いる (progressive / ongoing state)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★★ 5/5 neutral いるiru
読み いる
ローマ字 iru
形 Verb て-form + いる/います

意味

Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese.

The ている pattern is one of the most versatile constructions in Japanese. It can express at least four meanings: an action in progress (食べている — is eating), a habitual action (毎日走っている — runs every day), a resultant state (結婚している — is married), and an experience-based state (知っている — knows). Which meaning applies depends on the verb type. Action verbs like 食べる and 走る typically indicate ongoing action, while change-of-state verbs like 死ぬ, 結婚する, and 知る indicate a resultant state. Learners often mistranslate 知っている as 'is knowing' when it simply means 'knows.' In casual speech, ている contracts to てる: 何してる？ The negative form is ていない (casual: てない).

例文

  1. 姉は今本を読んでいる。
  2. 父は毎朝公園を走っています。
  3. 田中さんはもう帰っている。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: descriptive

正しい言い方

  • 弟はゲームをしている。
  • 私は東京に住んでいます。
  • あの人はめがねをかけている。

避ける言い方

  • 私は知る。(Using the dictionary form of 知る to mean 'I know' — 知る requires ている to express the state of knowing) → 私は知っている。
  • 彼は昨日から寝ています。(Implying someone has been sleeping since yesterday using a timeframe that sounds unnatural — rephrase or clarify the context) → 彼は昨日からずっと寝ています。
  • 窓が開けている。(Using a transitive verb without the correct subject — 開けている implies a person is in the act of opening; for 'the window is open' use 開いている) → 窓が開いている。

起源と歴史

The ている construction evolved from the combination of the て-form conjunctive particle and the existential いる during the late Heian period, gradually expanding from purely progressive meaning to include resultant states.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

ある (existence of inanimate things) Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things. いる (existence of animate things) Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself. する (cost or duration) する is used to express how much something costs or how long something takes. The amount or duration is typically marked with が, and する indicates the price or time required. This is an idiomatic use distinct from the action-performing する.
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