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Ongoing Action: 〜ている

N4

〜ている has two main uses: expressing an ongoing action (like "-ing" in English) and expressing a resulting state.

Use 1: Ongoing Action

Something is happening right now.

食べている = eating

Use 2: Resulting State

The result of an action continues.

住んでいる = living (somewhere)

Formation

て-form + いる / います

Examples

Ima, gohan wo tabete imasu.
I am eating right now. (ongoing action)
Kare wa nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu.
He is studying Japanese.
Tokyo ni sunde imasu.
I live in Tokyo. (current state)
Kekkon shite imasu.
I am married. (resulting state)
Ame ga futte imasu.
It is raining.
Kanojo wa sensei wo shite imasu.
She works as a teacher.

Quick Quiz

Question 1 of 10
What is the formation rule for 〜ている?
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