〜ている

Add いる to a verb’s て form. With activities, this often describes something in progress or a continuing habit. With a change such as opening, it can describe the state after the change. The verb and context determine which meaning is intended.

1. 1Verb in て form + いる / います
2. 2Past: verb in て form + いた / いました
3. 3Casual contraction: ている → てる; でいる → でる

1. 1今、台所でスープを作っています。I’m making soup in the kitchen now.
2. 2隣の部屋の窓が開いています。The window in the next room is open.

ている does not always mean English ‘is doing’. 開いている can mean ‘is open’, and 知っている means ‘knows’. Casual てる is a normal contraction, so preserve it when it suits the voice.

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1. 第1条で・にWhere an action happens; where something is or goes
2. 第6条動詞のて形Connect actions and build expressions such as ている
3. 第11条名詞を修飾する文Describe a noun with a clause: the person who…; the thing that…

• Tofugu: Verb continuous form ている ↗ (opens in a new tab)