ている③ - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

repetition
has (have) done
is… ~ing

Structure

  • verb[ て ] + いる
  • verb[ て ] + る (casual contraction)
  • verb[ て ] + と る (casual form used in some regions)

:warning: You may come across verb [て] + て (来てて). This is the て-form of ている - 来ていて with い omitted.

[ている can also express occupation, hobbies, and habits. This use is often, but not always, accompanied by time-related expressions like 毎日、毎晩、よく, etc.]

[In other cases, you have to judge a particular ている meaning from context]

[It can also be used with other frequency expressions like 週間にX回 and ごとに, etc., which you will learn later]

[In some parts of Japan (and often in manga and light novels) とる can be used instead of ている. This is a contraction of ておる, the humble form of ている but without the implication of being humble language. This applies to ている, ongoing action, and ている②, ongoing state]

View on Bunpro

#2

どうしてスティーブンはいつも黒いタートルネックを着ているのですか。

How “のです” influences meaning of the sentence? Why don’t we say “…着ていますか” or “ているか”? And why don’t we need “は” in “のですか” (like “のはですか”)?

1 Like
#3

Hey!

This のですか is a construction used when asking for (detailed) explanations. You can read more about it here and here.

It should help you understand it :+1:

Cheers!

2 Likes
#4

Thank you very much! I missed this possibility :sweat_smile:

2 Likes
#5

I see this is the only ている grammar point that has the following ways to write ている colloquially.

Are these colloquialisms not used in the other two scenario’s?

1 Like
#6

@Pep95
Hey :blush:

It applies to all other uses (it is written at the bottom of the grammar point actually, but not on forums, adding it here right now!).

The information about it doesn’t appear in previous テイル1 and テイル2 because I felt it would be too much additional information considering that those two already have enough nuances under sentences and would likely confuse students.

I hope it helps,
Cheers!

2 Likes
#7

Is there a reason that

俺は毎週金曜日の夜にスーパーに行っているのだ。

is correct, but

俺は毎週金曜日の夜にスーパーに行っていますのだ。

is not accepted?

1 Like
#8

I think the のだ is already casual (のです would be more formal), so it wouldn’t make sense to use the formal ～ます form in that sentence?

From this website

Note: the negative-polite form: ません is not used with explanatory のだ （んだ）. Even though we explained the negative form: ないです is a colloquial expression, you can be formal enough by using のだ.

2 Likes
#9

There should be an option to omit the bracketed [is doing] (and the like). It makes it a bit too easy IMO. I feel like I need to make the connection that te-iru can mean something other than “is presently doing”, and the bracketed [is doing] doesn’t help with that :blush:. For clarity, the hint-levels in one of the reviews is as follows:

No hint / translation

I go ～ [am going]

I go to the supermarket every Friday night. [am going]

1 Like
#10

I’m having trouble understanding the difference between when the “repetition of common activities” use of ている is different than the “habitual” sense of the basic non-past form.

In this lesson, we see the example:

毎晩まいばん９時じに寝ねている。

I sleep at 9 every night. (This is a habit of the speaker)

While in the lesson for non-past, we see:

嫁よめは毎晩まいばん映画えいがを見みます。

My wife watches movies every night.

And many other examples seem equivalent.

ている #3 lesson example:

ばあさんは毎晩まいばん、薬くすりを飲のんどる。

Grandmother takes medicine every night. (Grandmother is drinking…)

Non-past lesson example:

私わたしは毎日まいにちテレビを**見みます**。

I watch TV every day. (habit)

Why wouldn’t the above example be

私は毎日テレビを見ています

?

1 Like
#11

For:
ひとみさんのお母さんは教師をしている。
Hitomi’s mother is a teacher. (Hitomi’s mother is doing…)

would just ひとみさんのお母さんは教師です not also be fine? Is the usage of している significantly more common?

And also (I’m genuinely serious), regarding
“をやっている can also be used in this case, but it sounds more casual (and might sound a bit rude)”
Considering やる is also slang for to have sex (according to dictionary (JMdict)), how would you differentiate that Hitomi’s mother is a teacher vs Hitomi’s mother is doing a teacher?

#12

This is still unanswered :frowning:

1 Like