N5 · Using the te-form
ている: in progress, or the state that remains
the te-form with いる
ている describes an action going on now, or the state that a finished change has left behind.
The te-form plus いる (polite います) is one form with two meanings, and the verb decides which. With a verb for something that takes time — eating, reading, raining, working — it is an action in progress: 雨が降っています, "it is raining".
With a verb for a change that happens in a moment — marrying, arriving, going, dying, getting to know — it is the state the change has left behind: 結婚しています means "is married", not "is getting married", and 田中さんは来ています means "Mr Tanaka has come and is here". This is where English speakers go wrong most often, because they map ている onto "-ing" and "-ing" onto the future.
The same form covers situations that are true for now: a job, a place to live, a habit. Where English uses its simple present — "I live in Osaka", "she works at a bank" — Japanese uses ている: 大阪に住んでいます, 銀行で働いています.
In the negative, ていない with まだ is "not yet": まだ食べていません, "I haven't eaten yet". In speech the い of いる usually drops: 食べてる, 読んでる.
The form
stem (regular) stem (irregular) ending auxiliary verb
| eat → is eating | 食べている |
| eat → is eating, polite | 食べています |
| read → is reading | 読んでいる |
| live → lives (somewhere) | 住んでいます |
| get to know → knows | 知っています |
| marry → is married | 結婚しています |
| come → has come, is here | 来ています |
| eat → has not eaten (yet) | 食べていません |
| was eating | 食べていました |
| spoken | 食べてる |
The rules one by one
With an action that takes time, ている means it is going on now.
弟は部屋で本を読んでいます。My younger brother is reading a book in his room.
With a change that happens in a moment, ている means the result is still there.
窓が開いています。The window is open.
Jobs, where you live and regular habits also take ている.
姉は病院で働いています。My older sister works at a hospital.
まだ with ていません means "not yet".
まだ昼ご飯を食べていません。I haven't had lunch yet.
In speech the い of いる often drops.
何してるの？What are you up to?
A closer look
Telling the two meanings apart
A useful test: can you be in the middle of it? You can be halfway through eating, reading or a shower of rain, so ている on those verbs is "in progress". You cannot be halfway through arriving, marrying or finding something out, so on those verbs it is the state afterwards.
Verbs of going and coming are the classic trap. 父は今、大阪に行っています is not "my father is going to Osaka" but "my father has gone to Osaka and is there now". "I am on my way" is 今、向かっています — heading towards, which is something you can be in the middle of.
Exceptions and special cases (2)
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the verb is 知る and the sentence is negative
the negative is 知りません, not 知っていません.
すみません、よく知りません。Sorry, I don't really know.
The affirmative describes a state reached by finding something out. For the negative there is no such event, and the plain form is what is said.
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the verb is 似る, "to resemble"
it is almost always in ている, even for a likeness that never changes.
妹は父によく似ています。My younger sister looks a lot like my father.
A few verbs describe a lasting property and appear almost only in this form; 似ている is the commonest at this level.
How to spot it
- ている
- ています
- でいる
- てる
- ていない
- まだ
- 今
Example sentences
今、雨が降っています。It is raining at the moment.
父は銀行で働いています。My father works at a bank.
山田さんは結婚しています。Ms Yamada is married.
私は大阪に住んでいます。I live in Osaka.
その人の名前を知っていますか。Do you know that person's name?
子どもたちは公園で遊んでいます。The children are playing in the park.
8 more example sentences
何を読んでいるんですか。What are you reading?
兄は眼鏡をかけています。My older brother wears glasses.
店はもう閉まっています。The shop is already closed.
毎朝、ジョギングをしています。I go jogging every morning.
電車がとても混んでいます。The train is very crowded.
財布が落ちていますよ。There's a wallet lying on the ground.
田中さんはもう帰っています。Mr Tanaka has already gone home.
日本語を勉強しています。I am studying Japanese.
Worth knowing (1)
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Wearing things
Japanese has different verbs for putting on different things — 着る for clothes on the body, はく for shoes and trousers, かぶる for hats, かける for glasses — and each describes the moment of putting on. "Is wearing" is therefore always ている: the state left behind by putting it on.
赤い帽子をかぶっている人が先生です。The person wearing the red hat is the teacher.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English uses "-ing" for plans: "I'm getting married next week". ている cannot do that. With a change like marrying it describes the state after the event — "I am married" — so a wedding next week is simply 結婚します.
ている is "is doing" for long actions and "has done and still is" for sudden changes.
Your turn
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