〜ている

〜ている is one of the most versatile patterns in Japanese. It expresses ongoing actions (eating, running), resulting states (married, living somewhere), habitual actions (studying every day), and experiential states (the road is wet). Unlike English, which uses "-ing" mainly for actions in progress, Japanese 〜ている covers a much wider range of meanings depending on the verb type.

This is a foundational pattern that you will use from day one of your Japanese studies.

Formation#

Attach いる to any verb's て-form.

When to Use#

• Action in progress right now: 今、本を読んでいる (I'm reading a book right now)
• Habitual action: 毎日走っている (I run every day)
• Resulting state: 窓が開いている (the window is open)

When NOT to Use#

• For actions that haven't started yet — use dictionary form or 〜ようとしている
• For completed one-time actions — use past tense (〜た) instead

Example Sentences#

• 疲れています。 — I'm tired.
• 雨が降っています。 — It's raining.
• 鼻血が出ています。 — I have a nosebleed.

Practice#

Try reading these sentences aloud, then check the translation and vocabulary:

Common Mistakes#

1. Assuming ている always means "-ing" — For change-of-state verbs like 死ぬ, 結婚する, 知る, the ている form describes a resulting state: 知っている means "I know" (not "I am knowing").
2. Confusing ている with てある — ている describes a natural state or ongoing action, while てある emphasizes that someone deliberately did something and the result remains: 窓が開いている (the window is open) vs. 窓が開けてある (someone opened the window and left it open).
3. Not using casual contraction — In spoken Japanese, ている often contracts to てる: 食べてる, 読んでる. Using the full form in casual speech sounds overly formal.

Related Patterns#

• 〜てある (is in a state of (done)) — Compare
• 〜て (te-form (connecting)) — Next step
• 〜ていない (not doing / not in state) — Compare
• 〜てから (after doing ~) — Next step
• 〜てみる (try doing ~) — Next step