The ใใฆใใ (~te iru) Form
The ~te iru form is used to express ongoing actions ('I am doing') and ongoing states ('It is broken'). It's one of the most common verb forms in Japanese.
Two Main Meanings of ใใฆใใ
In English, '-ing' usually means an action is happening right now (I am eating). In Japanese, ~ใฆใใ can mean two entirely different things depending on the verb.
1. Ongoing Action: For verbs that take time (eat, read, run), ~ใฆใใ means the action is currently in progress. ('I am eating')
2. State of Being: For verbs that happen in an instant (break, get married, die), ~ใฆใใ means the action happened, and its state continues. ('I am married' / 'It is broken')
To make this form, you simply take the Te-form of a verb and add 'iru' (or 'imasu' for polite speech).
Conjugation Rules
Example Sentences
Teacher's Advice
In conversational Japanese, the 'i' in '~te iru' is often dropped! So 'tabete iru' becomes 'tabeteru', and 'nonde imasu' becomes 'nondemasu'. Listen closely to native speakers and you'll hear this everywhere!
JLPT Exam Patterns
- โขDistinguishing between ongoing actions and states (N5, N4)
- โข็ฅใฃใฆใใพใ (I know) vs ็ฅใใพใใ (I don't know - Exception: do not use shitte imasen) (N5)
- โขListening questions using the casual dropped 'i' form (~ใฆใ) (N4)
Which Meaning? Ask How Long the Verb Takes
When a student asks me whether ใใฆใใ means 'is doing' or 'is in a state', I send them back to the verb. Can the action be stretched out in time? ้ฃในใ can: you can eat for twenty minutes, so ้ฃในใฆใใ is 'is eating'. ็ตๅฉใใ happens at a single moment, so ็ตๅฉใใฆใใ describes the situation that follows it, and the English comes out as 'is married'.
ๆญปใฌ catches people out. ๆญปใใงใใ describes what remains once the dying is over, which puts the English at 'is dead'. To say that someone is in the process of dying, use ๆญปใซใใใฆใใ.
A small group of verbs skips the choice, because in practice they appear only in the ใใฆใใ form: ็ฅใ (็ฅใฃใฆใใ, to know), ไฝใ (ไฝใใงใใ, to live somewhere), ๆใค (ๆใฃใฆใใ, to have), ไผผใ (ไผผใฆใใ, to resemble). Ask a native speaker where they live and you will get ๆฑไบฌใซไฝใใงใใพใ. ๆฑไบฌใซไฝใ belongs to plans and hypotheticals.
ใใฆใใ and ใใฆใใ: Who Opened the Window?
็ชใ้ใใฆใใ and ็ชใ้ใใฆใใ both describe a window that is open right now. The difference is whether a person is implied. ้ใ is intransitive, so ้ใใฆใใ reports the state and stops there. ้ใใ is transitive, and ้ใใฆใใ adds that somebody opened it deliberately and left it that way.
Watch the particle. ็ชใ้ใใ becomes ็ชใ้ใใฆใใ, with ใ turning into ใ. I drill these two as a pair, because the particle switch is where N4 students lose the mark.
Use ใใฆใใ when the state was set up for a reason: ใจใขใณใณใใคใใฆใใใพใ tells you the air conditioner was turned on for you, before you arrived. For plain description of what you see, ใใฆใใ is the form you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the negative of ็ฅใฃใฆใใพใ not ็ฅใฃใฆใใพใใ?
็ฅใฃใฆใใ already describes a state you are in, and Japanese expresses the absence of that state with a plain negative: ็ฅใใพใใ, or ็ฅใใชใ in casual speech. ็ฅใฃใฆใใพใใ is not something you will hear, and N5 tests this pair directly. The asymmetry stays with this verb, so ้ฃในใฆใใพใใ is perfectly normal for 'I have not eaten'.
Can ใใฆใใ describe a habit rather than something happening now?
Yes. ๆฏๆใธใงใฎใณใฐใใใฆใใพใ means 'I jog every morning', and the sentence says nothing about this moment. The time expression settles the reading: ไป gives you the progressive sense, while ๆฏๆ, ๆฏๆฅ and ใใคใ give you the habitual one. With no time expression and no context, take it as progressive.
Is ใใฆใ wrong, or just casual?
Just casual. ้ฃในใฆใ and ้ฃในใฆใใ are the same grammar with the ใ dropped in speech, so ้ฃฒใใงใใพใ becomes ้ฃฒใใงใพใ. JLPT listening uses natural speech, so you will meet the short form from N4 upward. Keep the full form for writing and for polite speech.
Related Grammar
Master the ~te iru form
Practice transforming dictionary verbs into their ~te iru states with our interactive quizzes.