18 Aug
ている | Minna no Nihongo | Lesson 15
### Understanding ている in Japanese | Minna no Nihongo | Lesson 15
In Lesson 15 of "Minna no Nihongo," you'll learn about the usage of **ている** (te iru), which is essential for expressing ongoing actions and states in Japanese. This grammatical structure is versatile and is used in various contexts to indicate actions that are currently happening, habitual actions, or states resulting from previous actions.
### 1. **Basic Usage of ている**
The **ている** (te iru) form is used with the TE-form of a verb to indicate:
- **Ongoing Actions**: Actions that are currently in progress.
- **Habitual Actions**: Actions that occur regularly or habitually.
- **States Resulting from Actions**: Situations or conditions that result from a previous action.
#### **Structure:**
- **Verb TE-form + いる (iru)**
### 2. **Ongoing Actions**
When used with the TE-form of a verb, **ている** (te iru) indicates that an action is happening at the moment of speaking.
- **Example**: **彼は今、勉強しています。** (Kare wa ima, benkyō shiteimasu.)
- He is studying right now.
- Here, **勉強しています** (benkyō shiteimasu) shows that the action of studying is currently in progress.
### 3. **Habitual Actions**
**ている** (te iru) can also describe actions that occur regularly or habits.
- **Example**: **私は毎朝ジョギングしています。** (Watashi wa maiasa jogingu shiteimasu.)
- I go jogging every morning.
- In this case, **ジョギングしています** (jogingu shiteimasu) indicates that jogging is a regular habit.
### 4. **States Resulting from Actions**
Use **ている** (te iru) to describe states or conditions that are the result of an action, which may have been completed in the past.
- **Example**: **この店はもう閉まっています。** (Kono mise wa mō shimatteimasu.)
- This store is already closed.
- Here, **閉まっています** (shimatteimasu) means that the store is in the state of being closed as a result of the closing action.
### 5. **Formation and Examples**
#### **1. Group 1 Verbs (う-Verbs)**
- **読む** (yomu) → **読んでいる** (yonde iru) — reading
- **書く** (kaku) → **書いている** (kaite iru) — writing
#### **2. Group 2 Verbs (る-Verbs)**
- **食べる** (taberu) → **食べている** (tabete iru) — eating
- **見る** (miru) → **見ている** (mite iru) — watching
#### **3. Irregular Verbs**
- **する** (suru) → **している** (shite iru) — doing
- **来る** (kuru) → **来ている** (kite iru) — coming
### **Examples in Context:**
1. **Ongoing Actions:**
- **彼女は今、ピアノを弾いています。** (Kanojo wa ima, piano o hiiteimasu.)
- She is playing the piano right now.
- **彼は電話をしています。** (Kare wa denwa o shiteimasu.)
- He is on the phone.
2. **Habitual Actions:**
- **彼は毎晩テレビを見ています。** (Kare wa maiban terebi o miteimasu.)
- He watches TV every night.
- **私は毎日日本語を勉強しています。** (Watashi wa mainichi nihongo o benkyō shiteimasu.)
- I study Japanese every day.
3. **States Resulting from Actions:**
- **窓が開いています。** (Mado ga aiteimasu.)
- The window is open.
- **その映画はもう見ています。** (Sono eiga wa mō miteimasu.)
- I have already watched that movie.
### Summary
- **ている** (te iru) indicates ongoing actions, habitual actions, or states resulting from actions.
- Formed by combining the TE-form of a verb with **いる** (iru).
Understanding and using **ている** will help you describe actions and states in various contexts accurately. Practice forming sentences with **ている** to become more comfortable with its uses. Happy studying!
