How to use a verb with ている [te iru] in Japanese?

You can use ている (transcribed te iru) for actions that are ongoing or continuing at the time under discussion, regardless of when the action began. This means that while you’ll often translate this form with a “be verbing” from, like “is running” or “was cleaning,” you might also translate it using a “have been verbing” form, like “has been running” or “has been cleaning.” Let’s look at some examples!

• ている [te iru] for something that “is happening” or “was happening”

  In many contexts, this means that you’ll translate a ている (transcribed te iru) form into English with the progressive “be verbing” form.

  • In the present → for “right now”

    • 音楽を聞いている。

      Transcription: Ongaku o kiite iru.

      Translation: (I) am listening to music.
    • 私が家に帰ってきた時、子供はテレビゲームをしていませんでした。

      Transcription: Watashi ga ie ni kaette kita toki, kodomo wa terebi gēmu o shite imasen deshita.

      Translation: When I came home, the child wasn’t playing a video game.

  • In the past → for “right then”

    • 風鈴が風で揺れていた。

      Transcription: Fūrin ga kaze de yurete ita.

      Translation: A wind chime was swaying in the wind.
    • 東京は雨が降っていましたか。

      Transcription: Tōkyō wa ame ga futte imashita ka.

      Translation: Was it raining in Tokyo?

• ている [te iru] for something that “has been happening” or “had been happening”

  You can also add ている (transcribed te iru) to a verb for an action that “has been happening” or “had been happening” for some time.

  • 三年前から日本語を勉強しているのにまだ話せません。

    Transcription: San’nen mae kara nihongo o benkyō shite iru noni mada hanasemasen.

    Translation: I have been studying Japanese for three years, but I still can’t speak it.
  • 鈴木さんは大学院生の頃から癌について研究しています。

    Transcription: Suzuki-san wa daigakuinsei no koro kara gan ni tsuite kenkyū shite imasu.

    Translation: Mr. Suzuki has been researching cancer since he was a graduate student.

  You can tell that these phrases describe an action that started before “now” by looking at the time phrases:

  • 三年前から

    Transcription: san’nen mae kara

    Translation: from three years ago
  • 大学院生の頃から

    Transcription: daigakuinsei no koro kara

    Translation: since a graduate student time

  These kinds of phrases are not essential, but adding them can let you clarify that the action has happened for some time before the moment under discussion.

We can use a verb with ている (transcribed te iru) to express a habitual or a repeated action, as long as they are used with a phrase that indicates how frequently it happens.

• この病院では、毎日十人ぐらいの赤ちゃんが生まれています。

  Transcription: Kono byōin de wa, mainichi jūnin gurai no akachan ga umarete imasu.

  Translation: About ten babies are born in this hospital everyday.
• 去年はダイエットのために週に３回スポーツジムで運動していました。

  Transcription: Kyonen wa daietto no tame ni shū ni sankai supōtsujimu de undō shite imashita.

  Translation: Last year, (I) exercised at the gym three times a week to lose weight.
• 父は毎日電車で通勤しています。

  Transcription: Chichi wa mainichi densha de tsūkin shite imasu.

  Translation: My father commutes by train every day.

As you can see from the examples, the action may be repeated by the same person or many people.

You can also use a verb + ている (transcribed te iru) with some verbs for long-term verbs that you don’t do at a particular time. You might use this structure to talk about where one lives or works.

You can also use a verb + ている (transcribed te iru) to discuss an ongoing state or situation that results from a previous, one-time action. It’s a lot like you might use “has verbed” or “had verbed” in English.

Be careful, though, you might not always use “have” in your translation! For example, in Japanese, we often discuss states that result from a momentary event, like being “dead,” “closed,” “married,” or “over” using the ている (transcribed te iru) forms of the verbs for those momentary events:

• その魚は死んでいる。

  Transcription: Sono sakana wa shinde iru.

  Translation: That fish is dead.

  It has died. It died and is still dead.
• スーパーに行ったけど、もう閉まっていた。

  Transcription: Sūpā ni itta kedo, mō shimatte ita.

  Translation: (I) went to a supermarket, but (it) was already closed.

  It has closed. It closed and was still closed.
• 五年前に会った時は彼女はまだ結婚していなかった。

  Transcription: Gonen mae ni atta toki wa, kanojo wa mada kekkon shite inakatta.

  Translation: She wasn’t married when we met five years ago.

  At that time, she hadn’t married. She didn’t get married, and she still wasn’t married.
• 先週の日曜日には、九州の梅雨は終わっていた。

  Transcription: Senshū no nichiyōbi ni wa, Kyūshū no tsuyu wa owatteita.

  Translation: By last Sunday, the rainy season in Kyushu was over.

  It had already ended and it was still over.

Let’s look at some common cases where you’ll use the ている (transcribed te iru) form to discuss the continuing results of a finished action:

• ている [te iru] form with movement verbs

  We often use the ている (transcribed te iru) form of movement verbs to discuss whether someone “has arrived” somewhere. For example:

  Question:

  吉田さん、そっちにいますか。

  Transcription: Yoshida-san, socchi ni imasu ka?

  Translation: Is Ms. Yoshida there (with you)?

  Answer:

  吉田さん？ええ、今うちに来ていますよ。

  Transcription: Yoshida-san? Ē, ima uchi ni kite imasu yo.

  Translation: Ms. Yoshida? Yes, she has come to my place (and she is still here now).

  This is a case where you may want to add an adverb, like もう (transcribed mō, meaning “already”), or some time description that clarifies that person is not actively traveling, but has arrived already.

• The ている [te iru] form of the verb “to know”

  The main verb we use to describe knowing something in Japanese is the verb 知る (transcribed shiru), which literally means something like “to come to know” or even “to learn.” It describes a singular event during which someone acquires knowledge.

  So if you want to say that someone now “knows” something, that is the result state of the verb 知る (transcribed shiru), and you’ll need to use the ている (transcribed te iru) form of this verb!

  • te iru form

    ✅ 知っているよ！

    Transcription: Shitte iru yo!

    Translation: (I) know!

    Literally: lit. (I) have come to know.
  • non-past form

    ❌ 知るよ。

    Transcription: Shiru yo.

    Translation: I know.

    Literally: lit. (I) come to know.

  If you want to say someone doesn’t know something though, you’ll want to use the plain negative instead.

  • non-past negative form

    知らないよ！

    Transcription: Shiranai yo!

    Translation: (I) don’t know!
  • negative te iru form

    ❌ 知っていないよ！

    Transcription: Shitte inai yo!

• The ている [te iru] form for past experiences

  Much like you might say that you “have taken” a course or “have visited” Japan in English, you can use the ている (transcribed te iru) form to talk about past experiences that impact on the present. Compare the ている (transcribed te iru) form with the simple past tense, which is also used to talk about past actions:

  • simple past

    JLPTのN１は受けた。

    Transcription: JLPT no N1 wa uketa.

    This sentence simply provides a fact about the past.
  • te iru form

    JLPTのN１は 受けている。

    Transcription: JLPT no N1 wa ukete iru.

    Translation: I have taken the JLPT N1 exam.

    You would use this sentence to discuss how the experience of the exam affects the situation now. For example, you might use it to explain that now you have a credential, or that you can give someone advice on how to study.

  One difference between talking about past experiences using the ている (transcribed te iru) form and the English “have taken” form, is that in English you usually wouldn’t mention the exact time you had the experience, but in Japanese adding that exact information is totally fine.

  JLPTのN１は二年前に受けている。

  Transcription: JLPT no N1 wa ninen mae ni ukete iru.

  Translation: I took the JLPT N1 exam two years ago.

  Literally: lit. I have taken the JLPT N1 exam two years ago.

  Use this in the same circumstances where you’d use the previous sentence — it just gives a bit more information!

  This use of the ている (transcribed te iru) form to reference a past experience at a specific time can be tricky for English speakers to master, but usually, you’ll be able to see why the ている (transcribed te iru) form was used to discuss a past experience at a certain time, if you imagine removing this time phrase. Let’s look at some examples!

  • Speaker A:

    ブラウンさんはなんであんなに日本語ができるのかなぁ。

    Transcription: Buraun-san wa nan de an’na ni nihongo ga dekiru no ka nā.

    Translation: I wonder why Ms. Brown is so good at Japanese.

    Speaker B:

    ああ、それは大学の時日本に留学しているし。

    Transcription: Aa, sore wa daigaku no toki, nihon ni ryūgaku shite iru shi.

    Translation: Ah, that’s (because she) studied abroad in Japan during college.

    Think: “because she has studied abroad in Japan”
  • Speaker A:

    このDVD、見た？貸してあげようか。

    Transcription: Kono DVD, mita? Kashite ageyō ka.

    Translation: Have you watched this DVD? Shall I lend it to you?

    Speaker B:

    そのDVDは去年見ているよ。（だから、貸してくれなくてもいいよ。）

    Transcription: Sono DVD wa kyonen mite iru yo. (Dakara, kashite kurenaku te mo ii yo.)

    Translation: I watched that DVD last year. (So you don't have to lend it to me.)

    Think “I have already watched it”

Often you’ll use a ている (transcribed te iru) form to describe the state, condition, or appearance of the subject. to express a state, condition or appearance of the subject. Let’s read some examples:

• あのモデルはすごく痩せている。

  Transcription: Ano moderu wa sugoku yasete iru.

  Translation: That model is very skinny.
• このクッキーは丸い形をしている。

  Transcription: Kono kukkī wa marui katachi o shite iru.

  Translation: This cookie has a round shape.

  Literally: lit. This cookie is doing a round shape.
• 祖母は入院していますが、容態は落ち着いている。

  Transcription: Sobo wa nyūin shite imasu ga, yōdai wa ochitsuite iru.

  Translation: My grandmother is hospitalized, but her condition is stable.

If the state is something that you would usually describe using an adjective, you’ll first need to convert that adjective into an adverb. So this means you’ll need to follow the rules below when you use an adjective before している (transcribed shite iru):

• i-adjectives → Replace the ending い (transcribed i) with く (transcribed ku)

  短い

  Transcription: mijikai

  Translation: short

  

  短くしている

  Transcription: mijikaku shite iru

  Translation: making/becoming short

• na-adjectives → Add に (transcribed ni) after the adjective

  れい

  Transcription: kirei

  Translation: clean

  

  れいにしています

  Transcription: kirei ni shite imasu

  Translation: making/becoming clean

Nouns are mostly used with している (transcribed shite iru) as a way of describing someone’s occupation. Follow the pattern below:

You’ll also use this structure in some other circumstances where a noun defines something’s state though, for example: