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German Phrase

Ich baue gerade einen kleinen Roboter.

/ɪç ˈbaʊ̯ə ˈɡeːʁdə ˈaɪ̯nən ˈklaɪ̯nən roˈboːtɐ/
Meaning"I am currently building a small robot."
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Meaning

I am currently building a small robot. The adverb ‘gerade’ emphasizes that the construction is happening at this very moment, not just in general.

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When to use

Use this sentence when you want to describe a project you are working on right now, for example in a workshop, a school lab, or while chatting with friends about your hobby.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchbauegeradeeinenkleinenRoboter

1

Personalpronomen (Ich)

Subject pronoun for first person singular; always nominative.

2

Verb (bauen) – Präsens

The verb 'bauen' is regular; in present tense with 'ich' the ending is -e: baue.

3

Adverb (gerade)

Indicates that the action is happening right now; placed before the object.

4

Akkusativartikel (einen)

Indefinite article for masculine nouns in the accusative case.

5

Adjektivdeklination (kleinen)

After an indefinite article in the accusative, adjectives take the weak ending -en.

6

Maskulines Nomen (Roboter)

‘Roboter’ is a masculine noun; in the accusative it stays unchanged.

🗨In Conversation

A

Ich baue gerade einen kleinen Roboter.

I am currently building a small robot.

Das klingt spannend! Wie weit bist du schon?

That sounds exciting! How far have you gotten?

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich baue gerade ein kleiner Roboter.

    Wrong case: after ‘ich baue’ the object is accusative, so the article must be ‘einen’ and the adjective ‘kleinen’.

  • Ich baut gerade einen kleinen Roboter.

    Verb conjugation error: with ‘ich’ the verb ends in -e, not -t.

  • Ich baue einen kleinen Roboter gerade.

    Placing ‘gerade’ after the object can sound unnatural; it should come before the object or after the verb.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich konstruiere gerade einen kleinen Roboter.

    I am currently constructing a small robot.

  • Ich stelle gerade einen kleinen Roboter zusammen.

    I am currently assembling a small robot.

de

Cultural Tip

In German, the adverb ‘gerade’ is commonly used to stress that an action is happening right now, similar to ‘right now’ in English. Remember that after the indefinite article ‘einen’, adjectives take the weak ending ‘-en’, not the strong ‘-er’. Also, ‘Roboter’ is masculine, so the accusative article is ‘einen’, not ‘ein’ or ‘eine’.