how the German language expresses ongoing actions
Hallo,everyone. I’ve been trying to understand how the German language expresses ongoing actions, and this is my current understanding. Could native speakers tell me if I’m thinking about this correctly?
- Ich arbeite jetzt.
I think this sentence can have two possible meanings:
“I’m working.”
“I’m starting to work now.” (a transition from not working to starting the activity)
So jetzt doesn’t necessarily mean the action is already in progress. Depending on the context, it can also emphasize the beginning of the action.
- Ich arbeite im Moment.
My impression is that this usually means:
“I’m working.”
It seems much more strongly associated with an ongoing action than jetzt.
However, I also know there are exceptions, for example:
Im Moment arbeite ich in München.
Here, im Moment means “currently/at the moment” in the sense of “these days”, not necessarily that I’m working at this exact second. I could already be off work.
Also, my impression is that im Moment cannot express the beginning of an action the way jetzt can. In other words, it can describe an ongoing action or a current situation, but not the transition from “not doing something” to “starting to do it.”
- Ich arbeite gerade.
As far as I understand, gerade + Präsens 100% always indicates that the action is in progress:
“I’m working.”
- Ich bin am arbeiten.
I also understand am + Infinitiv + sein as 100% always meaning an ongoing action:
“I’m working.”
However, I’ve learned that this is mainly colloquial and generally not recommended in formal writing or language exams.
So my current conclusion is:
gerade + Präsens → 100% expresses an ongoing action.
am + Infinitiv + sein → 100% expresses an ongoing action, but it is colloquial.
im Moment + Präsens → usually expresses an ongoing action, but can also mean “currently” over a longer period depending on the sentence. It cannot express the beginning of an action like jetzt.
jetzt + Präsens → often expresses an ongoing action, but depending on the context, it can also mean “I’m starting now.”
Is this understanding basically correct, or am I oversimplifying the differences?