German Phrase
Meistens am Chillen.
Meaning
Literally ‘mostly while chilling’, this short sentence is used to say that most of the time you spend your free moments just relaxing or hanging out. It’s a very informal, youth‑oriented way of describing one’s typical activity.
When to use
Use it in casual conversation with friends or on social media when you want to give a quick answer about how you usually spend your time. It’s not appropriate in formal settings, presentations, or written reports.
✦Grammar Breakdown
MeistensamChillen
Meistens (adverb)
An adverb of frequency meaning ‘mostly’ or ‘usually’. It modifies the whole clause.
am = an dem (preposition + article)
In colloquial German ‘am’ can introduce a nominalized verb (a gerund) to describe an activity, similar to ‘while …ing’ in English.
Chillen (colloquial verb)
A loan‑word from English ‘to chill’, used as a verb or a noun‑like gerund meaning ‘to relax, hang out’. In this phrase it functions as a noun after ‘am’.
🗨In Conversation
Was machst du am Wochenende?
What are you doing this weekend?
Meistens am Chillen.
Mostly just chilling.
✕Common Mistakes
Meistens an Chillen.
‘an’ is the wrong preposition; the fixed phrase uses the contraction ‘am’ (an dem).
Meistens chillen.
Using the infinitive ‘chillen’ without the ‘am’ makes the sentence sound incomplete.
Meistens beim Chillen.
‘beim’ is possible but changes the nuance to ‘while actually chilling’, which is less idiomatic in this short answer.
↔Alternatives
Ich chille meistens.
I mostly chill.
Meistens entspanne ich mich.
I mostly relax.
Ich verbringe die meiste Zeit mit Entspannen.
I spend most of the time relaxing.
Cultural Tip
‘Chillen’ entered German slang in the early 2000s and is now common among younger speakers. It conveys a laid‑back attitude and is often paired with other Anglicisms (z. B. ‘abfeiern’, ‘abhängen’). Because it’s slang, avoid it in business emails, academic writing, or when speaking with older generations who may find it too informal.