〜ている is one of the most fundamental patterns in Japanese. It attaches to the て-form of verbs and expresses two main concepts:
Ongoing action - An action currently in progress (like English "-ing")
Resulting state - A state that resulted from a past action
The meaning depends on the verb type:
• Action verbs (食べる, 読む): Usually indicate ongoing action
• Change-of-state verbs (結婚する, 知る): Usually indicate resulting state
In casual speech, this often contracts to 〜てる (食べてる instead of 食べている).
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
ている has multiple meanings
- Progressive: 食べている (eating now)
- Result state: 結婚している (is married)
- Habitual: 毎日走っている (runs every day)
Some verbs only use result state meaning
- 知っている (knows), not "is knowing"
Casual: てる
I am reading a book now.
She is married.
The window is open.
He lives in Tokyo.
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