English Translation
She was speaking.
I am wondering if this is a common way to express the English continuous tense in German, e.g. could I say "ich bin am Sterben/sprechen/ arbeiten etc.
“Sie war am sprechen” is bad style. It’s theoretically correct German, same as the legalese in a company’s terms of service is correct English, but nobody wants to listen to someone speak like that.
You should instead say: “Sie hat gesprochen.”
“am sprechen” is a nominalization and is therefore correctly spelled “am Sprechen”. But nominalizations should be avoided/rephrased as much as possible, not just in German but also in English (according to linguists and other experts on the “classic style” such as Helen Sword or Steven Pinker). A different word for nominalization is “zombie noun”. Compare with English:
- Bad (zombie noun): “He made use of the tool.”
- Good: “He used the tool.”
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Thank you for your comment but you did not answer my question. Here is part of ChatGPT’s comprehensive answer to the same question:
The construction “Sie war am Sprechen” (literally, “She was at speaking”) is an example of the so-called “Rheinische Verlaufsform” (Rhineland continuous form). This structure is a regional way to express the continuous aspect in German, specifically prevalent in certain dialects of the Rhineland area. It’s formed by using the verb “sein” (to be) in combination with “am” (at) and the gerund (the noun form of the verb), e.g., “am Sprechen” (at speaking)
While the “am + Verb” construction is not standard across all German dialects and regions, it is understood by many German speakers and is increasingly used informally in other parts of Germany. It closely mimics the continuous or progressive aspect found in English.
If you need it spelled out: You could say it, yes. But should you say it? See my previous answer.
You answered your question yourself.
Do you want to learn German or the dialect that people in the Rhineland area are speaking? So, unless you’re from the Rhineland area or speaking another regional dialect, I’d say no, this is not a common way. I’m teaching you the standard German way.
Regarding your tendency to not believe native speakers but then believe everything ChatGPT says, I already answered you here and here.
No, it is not. ChatGPT is wrong. And should it ever come to that, that would be the end of German, the language of “the land of poets and thinkers”.
No, it does not. ChatGPT is wrong. The “Rheinische Verlaufsform” that ChatGPT told you about is something like this:
Ich bin einen Brief am Schreiben.
Ich bin den Koffer am Packen.
Instead of the proper:
Ich schreibe (gerade) einen Brief.
Ich packe (gerade) den Koffer.
As a native German speaker, my toes curl when I read sentences like these.
Finally: