I can answer a phone call, say what I'm doing right now and what I was doing at a certain moment yesterday, and ask the other person about it.
What are you doing now: -고 있어요
What are you doing now: -고 있어요
What for: to say what's happening right now, at this moment: “I'm eating”, “I'm on my way”. A common word with it is 지금.
Form: the stem + -고 있어요, one for all; the stem doesn't change: 먹고, 자고, 만들고, 듣고 (ㄷ stays before a consonant), 공부하고.
What you were doing at a moment in the past is -고 있었어요: 밤 열 시에 자고 있었어요.
“Not doing now” is 안 before the verb: 안 자고 있어요.
For habits and for what you do these days, -고 있어요 isn't needed: 요즘 한국어를 배워요 is normal, even though English says “I'm learning Korean these days”. Don't add -고 있어요 to every English “-ing”.
For “class is in session” or “I'm on the phone”, use a noun + 중이에요: 수업 중이에요, 전화 중이에요.
On the phone: 여보세요 is “hello?”; 전화를 걸어요 is “I make a call”. Now you have the whole present tense.
Common mistakes:
• NOT 먹고 이에요 → 먹고 있어요.
• NOT 공부해요 있어요 → 공부하고 있어요.
• NOT 요리해고 있어요 → 요리하고 있어요.
• NOT 지금 먹고 있었어요 (about right now) → 지금 먹고 있어요.
Doing now and doing at that moment
Stem + -고 있어요: the stem doesn't change.
| Dictionary form | Now | At that moment in the past |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 | 먹고 있어요 | 먹고 있었어요 |
| 자다 | 자고 있어요 | 자고 있었어요 |
| 만들다 | 만들고 있어요 | 만들고 있었어요 |
| 듣다 | 듣고 있어요 | 듣고 있었어요 |
| 공부하다 | 공부하고 있어요 | 공부하고 있었어요 |
Affirmative, negative, question
“Not doing now”: 안 before the verb.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| + | 동생은 방에서 게임을 하고 있어요. |
| − | 저는 지금 텔레비전을 안 보고 있어요. |
| ? | 지금 뭐 하고 있어요? |
Lesson notes
What are you doing now: -고 있어요
What for: to say what's happening right now, at this moment: “I'm eating”, “I'm on my way”. A common word with it is 지금.
Form: the stem + -고 있어요, one for all; the stem doesn't change: 먹고, 자고, 만들고, 듣고 (ㄷ stays before a consonant), 공부하고.
What you were doing at a moment in the past is -고 있었어요: 밤 열 시에 자고 있었어요.
“Not doing now” is 안 before the verb: 안 자고 있어요.
For habits and for what you do these days, -고 있어요 isn't needed: 요즘 한국어를 배워요 is normal, even though English says “I'm learning Korean these days”. Don't add -고 있어요 to every English “-ing”.
For “class is in session” or “I'm on the phone”, use a noun + 중이에요: 수업 중이에요, 전화 중이에요.
On the phone: 여보세요 is “hello?”; 전화를 걸어요 is “I make a call”. Now you have the whole present tense.
Common mistakes:
• NOT 먹고 이에요 → 먹고 있어요.
• NOT 공부해요 있어요 → 공부하고 있어요.
• NOT 요리해고 있어요 → 요리하고 있어요.
• NOT 지금 먹고 있었어요 (about right now) → 지금 먹고 있어요.