress”)

Meaning: You are in the middle of the action (not just “now”, but “currently underway”).

Correct: Ich bin dabei, die Erde zu wechseln.

Common mistake: Ich bin dabei, die Erde wechseln. (You need zu.)

Which one should I choose?

• Use gerade when you simply mean “right now” (neutral, everyday).
• Use dabei sein + zu when you want to stress “I’m in the middle of it” (process/ongoing).

Self-check: build your own sentence in 10 seconds

1. Choose the verb (present tense): ich schreibe / wir pflegen / er macht
2. Add “gerade” after the verb OR use bin/sind dabei.
3. If you choose dabei sein: don’t forget zu and put the infinitive at the end.

Quick test: Can you say both versions?

• Ich drucke gerade die Dokumente.
• Ich bin dabei, die Dokumente zu drucken.

What to pay attention to (A1-safe)

• No German “am/are + -ing”: don’t translate word-for-word from English.
• Gerade is usually easiest after the verb.
• With dabei sein, the structure is fixed: sein + dabei, … zu + infinitive.
• In writing, the comma after dabei is standard: Ich bin dabei, …