This means an action is happening right now. It is like adding "-ing" to a verb in English.
Verb [て-form] + いるPrimary
This means an action is happening right now. It is like adding "-ing" to a verb in English.
猫が屋根の上を歩いている。
A cat is walking on the roof.
こちらの席は空いていますか。
Is this seat available (lit. 'is empty')?
彼が部屋に入った時、私は何もしていなかった。
When he entered the room, I wasn't doing anything.
東京に住んでいる友達に会いに行く予定だ。
I plan to go see a friend who lives in Tokyo.
ドアが閉まっているのを確認して、家を出た。
After confirming that the door was closed, I left the house.
This grammar is like a magic trick. It changes meaning based on the verb. For doing verbs, it means 'doing now'. For verbs that change things, it means 'it is changed now'.
This is different from '〜てる' and '〜でる'. Those are shorter ways to say the same thing. People use them when they speak casually. This lesson teaches the full, proper forms.
Watch out: Do not use '〜た' for things that are still happening. For example, '結婚した' means 'got married' (past event). To say 'am married' (current state), use '結婚している'.
Use this when you want to talk about things you do often. This includes your job or daily habits. For example, 'I teach Japanese' or 'I drink coffee every morning'.
More formal alternatives(1)
Dialect / slang variants(3)
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