「お腹すいているんだけどご飯まだ？」
= Onaka suite irun dakedo gohan mada?
= I’m hungry…Can I eat yet?
Hi everyone!
What’s the craic? (→ That’s supposed to mean “How is it going?” in Irish, is that right, Max?) = 調子どう？= Choushi dou?
Today’s guest teacher is a boxer dog, Max from West Ireland.
I have never been to Ireland. But it looks beautiful out there.
:u:
He will teach you how to use V+ている ( = te iru) today.
Max先生、お願いします！
= Max Sensei onegai shimasu!
= Please go ahead, Max Sensei!
*******************
皆さん、こんにちは！Maxです。
= Minasan, konnichiwa! Max desu.
= Hello, everyone. I am Max!
マギーが日本語を教えたら大好きなヨーグルトとお米をくれるっていうから今日はがんばって日本語を教えます。
= Maggie ga nihongo wo oshietara daisukina youguruto to okome wo kurerutte iu kara kyou wa ganbatte nihongo wo oshiemasu.
= Maggie said she would give me my favorite food, yogurt, and rice so I will do my best teaching you Japanese today.
In this lesson we will learn how to use: V+ ている ( = te iru)
⭐️ How to form :
verb te form + いる ( = iru)
*見る( = miru ) to see, to look
見ている ( = mite iru) seeing, looking
*泳ぐ( = oyogu ) to swim
泳いでいる ( = oyoide iru) swimming
*歌う ( = utau ) to sing
歌っている ( = utatte iru ) singing
*する( = suru) to do
している ( = shite iru) doing
polite form
＊ています ( = te imasu )
Ex. 見ています ( = mite imasu)
negative form
＊～ている (= te iru)
～ていない (= te inai)
negative form (polite)
＊〜ています ( = te imasu)
〜ていません ( = te imasen)
Note: In this lesson, I will just teach the present form.
When to use :
Some of you think V+ている ( = te iru) is just to describe ongoing action.
I will show you other usages one by one.
1) progressive form: ongoing action, continuous action that is happening in the present or in the past.
Describes actions that are currently happening or actions that were happening at a certain time in the past
What someone/something is doing right now, What is happening now
Ex. 今、勉強しているからまた後で電話するね。
= Ima, benkyou shite iru kara mata ato de denwa suru ne.
= I am studying now so let me call you back later.
Ex. 家の前に立っている人は誰ですか？
= Ie no mae ni tatte iru hito wa dare desu ka?
= Who is the person who is standing in front of the house?
Ex. 今、美味しいものを作っているから来ない？
= Ima, oishii mono wo tsukutte iru kara konai?
= I am cooking something delicious so you wanna come over?
Ex. Maxは今、寝ているから起こさないでね。
= Max wa ima, nete iru kara okosanai de ne.
= Max is sleeping now so don’t wake him up, OK?
Ex. 今、雨が降っています。
= Ima, ame ga futte imasu.
= It’s raining now.
Ex.昨日の夜は何をしていたの？
= Kinou no yoru wa nani wo shite ita no?
= What were you doing last night?
2) When you talk about your present situation – what you do now
When you say
Ex. 今、何をしているの？
= Ima, nani wo shite iruno?
It could mean either,
“What are you doing right now?”
or
“What do you do in general in your life now?”
Ex. 「マギー、 今、何をしているの？」
= Maggie, ima, nani wo shite iruno?
= What are you doing now, Maggie?
「今、ネットで日本語を教えているの。」
= Ima, netto de nihongo wo oshiete iruno.
= I’m teaching Japanese on the net now.
Ex. 今、日本語の学校に通っています。
= Ima, nihongo no gakkou ni kayotte imasu.
= I am going to a Japanese language school now.
Ex. 息子は今、アメリカに留学しています。
= Musuko wa ima, America ni ryuugaku shiteimasu.
= My son is studying in the US now.
3) When you talk about something that frequently happens or one’s habitual actions
Ex. 彼は毎週土曜日に東京に行っている。
= Kare wa maishuu doyoubi ni Toukyou ni itte iru.
= He goes to Tokyo every Saturday.
Ex. 毎日、新聞を読んでいる。
= Mainichi, shinbun wo yondeiru.
= I read the newspaper every day.
Ex. 私は毎日健康の為にヨーグルトを食べている。
= Watashi wa mainichi kenkou no tame ni youguruto wo tabete iru.
= I eat yogurt every day for my health.
Ex. 普段、車で会社に通っている。
= Fudan kuruma de kaisha ni kayotte iru.
= I usually go to the office by car.
Ex. いつも同じTシャツを着ているね。
= Itsumo onaji tiishatsu wo kite irune.
= You are always wearing the same T-shirt.
4) to describe some continuous action or events, to have done/ have been doing, what you have been doing
Ex. Max先生の話を聞いていますか？
= Max sensei no hanashi wo kiite imasuka?
could mean either
“Are you listening to Max Sensei now?”
or
Have you heard about Max Sensei? / Did you hear what happened to Max Sensei?
Ex.マギー先生のサイトを知っていますか？
= Maggie sensei no saito wo shitte imasuka?
= Do you know (Have you heard ) about Maggie Sensei’s site?
Ex. ３年間、日本語を勉強している。
= Sannenkan, nihongo wo benkyou shiteiru.
= I’ve been studying Japanese for 3 years.
Ex.ここ数日、暑い日が続いている。
= Koko suujitsu, atsui hi ga tsuzuite iru.
= It has been hot the past few days.
Ex.よくがんばっているね。
= Yoku ganbatte irune.
= You’ve been trying so hard.
Ex. マギーの気持ちはよくわかっています。
= Maggie no kimochi wa yokuwakatte imasu.
= I know well how you feel, Maggie.
Note: Do you know the difference between わかりました(=wakarimashita) and わかっています(= wakatte imasu) ?
わかりました (= wakarimashita) means “I got it” and わかっています ( = wakatte imasu.) means “I know”
You can also talk about past experiences.
Ex. 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。
= Kanojo wa, Okinawa ni gokai mo itte iru.
= She has been to Okinawa FIVE times already.
Ex. 日本語能力試験は去年受けて既に合格している。
= Nihongo nouryoku shiken wa kyonen ukete sudeni goukaku shiteiru.
= I took the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) last year and passed it already.
Note : You can use the negative forms when someone hasn’t done something or something hasn’t done, or happened.
Ex. 今日はまだシャワーに入っていない／いません。
= Kyou wa mada shawaa ni haitte inai/ imasen.
= I haven’t taken a shower yet today.
Ex. この話は彼女には話していない／いません。
= Kono hanashi wa kanojo niwa mada hanashite inai/imasen.
= I haven’t told her about this yet.
Ex. まだ朝ご飯を食べていない/いません。
= Mada asagohan wo tabete inai / imasen.
= I haven’t had breakfast yet.
5) To describe the actual state, condition, appearance of the subject, what people wear, how someone leaves things/place, etc.
Ex. 二人とも、よく似ているね。
= Futaritomo, yoku nite irune.
= You two look alike a lot.
Ex. 彼は太っている。
= Kare wa futotte iru.
= He is fat.
Ex. 電気がついている。
= Denki ga tsuite iru.
= The light is on.
Ex. この辺は新しいマンションがいっぱい建っている。
= Kono hen wa atarashi manshon ga ippai tatte iru.
= There are a lot of new apartment buildings around here.
Ex. 今日は夜中の１時まで起きているつもりだ。
= Kyou wa yonaka no ichiji made okite iru tsumorida.
= I will be awake until 1:00 p.m. tonight.
Ex. そんなことはもうわかっています。
= Sonna koto wa mou wakatte imasu.
= I understand/know that already.
Ex. ドアが開いている。
= Doa ga aite iru.
= The door is open.
Ex. 机の上が散らかっている。
= Tsukue no ue ga chirakatte iru.
= The top of the desk is messy.
Ex. 彼は最近困っている様だ。
= Kare wa saikin komatte iru you da.
= He seems to be in trouble lately.
Ex. 彼女、かわいい顔をしているね。
= Kanojo, kawaii kao wo shiteirune.
= She has a cute face, doesn’t she?
Ex. マギー先生、またスペルが間違っています。
= Maggie Sensei, mata speru ga machigatte imasu.
= Maggie Sensei, you got the spelling wrong again.
Ex. あそこにゴキブリが死んでいる。
= Asoko ni gokiburi ga shinnde iru.
= There is a dead cockroach over there.
Ex. 今日はどこも混んでいる。
= Kyouwa dokomo konde iru.
= It is crowded everywhere today.
Ex.マックスはアイルランドでかなり成功しているらしい。
= Max wa airurando de kanari seikou shiteiru rashii.
= Max seems to be very successful in Ireland.
Ex. 父の容態はかなり落ち着いています。
= Chichi no youtai wa kanari ochitsuite imasu.
= My father has been very stable right now.
Ex. 健康保険に入っている？
= Kenkou hoken ni haitte iru?
= Do you have health insurance?
Ex. 帽子をかぶっている人
= Boushi wo kabutte iru hito
= A person who wears a hat (a cap)
Ex. この時計は壊れている。
= Kono tokei wa kowarete iru.
= This clock (or watch) is broken.
Ex. 今日はお化粧をしていない。
= Kyou wa okeshou wo shiteinai.]
= I am not wearing any makeup today.
****************
You can also form ている (=te iru) with adjectives
adjective + に ( = ni) + し ( = shi) ＋ている ( = te iru)
* to remain ~ , to be/keep ~ in certain condition,
Ex. 元気にしていますか？
= Genki ni shite imasuka?
= How have you been?
Ex. ちょっと静かにしていて。
= Chotto shizuka ni shite ite.
= Keep quiet for now.
Ex. いつも部屋の中をきれいにしているね。
= Itsumo heya no naka wo kire ni shite irune.
= You always keep your room clean.
Ex. 毎日、忙しくしています。
= Mainichi, isogashiku shite imasu.
= I keep myself busy.
Note 1) We often drop い ( = i) in conversation (It is called い抜き言葉 (= inuki kotoba)
It is grammatically wrong and you don’t want to use it in your exams or homework but you will hear/see this all the time.
〜ている ( = te iru) ! to right! てる (= teru)
Ex. 書いている
= kaite iru
= to be writing
書いてる
= kaiteru
Ex. 忙しくしている
= Isogashiku shite iru
= has/have been busy
忙しくしてる
= isogashiku shiteru
Note 2 ) Also ている ( = iru) contracts てん ( = ten)
In the picture above,
お腹すいてるんだけどご飯まだ？
= Onaka suiterundakedo gohan mada?
= I’m hungry . . . Can I eat yet?
The correct form is:
すいているのだけれども ( = suite iru noda keredomo)
すいているんだけど ( = suite irunda kedo) (casual)
Note : けど ( = kedo) is a casual way to say けれども ( = keredomo)
Ex. 何をやっているの？
= Nani wo yatte iruno?
= What are you doing?
Ex. 何やってんの？ (casual)
= Nani yatten no?
Ex. ちょっと、困っているのです。
= Chotto, komatte iru no desu.
= I am in a little trouble now.
ちょっと困ってんだ。 (casual)
= Chotto komattennda.
ちょっと困ってるの。 (casual/ feminine)
= Chotto komatteru no.
Note : Finishing a questions with の ( = no) is neutral but finishing a sentence with の ( = no) sounds a little feminine (or childish)
Ex. 今、宿題やっているのだけれど難しすぎて…
= Ima, shukudai wo yatte iru no dakeredomo muzukashi sugite.
= I am working on my homework but it is too difficult so….
Ex. 今、宿題やってんだけど難しすぎて…
= Ima, shukudai yatten dakedo muzukashi sugite…
***********
みなさん、「V+ている」の使い方はわかりましたか？
= Minasan, “V+ teiru” no tsukaikata wa wakarimashitaka?
= Do you know how to use V-teiru now?
初めて日本語を教えましたが、少しでも皆のお役に立ったらうれしいです。
= Hajimete nihongo wo oshiemashita ga, sukoshi demo mina no oyaku ni tattara ureshii desu.
= I taught you Japanese for the first time, but I hope this lesson helped — even if only a little.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
マックス先生、お疲れ様！
= Max sensei, otsukare sama!
Thank you, Max Sensei for your hard work.
たくさんのゲスト先生がこのサイトのために”前足”を貸してくれています。
= Takusan no gestuto sensei ga kono saito no tame ni “maeashi” wo kashite kureteimasu.
= We now have a lot of guest teachers giving us a “paw” on this site.
次はどんな先生が教えに来てくれるかな？
= Tsugi wa donna sensei ga oshie ni kite kureru kana?
= I wonder who’s coming to teach next.
:i: Do you speak Polish?
Aleksandra translated this lesson into Polish. I posted on my Facebook page. Please go check.
Jak używać wyrażenia „czasownik + ている”
Thank you for your hard work, Aleksandra! Dziękuję!
***
Will you be my Patron?
I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
149 Comments
Hi Maggie先生!
This example sentence is in the first section 1) progressive form: ongoing action, continuous action that is happening in the present which is described as “What someone/something is doing right now, What is happening now”
昨日の夜は何をしていたの？
Why is “what was done last night” considered as something happening now?
Hi Tiana
Ah OK. Good point. I should have included the information.
on-going action (in the present and the past)
I will add that in the description.
So 昨日の夜は何をしていたの？ What were you doing last night?
It describes the actions that were happening at a certain time in the past.
Hi Maggie-Sensei!
I learned ている form years ago but had also noticed some uses in daily use that my Genki textbook just hadn’t covered. This article answered a lot of the questions that I had never been able to verbalize, so thank you so much!
But of course, now I have a few more questions.
Point Three says that ている form can be used to “talk about something that frequently happens or one’s habitual actions.” But isn’t that basically the same as the basic present/future tense, AKA dictionary form?
毎日、新聞を読んでいる。
毎日、新聞を読みます。
毎日、新聞を読む。
Don’t those three sentences mean the exact same thing, “I read the newspaper everyday”? If not, what is the difference?
Also, Point Four states that another use is “to describe some continuous action or events, to have done/ have been doing, what you have been doing,” which can be summarized as “ている form can be used to describe future perfect tense.” And that makes sense for continuous actions.
３年間、日本語を勉強している。
I have been studying Japanese for three years.
But I do not understand the purpose of ている form in the following example for past experiences you gave:-
彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。
She has been to Okinawa FIVE times already.
Why not use 「5回も行きました」or「5回も行ったことがあります」?
And finally, one of the things that I had noticed whenever I hear natives speak but didn’t see addressed in this article is that ている form can also express future continuous tense? I’m not completely sure but for example:-
待っている – am waiting / will be waiting
To give context, here is a sentence that I just now made up:-
自分でしてよ。俺はここで待ってる。
Do it yourself! I’ll be waiting here.
Notice how “I *am* waiting here” wouldn’t make sense in context. Here’s another example context:-
明日の大会に参加しています。
I will be participating in tomorrow’s tournament.
お前はどんな気持ちを持っても、俺は計画を続いている。
No matter how you feel, I’m continuing with the plan.
I suppose in that first case “I *am* participating” would also make sense. However, in the second case, “I’m continuing” means “I *will be* continuing with the plan,” not “I am continuing with the plan right in this moment.”
So? Am I right to notice that ている is BOTH present continuous and future continuous tense? Or have I been translating those sentences wrong?
Sorry for what is definitely a complicated question >_<
いつもありがとうございます！
Hi Sora,
Hi Sora,
1) 毎日、新聞を読んでいる。
2) 毎日、新聞を読みます。/ 読む。
You are right 1) and 2) both describe one’s habitual actions but
1) ている・でいる describes the actions or it gives the image of reading papers more vividly.
3) 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。
4) 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行った
5) 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行ったことがある
The same thing you can say about 3).
While 4) is just a fact and 5) is talking about one’s experiences, 3) focusing on her actions, going to Okinawa back and force.
ここで待ちます。= I will wait here.
ここで待っています。= I will be waiting here. It gives the listener the image of you waiting more.
明日の大会に参加しています。
If you simply express your decision/what you are going to do tomorrow,
参加します
But if someone asks 明日の今頃は何をしている？
参加しています works
お前はどんな気持ちを持っても、俺は計画を続いている。
This one doesn’t sound natural. If you focus on expressing what you have decided, お前がどう感じても、俺はこの計画を続ける is more natural.
But if you are talking about what you will be doing in certain period of time, 続けている works
As for the difference between ている・ います（いる） I explained more details in this tense lesson.
****
I forgot to tell you.
I made your request lesson. It should be released in May.
Hi maggie sensei!
i was just wondering if V+てはいる have any difference with just V+ている. if so, what does は do on this occasion?
Hello Matthew,
You add は to show the contrast.
A lot of time, the following sentence say something contradicted or negative.
For example,
日本語の勉強をしています。 I am studying Japanese. / I have been studying Japanese.
日本語の勉強をしてはいますが、あまり自信がありません。= I have been studying Japanese but I am not so confident.
Thank you very much as always!!!
You’re welcome! :)
Hi Maggie-san!
I have a question about using teiru with verbs that are “adjective-like”
For example, if I want to use 効く in this sentence:
“The aircon is effective”
What is the difference between the two:
冷房が効く
冷房が効いている
Thank you!
Hello Spencer,
効く = the air conditioner works
Ex. このエアコンはよく効く = This air conditioner works well. (talking about how it works)
効いている = the air conditioner is working (talking about the current state)
Ex. この部屋はエアコンがよく効いている。= The air conditioner is working well (which means the room temperature is nice and cool) in this room.
I see, thank you!!
I understand it now!
Great!
Dear Sensei, I have a question
ピーターは、昨日、３時間しか寝ていないから、元気なはずがない。
Why ている and not past ていなかった? (昨日)
Hi Shizuru,
When you talk about the past in an affirmative form, you use the past tense.
昨日は、１０時間も寝たから元気なはずだ。
When you use a negative form, you can say
３時間しか寝ていなかったから (when you are talking about the third person.)
３時間しか寝なかったから元気じゃない (When you are talking about yourself)
But when you haven’t done something (in this case, you haven’t slept enough) in past and emphasizes that it affects the current situation/condition, you can also use ていない
寝ていないから
I’ll show you other example
宿題をがんばってやったから早く学校に行きたい。 （affirmative form: Only past tense works)
宿題をやらなかったから学校に行きたくない(negative form: past tense)
宿題をやっていないから学校に行きたくない。(negative form: ていない present perfect simple)
@Sensei There is one big query that I have I posted the same on JSE. I have been stuck on this topic for 3-4 months now. Could you please help me by providing me the answer over here, or I think you can make it as a separate post.
The question pertains to when can an action verb/durative verb (E.g. 食べる, 作る) have Perfect tense meaning when using ている. Link is attached below
We know that there are two type of verb one is action verb and the other are state-change verbs. Wherein, state change verb like 死ぬ have Perfect tense when using ている. Similarly Action Verbs also have this Perfect Tense, apart from Continuous Tense e.g. 食べている can mean both I am eating and I have eaten. So, my question revolves around when to use when, and how to figure out that the Action Verb e.g. 食べている is giving a continuous tense and when it is giving a Perfect tense.
Please help me ! I am really in a dire situation
Link
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/82546/when-to-give-%e3%81%a6%e3%81%84%e3%82%8b-a-continuous-reading-and-when-to-give-it-a-perfect-reading
Hello Aproorv Phillips
I would say it is rare to use 食べている as a Perfect tense but let me see.
When to use 食べている
1) I am eating/ I am making (right now)
Ex. 「今、何をしていますか？」 What are you doing now?
「朝ごはんを食べています。」I am eating breakfast (now).
middle of the action, what is happening right now.
2) I have been eating (present perfect progressive）
(1) some action is still going on (You emphasis on the duration of an action)
Ex. 朝からおやつをずっと食べています。
= I have been eating snack since this morning.
You started eating in the morning and you are still eating.
(2) expressing one’s routine/habit
It can be translated with simple present tense in English.
Ex. 毎日、朝ごはんにシリアルを食べています。
= I have been eating cereal for breakfast every day.
Or I eat cereal for breakfast every day.
Ex.「Coco２番のカレーを、食べたことがありますか？」
= Have you ever had Coconiban’s curry?
「日本に行く度に食べていますよ。」
= I eat ( their curry ) every time when I go to Japan.
Now, if you focus on one’s experiences whether you have done something or not,
Vたことがある
Ex. はい、食べたことがあります。
= Yes, I have had (their curry).
Or use simple past test : 食べました
Ex. はい、去年食べました。
= Yes, I had (their curry) last year.
(3) when you indicate the state (You finish eating something )
I think this is the usage you are talking about but it is similar to 食事を済ませている ( = to finish eating)
Ex. 朝ごはんはもう食べましたか？
= Did you already have breakfast?
A: はい、もう食べました。(past tense) I had breakfast already. (The action of eating is done)
B: はい、もう食べています (Yes i have finish eating breakfast) : talking about the state not the action.
You decide which one to use depending on what you want to emphasize. (completing of the action or one’s state)
People usually ask if you have finished eating (completing action) so A is much more common than B.
本当にありがとうございます 先生。I understood it ! 先生はいつも私を助けてくれます。
朝、急いでコメントしましたが、わかってくれてよかった〜! ☺️
先生：
While watching Ponyo I came across this dialog between the mother and the son:
12:54リサ このコは ポニョっていうんだよ。
12:57ん？
12:58ポニョってしてるし 魔法が使えるもん。
13:01ポニョが なめたら ケガが治ったんだよ
I cannot quite grasp how ポニョってしてるし is working here? Does it mean that Ponyo has been doing something and (し) can use magic?
Hi Tupac Yupanqui
In this case, ポニョ is used as onomatopoeia
ポニョっとしている→ポニョってしている She is (being) chubby
You use the verb している to describe one’s physical appearance.
ありがとうございました、先生。
どういたしまして💕
マギー先生こんにちは！
いつもレッスンを作ってありがとうございます！
このレッスンも大変いい勉強になりました。
ちょっと質問がありますが、
「Vている」のかわりに「Vてはいる」と書いているのもよく見ますが
「Vてはいる」の方がV動詞を強調するんでしょうか。例えば
「あんまり生々しいことを書くと智子ちゃんに怒られるから」
「いや、怒ってはいないし、それが良ければいいんですよ」
最初の話し手が「怒られる」と言ったから、「怒る」と言うのが重点になっていますね。私はこういう意味に読みましたが。
それで「～ていた」の使い方もあまりよく分かりません。普通の「～ている」とどこが違いますか。教えて頂いたら嬉しいです。
このコメントに使った「～ている」も全てあまり自信なく書きました笑
もし間違っていたらご遠慮なく指摘してください
まだ「～ている」の使い方をもっと勉強しなければいけないなと思います！😓
ええ２０１４年のレッスンですか！！今気づいたんです
六年前のレッスンの下にコメントを書いてすみません💧
どんなに前のレッスンでも質問があったらいつでも聞いてください。
こんにちは、bluemouse
「Vている」と「Vてはいる」
そうです。☺️
「は」をいれることによって、他のものと区別したり、前にくる言葉を強調することができます。
例文の場合、いろいろな感情がありますが特に、「怒っている」ということはしていないということです。
ていたは過去の状態です。
文章もあっていますよ。
Hi Maggie,
I’m not so sure about te-iru
4) to describe some continuous action or events, to have done/ have been doing, what you have been doing
Apparently “have done” uses only the simple past. I don’t need to use te-iru.
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/63352/is-there-a-distinction-between-did-and-have-done-in-japanese
Can I get your help to clarify on this?
Here’s another link https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/past-tense-and-present-perfect-tense-with-the-ta-form/
Not comfortable to talk about other sites so I will just talk about my site, OK?
I think it depends on the verbs and how you translate the Japanese sentences but for example
The movie has already finished showing
その映画（の上映）はもう終わっている。
As I wrote in this lesson,
Max先生の話を聞いていますか？
It could be interpreted differently depending on the situation.
So there are cases that you can use ている as “have done”
Wow, it’s the second time I come across your website while looking for an answer. The first time I did find the answer, This time, however, I didn’t really find the answer to what I was looking for but maybe you can help me out!
What’s the difference between:
毎朝7時に起きます。or スーパーでナンプラーを売ります。(habitual action)
毎朝7時に起きています。スーパーでナンプラーを売っています。(habitual action)
In Spanish, the first is a habit. The second one, however, is a new habit, something you started to do recently and could even be temporary (or not).
Is that the case in Japanese, too? Thanks for time and keep up the good work!
HI アーロン
It depends on the verb but ています describes the verb/situation more vividly.
毎朝7時に起きます。 habitual I get up at seven every morning. (Yo me levanto a las siete cada mañana)
毎朝7時に起きています。habitual also but it is focusing on the state of being awake. I am awake at 7:00 every morning. (Estoy despierta a las siete cada mañana)
~ を売ります。 talking about one’s occupation. Yo vendo ~
~ を売っています。Also 1) talking about one’s occupation but it expresses the verb more vividly 2) What the speaker is doing right now. (Maybe doing something else usually but right now, selling ~ ) (Estoy vendiendo)
I have another lesson explaining the tenses if you want to learn more. Click here
Cool! There’s a lot of information there! I like the fact that you explain a lot and not just the basics.
So I read it and I think it’s very similar to Spanish. Let me see if I got it right, please:
Imagine that before the coronavirus/quarantine, I used to say:
“毎朝7時に起きます” (In Spanish: Me levanto a las 7 todas las mañanas)
But now, with the coronavirus, I say:
“今、毎朝8時に起きています”. (Ahora me estoy levantando a las 8 todas las mañanas).
What do you think? haha.
By the way, I didn’t expect an answer with Spanish translation. It was such a bonus thing. Way to go! :)
Perfecto! Creo que has entendido la idea muy bien. 😊
こんにちはMaggie先生！
質問してもいいのでしょうか？
A.メガネをかける人 = a person who wears glasses
B.メガネををかけた人 = wore glasses
C.メガネをかけている人= is wearing/wears glasses
D.メガネをかけていた人= was wearing glasses
BとC、だいたい意味は同じですか？
その人がメガネをすでにかけているように感じますけれど…
E. 結婚する人 = a person to marry or a person who is going to get married ?
F. 結婚した人 = a person who already got married
G. 結婚している人 = a person who is married
H. 結婚していた人 = a person was (once) married (no longer)?
これらの文章は合っていますか？
よろしくお願いします先生。
こんにちは、Sassy
A: correct. (Indicates the habitual action so a person who usually wears glasses. )
B is “a person who is wearing glasses” (describing the current state) so B & C are the same “A person who is wearing the glasses” but C also means “A person who is putting on the glasses now” as well.
***
E Yes
F Yes
G Yes
H Yes
教えてくれてありがとう先生！^^
どういたしまして、Sassy 💕
先生
もう一つ分からないのがあるんですけど。
先生の部屋の本棚には、外国の本がたくさん
並んでいた。
先生の部屋の本棚には、外国の本がたくさん
並んでいる。
上記一つ目の二つ目の状態を
説明してもらえませんか。
1) 先生の部屋の本棚には、外国の本がたくさん並んでいた。
2) 先生の部屋の本棚には、外国の本がたくさん並んでいる。
２） is current state. 1) is used when the speaker is recalling what they saw in past.
分かりました。
先生
ありがとうございましたね
どういたしまして、tmo! :)
先生
質問があるんですけど。
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
ア・昨日の夜は、テレビを見ながらいつのまにか
寝ていた。
イ・昨日の夜は、テレビを見ながらいつのまにか
寝た。
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
上記二つは何か違いますか。説明してくれませんか。
知っていますか。
知りますか
上記二つも何か違いますか。説明してくれませんか。
Hi tmo
ア is more natural. The key is the word いつのまにか
You use いつの間にか + something changes /you happen to do something
You can’t control the change / situation / action.
寝ていた “I was asleep” （describing one’s state)
寝た “I slept” (You can control your action)
***
You say 知っていますか but you don’t say 知りますか？
知る is a special verb which applies the following rules.
Do you know ~ ? 知っていますか？（X 知りません）
I know ~ 知っています
I don’t know 知りません (X 知っていません）
先生
ありがとうございました。
どういたしまして！
こんばんは先生＾＾
本当にありがとう for your reply. I understand perfectly now.
I saw a comment here about “My little sister is in Tokyo (she´s already there)”
I’m confused about your answer.
“いもうとは日本に行っています。
means
My sister is in Japan now. (implying And she doesn’t live here/She is not here)”
My questions are:
1. Can you please explain more about this sentence “(implying And she doesn’t live here/She is not here)”?
2. We can’t just say “妹は日本にいます？”
Thank you so much in advance.
Oh, that “And” was a mistake. I fixed it.
いもうとは日本にいます She is in Japan. Just talking about where she is right now.
いもうとは日本に行っています。She has gone to Japan. (But the speaker expect her to be back sometime)
こんばんは先生^^
元気でしたか？
I have some questions please:
1. “Max先生の話を聞いていますか？”
What is the difference between this sentence and “Max先生のことを聞いていますか？
2. “ここ数日”
What is ここ here?
3. ” 父の容態はかなり落ち着いています”
This 容態 is always related to health?
4. “皆のお役に立ったらうれしいです”
What is this の here? Why not 皆に？
Thank you so much in advance.
Hi Kuroineko! はい、元気でしたよ。Kuroinekoも元気でしたか？
1. You can say こと
Basically they mean the same. (The nuance difference is こと could be used for just factual thing. (What happened to Max) and 話 could be there is a little story for that incident.)
2. The same in English, “these” few days.
ここ measn 1) here 2) these + time related words
Ex. ここ10年 (These ten years)
Ex. ここ数ヶ月 these few months, etc.
3. Yes
4. お役・役 is a noun. The literal meaning is “everybody’s service”
So this の has a function like apostrophe
こんにちは！＾＾
ありがとう先生
どういたしまして！ :)
Hi, Maggie先生！
質問があります！「〜てない）」と「〜なかった」となんの違いがありますか？例えば「まだ見てない」と「まだ見なかった」、同じ意味なんですか？”I haven’t seen it yet”と言いたいですけど。。。「〜ていない、〜てない」のformがpast tenseにもなるのがまだわかりにくいですね！
あと、この例文：「湿気のため夏が嫌になる」って、literary formですか？conversational speechでは「湿気のため夏が嫌になっている」とか「湿気のため夏が嫌になって」？I thought タメ口 just used all verbs by their plain forms, but I guess that’s not the case? I want to say “I become not fond of summer because of the humidity” （not “I’m not fond of summer because of the humidity right now”).
I hope you’ll be able to reply! Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
まだ見ていない= I haven’t seen ~ yet.
You don’t say まだ見なかった
but you can say just 見なかった which means “ I didn’t see ~ “ and you are talking about the past.
Ex. あの映画見た？ Did you see the movie?
また見ていない I haven’t seen the movie yet.
If you say 見なかった, it means you had a chance to see it but you decided not to see it for some reason.
湿気のため夏が嫌になる
No it is not literal. You can say that casually.
Thank you, 先生！
Let me see if I got it right: the difference is kind of like
（まだ）見てない = “I haven’t seen it (yet)” or “I couldn’t see it (yet)”
見なかった = “I didn’t see it” = simply factual, or because of an implied reason, etc.
見てなかった* = I wasn’t seeing it
*Can I add まだ here in the third sentence and say まだ見てなかった to mean “I wasn’t able to see it up to now/until now”?
Ex. 「まだ見てなかった写真」 “The picture I wasn’t able to see up to now”
Thank you again, Maggie! Your replies are always so quick and helpful. We all appreciate what you do for us!!
“wasn’t able to see” →Your translation may work but to be more accurate, you can also use the potential form 見られなかった・見ることができなかった写真Ah So まだ見ていなかった写真 could be just “the picture that I haven’t seen yet”.
マギー先生！こんばんは＾＾ I hope you are fine and always happy. I can’t believe I’m posting another comment after 4 years!! I’m glad that I knew this site for more than 8 years now. Wow time sure flies! Maggie is the cutest dog ever and will always be in our hearts. Btw, did u get another dog? sorry as I don’t know much about it…
Please help me with
these following questions:
1. “Ex. 今、何をしているの？”
you said it can mean “What do you do in general in your life now?”
this situation is when two people didn’t meet for a long time?
shouldn’t he or she use 最近？ I’m confused
2. In “You can also talk about past experiences.
Ex. 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。”
why not use past form“行った” instead? why ている？ the action is already done and it’s in the past..
本当にありがとう in advance.
1. Ex. 今、何をしているの？”
this situation is when two people didn’t meet for a long time? Right. It is one of those typical phrases to catch up with people who you haven’t seen for a while.
I guess you can say 最近、何をしているの？ as well but while 今なにをしているの usually asking for someone’s c current job 最近、何をしているの？ means “what you have been doing lately?” (Current activities/Not necessary one’s job)
2. It maybe easier to think in English.
5回も行った She went to Okinawa five times.
5回も行っている She has been to Okinawa five times.
***
I am gone physically but Yukari has a doggie, Cookie. He has been teaching here as a lazy assistant teacher. :)
Hi Maggie-sensei!
Recently I’ve been hearing this form of speech in anime, where the て-form is dropped when connecting sentences. One such sentence I can recall is
もし彼を倒すことができれば、サチは戻り、彼女の最後の言葉を聴くことができる。
Why was 戻り used instead of 戻って? Is this just used in conversation or am I missing something?
Thanks in advance for your reply. :-D
@Seiki
Hi Seiki,
When you connect two verbs, “to do A and (then )do B, you can say
1) Aをして、Bをする
or
2) Aをし、Bをする。
戻り〜 is the form 2). It is not conversational. It is rather more literal.
How to form:
1) make masu form Ex. 戻ります
2) and delete ます →戻り
finish my homework and go to bed
Ex. 今日は、宿題をやって寝ます。
→今日は、宿題をやり（それから・そして）寝ます。
get up early and help my father every morning
Ex. 毎朝、早く起きて父の手伝いをします。
→毎朝、早く７時に起き父の手伝いをします。
本当にありがとう。先生!^^
But which do you think is better to use when it’s about visiting a particular place for many times?
~ている?
~た?
Cookie-chan!! I think I saw”Cookie” in one of the lessons but I can’t remember where exactly. I hope to meet him again as I keep on checking lessons from this site.
You use them both.
If you are stressing one’s experience you use ている
But if you just talk about the fact, た.
Cookie’s lessons are everywhere. Here is one. How to use かねる
Maggie-sensei,
I have a question regarding your examples:
今、宿題やっているのだけれど難しすぎて…
今、宿題やってんだけど難しすぎて…
Am I right to say やっているのだけれど contracts to やってんのだけれど contracts to やってんんだけれど and finally contracts to やってんだけれど?
何やってんだよ is commonly heard in drama/anime and I believe it is from 何やっているのだよ.
What I don’t understand is, if いる shortens to ん and の to ん as well, there will be double んん. So since double んん sounds like ん, one is omitted.
I can only think of this reasoning unless the whole いるの can also be contracted to ん in speech?
@changk
Hello changk,
I see. I am currently working on a lesson on this subject but
the contraction goes like this.
やっているのだけれど
→(dropping い) やってるのだけれど
→(の changes to ん ) やってるんだけれど
→(dropping る) やってんだけれど
→(けれど →けど）やってんだけど
now it makes sense.
thank you, sensei.
@changk
Good! You’re welcome, changk!
Thank you so much^^
I will check his lessons soon.
🐶💕
Sorry to disturb again, but I still dont really get the difference between chotto mattete and chotto matte if both of them means please wait :/
Please help senseiiii
@A
The translation is the same. “Wait/Just a moment” but while
Matte = Wait (this moment)
Matte ite = Stay waiting (the speaker tells the listener to wait for certain period of time)
Hi sensei,
I have often hear this when watching anime:”chotto mattete”. Is this the shorten form of matte ite, if so, then when it is translated into English will the meaning be more like “stay/be waitING” or more like “stay/be HERE waitING” as “ite/iru” could also be interpreted as to exist or to be or the meaning could be both?
Thanks in advance!!
@A
Hi A,
We often drop い(=i) in conversation
ちょっとまっていて = Chotto matte ite
→ちょっとまってて = Chotto mattete
It means “Please wait” / Just a minute” / “Please wait for me (a little)”/”Stay here and wait for me.” /
The literal meaning of matteiru is “to be in the state of waiting.”
Hello Maggie, I had a question if possible.
What exactly do you use なっている and なっていた for regarding the usage of state for ている? Haven’t seen it used much so I’m not exactly sure how to use them in sentences.
Seemed to me that なっていた could have been replaced with なった. But obviously I’m wrong so any help on that light is appreciated.
@Gallus
The tenses are different.
なっている describes the current state or how things are supposed to work.
Facebookで話題になっている Everybody is talking about it on Facebook.(current state)
毎年、１２月に同窓会をすることになっている。We always have a class reunion every December. (talking about something habitual)
次の月曜日には病院に行くことになっている. I am supposed to go to the hospital next Monday. (What you are supposed to do (future)
なっていた You were supposed to do/something was supposed to happen in past but you didn’t/it didn’t happen.
Ex. 今日、彼に会うことになっていた = I was supposed to see him today. (But I didn’t see him.)
なった has become/ describing some decision/ result
Ex. 明日、彼に会うことになった。(talking about what you are supposed to do in future.)
= I decided to see him tomorrow.
We got the same message from you so I deleted one of them.
Hello, Thanks for your reply (And sorry for the double post, website seemed to have trouble for me)
I now understand the usage of it on how things are supposed to work. It’s usage of current state still confuses me though. I’m quite slow in this regard though so if it would be possible whenever you have time to explain it a bit further, It would be appreciated. As I’m not sure how Facebookで話題になっている translates into that.
@Gallus
OK! I have a lesson on ている
話題になる to become a popular topic
話題になっている has been a popular topic
Thanks for taking your time. Strangely the link takes me to a No Page found though.
@Gallus
Sorry. Try again. It should work now.
First of all, thanks for the great lesson!
Would it still be correct if someone asked me “gohan wo tabemasitaka?” and I replied with “iie, mada tabemasen.” Does this still have the same meaning of “mada tabete imasen”?
Thanks in advance!
@A
Hi A!
Mada tabete imasen. is better.
If you say Mada tabemasen, you are talking about future. I am not going to eat yet.
You may want to check my Japanese tense lesson. :)
sorry to disturb again,
so should the “correct” question be be asked:
1)gohan wo tabemasitaka /tabemasuka
2)gohan wo tabete imasuka
3)gohan wo tabete imasitaka
4)or just gohan wo tabemasenka (but I remembered the fourth one also have a sense of inviting someone?)
Thanks in advance !!
＠A
I don’t know what you mean by “correct.”
It depends on what you want to ask.
1) Gohan wo tabemashitaka? = Did you eat? ? Have you eaten?
Gohan wo tabemasu ka? = Are you going to eat? / Do you eat~? (habitual actions)
2) Gohan wo tabete imasuka? = Do you eat ~ ? (habitual actions)
3) Gohan wo tabete imashitaka? = Were you eating? (in past moment) / You used to eat ~ ? (past habitual action)
4) Gohan wo tabemasen ka? = Would like to eat? (inviting) / Or You are not going to eat? / You don’t eat?? (habitual action)
Maggie-senseiへ、
I love all the lessons on here, they are extremely useful and well written. I have a question though !DANCING!
Can ～て(い)ない have a で attached after the ない to have a similar meaning to the soft imperative (1st base verb)ないで [e.g. 怒らないで]? If so, does the ～てform(い)ない one imply a progressive action over the other, (1st base verb)ないで one?
Hopefully you can understand my question (I didn’t word it very well) ahah
Thanks in advance !JYANE!
＠Up
First, ありがとう！for your nice message.
Q：Can ～て(い)ない have a で attached after the ない to have a similar meaning to the soft imperative (1st base verb)ないで [e.g. 怒らないで]?
→Yes
If so, does the ～てform(い)ない one imply a progressive action over the other, (1st base verb)ないで one?
→Yes
1) 怒らないで Don’t get mad
2) 怒っていないで・怒ってないで(casual) Don’t stay mad (focusing on the state/condition)
Thank you very much for the reply!
わかりました!ありがとうございます !happyface!
@Up
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello Maggie sensei ^^
I´m studying this cruel form called TE and I´m quite confused …please help me
いもうとは日本に行っています。
How can I discover the meaning of this sentence..? The correct translation will be:
My little sister is in Tokyo (she´s already there)
or
My little sister is going to Tokyo (progressive action) ?
Or I see by the context ?
@Helen M.
Hello M.
いもうとは日本に行っています。
means
My sister is in Japan now. (implying she doesn’t live where the speaker lives.)
If you say “She is going to Japan” it means future so いもうとは日本にいきます。
This case is not so complicated but ている can be used for various verb tenses and you have to figure it out by context or time related word.
Go check verb tense lesson.
Hi Maggie-sensei
I have probably the same problem as 90% of the commenters, but I still can’t tell the difference between “v+teiru” for doing something right now, and “v+teiru” for have done something. How am I supposed to know the difference?
Like:
そんなことはもうわかっています。 if I say そんなことはもうわかった。 what’s the difference?
and the difference between 思ってた and 思った.
思ってた can mean both “was thinking” and “thought” right?
@Amanda
Hi Amanda,
I know many people seem to have a problem with the difference between 〜た and 〜ている,etc so I made verb tense related lessons.
I just released a lesson on verb tense (Verb present tense + future tense) and will release a past tense next week.
I think I covered ている/ ていた in those lessons.
わかっている (わかっています) = I have known that (from certain time in past to present time)
わかった I got that (in particular time)
思っていた= I have been thinking (the whole time) or was thinking (depending on the context)
思った= I thought
Hi Maggie! Thanks again for all your great lessons.
I’ve been confused lately about how to use ている、ていた verbs when describing nouns.
For example:
帽子をかぶっていた人を電車で見た。
帽子をかぶっている人を電車で見た。
If I want to say that this person was wearing a hat at the time I saw this person on the train, which is correct?
And what would be the difference of the meaning of the other sentence?
Thanks so much!! Arigatou gozaimasu
@Patrick
Hi Patrick! おひさしぶり！
a) 帽子をかぶっていた人
b) 帽子をかぶっている人
They are both correct.
The translation could be the same but
a) is close to your English translation, “A person who was wearing a hat at that time” and b) can be translated as “a person wearing a hat”
Usually verb+ていた+noun focuses on the completion of action and ている focuses on the condition.
In this case the verb かぶる(=to wear a hat) is not an active or volitional verb but let see…
1) Someone put on the hat on his/her head. (volitional action)
2) the hat stays in his/her head. (she/he is wearing a hat)
When you see the completion of action and the result (in this case, to put the hat on one’s head and it is on one’s head) you use かぶっていた
and when you just focus on the condition (someone is wearing a hat), you use かぶっている
ありがとう、先生！
@Patrick
どういたしまして !happyface!
Hello, can you please tell me why is itteiru (from iu) used so much like : Tanaka san wa nomimono ga hoshiito itteimasu. ????
@123
Hello, 123,
言う(=iu) to say → 言っている(=itteiru) saying
Tanaka san wa nomimono ga hoshiito itteimasu.
When you quote what someone says, you use this pattern.
Tanaka san is saying “I want a drink”
Tanaka san is saying he wants a drink.
So the basic pattern is this
Aさんが〜と言っています
= A san ga ~~ to itte imasu.
= A san says/is saying ~~
When you just quote what A said (in past) you say
Aさんが〜と言いました・言っていました。
=A san ga ~ to iimashita/ itte imashita.
or
Aさんが〜と言った・言っていた
= A san ga ~ to itta / itte ita.
If you want to learn more about how to quote, go check this lesson.
(You posted the same questions twice so I deleted one.)
sensei
sorry,i dont know where i can ask questions :cryingboy: .could you please explain the differences between mada Vte imasen and mada Vmasen ?
thank you. boucingheart!
@nguuchanmono
Hello again.
A great question.
まだVていません
まだVません
When your order hasn’t come yet at a restaurant, you say
Ex. 1) 頼んだ料理がまだ来ていません。(= Tanonda ryouri ga mada kite imasen.)
But some people do say
Ex. 2) 頼んだ料理がまだ来ません。(=Tanonda ryouri ga mada kimasen.)
And they both mean “My order hasn’t come yet.” / “My order is not here yet.”
However, technically まだVていません means “hasn’t (haven’t) pp yet”
and まだVせん usually means “will not do something yet.”
Ex. まだ宿題をやっていません。= I haven’t done my homework yet.
Ex. まだ宿題をやりません。= I still won’t/ don’t do my homework. (showing one’s will not to do/ describing one’s current situation)
Ex. 彼はまだ何も食べていません。= He hasn’t eaten anything yet.
Ex. 彼はまだ何も食べません。= He still refuses to eat and won’t eat anything.
Dear sensei !DANCING!
Maybe it’s the same with Japanese.
If I say: (mada) tabete inai, it means “I haven’t eaten (yet)”, so, if I want to deny that I’ve done something, it would also be “watashi yatte inai!!” It confused me at first, because it sounded like “I’m not doing it!(now)”, but then I realized that “te inai” is somehow like “I haven’t…”. So, is it OK if I say “mada shiranai”, “mada dekinai”, etc? I would be very strange for me if I say, in English, “I haven’t known it yet”
And, “tabete inai” both means “I’m not eating now” and “I haven’t eaten”, right?
Same with -te iru when used to say “have you…?”, if I hear “kare wo koroshite iru” I would probably misunderstand that the speaker’s killing him right now lol
Any advice to help me difference, or is it pure context? Thanks !heart3!
@Sarah
Yes, ~ ている could be “to be doing something” or “to have done”.
Q: Is it OK if I say “mada shiranai”, “mada dekinai”, etc?
Yes. You can say “まだ知らない” “まだ出来ない(or まだ出来ていない）”
FYI you can say 知っている
Ex. I have known him for a long time = 彼をもう長いこと知っています。
Q : And, “tabete inai” both means “I’m not eating now” and “I haven’t eaten”, right?
Yes. that is correct.
Hello, I wanted to make this a new question but as this relates to these posts. Hope I don’t steal the spotlight ;p
I am having trouble with ていません hearing that it can be used as has have not. I saw a few posts explaining this and these two in particular confuse me. Perhaps when you have time you could help?
2. あの映画を見ていませんか
This would be, “Aren’t you watching that movie (now)?”
if you wanted to say “have you seen the movie”, you should put it in past form.
あの映画を観ました？
if you want to say “haven’t you seen the movie yet?” you would use the てない form used for expressing experience.
あの映画を観てないの？
This was from an explanation of あの映画を見ていませんか being aren’t you seeing that move or have you not seen that movie. I myself look at the two examples given and besides the Kanji change I do not see anything changed that would make one different than the other in meaning.
And 今まで、何も気づいていないのは面白いだと思います。 The translation being “I just find it interesting that I haven’t realized anything until now. Being corrected to 気づかなかった. Is there a reason for this? I hear 気づいていない used a lot.
Big post. Sorry. Whenever you have time.
Thank you
＠Shen
Hello Shen,
Good question!
As I mentioned in my lesson ている can describe what is happening/doing right now and also for the past event, have done something.
あの映画を観ていませんか
means
You haven’t seen that movie (yet)?”
As you said it could also mean “You are not seeing that movie right now?” but situation wise, it doesn’t sound natural. (because of the word あの)
As for kanji, you 見る is a general kanji for seeing/ watching something. You use 観る to see a movie, TV, games or shows.
Did you find the example sentence from my lessons? If so from which lesson?
*****
面白いだと思います。
→面白いと思います。
Here are the difference:
気づいていない have not been realized
気づかなかった. didn’t realize / haven’t realized
Since the sentence has 今まで until now,
the person did realized something so you should use the past tense 気づかなかった.
If you use まだ instead of 今まで、you can use 気づいていない
まだ、何も気づいていないは面白いと思います。
Hi Maggie!
Thanks for a quick reply. So it seems to me that ていません used here is just a shortened form or less emphasis form of まだ ていません am I correct in thinking so?
And I think I understand the difference between 気づいていない and 気づかなかった.
The first meaning that I haven’t realized and I still did not realize anything, and the latter being I haven’t realized up until this point.
Am I correct in this thinking? Thanks again.
@Shen
Not shortened word but it will be easier for you to think the sentence by adding まだ.
As I explained in my Japanese tense lessons, Part 1 and Part 2, a lot of Japanese tense can be interpreted by the time related words in the sentence.
So 気づいていない haven’t realized (yet- up to this point)
but 気づかなかった Either “haven’t realized” or “didn’t realize”
And you have to figure it out with the time related words or context in the sentence.
Hi, Maggie-Sensei!
I have a short, irrelevant question. What does “はよ” by itself mean? because there was this part in a song that says “ボカロPになりたいなら さぁ （はよ！ はよ！）”
The singer DID pronounce はよ as ‘hayo,’ not ‘wayo’ for some reason. What does it mean in this case?
-Eager to see a response from you
Migi
@Migi
Hi Migi,
Haha I got to see the video to figure it out.
はよはよ means “hurry up!” in Kansai dialect. It is strange because just that part was Kansai dialect but I guess it is kind of catchy.
Is there any difference if I were to replace te-iru with the masu form to express habitual actions? Example:
1) 私は日本語を勉強します。
2) 私は日本語を勉強しています。
Thanks!!!
@Anna
Hello Anna,
While 2) means”I am studying Japanese (now)”
1) means “I will study Japanese / I am going to study Japanese.” and you are talking about future.
Ex. 私は来年、日本語を勉強します。= I will study Japanese next year.
Ex. 私は日本で日本語を勉強します。 = I will study Japanese in Japan.
Ex. 私はもっと真面目に日本語を勉強します。 = I am going to study Japanese more seriously.
Hi Sensei! Thanks for the reply. But if I were to add in mainichi will these two sentences mean the same as in habitual actions? Can I use either of these to express habitual actions?
1) watashi wa mainichi nihongo o benkyou shiteimasu.
2) watashi wa mainichi nihongo o benkyou shimasu.
@Anna
Ohayou Anna.
Ah good point.
Yes, 1) 私は毎日勉強します。can be
I study Japanese everyday or I’m going to study Japanese everyday (from now)
Thanks!! I was confused coz I read that te-iru is used for habitual actions and I was thinking whether of using the masu-form instead to indicate that as well. And you have been a great teacher as usual!! Thank you!
@Anna
どういたしまして vUo・ｪ・oU
I’m also learning from your questions.
Hi Maggie Sensei,
I have a question about adjectives. In the above examples, 〜にしている、〜くしている、it seems like the meaning is ‘staying X’, ‘keeping X’. If you want to say that something has been X for a period of time, do you use that pattern? Or do you just use the plain adjective?
For example:
1. Recently it has been hot.
– 最近熱いです
2. That band has been popular for a long time
– そのバンドは長い間人気です
3. since the new school term started, she has been busy
– 新学期が始めてから、忙しいです
4. this trip has been fun
– この旅行は楽しいです
Is that correct? Thank you. :-)
@elainelinc
Hi elainelinc
You use ている in the meaning of ‘staying X’, ‘keeping X’, when you think someone keeps that condition.
So for example
3. since the new school term started, she has been busy
– 新学期が始めてから、忙しいです
is more natural.
But if you meant to say
since the new school term started, she has been keeping herself busy.
新学期が始まってから、彼女は忙しくしている。
1, 2, 4
1) 最近暑いです。(Careful with the kanji)
Because you can’t control the heat.
If you want your room always cool with air conditioner, you can say
She keeps her room always cool.
=彼女はいつも部屋を涼しくしている。
2) そのバンドは長い間、人気がある is more natural.
You don’t use 〜にしている、〜くしている
4) this trip has been fun
– この旅行は楽しいです
You don’t use 〜にしている、〜くしている
But if someone/something makes the trip fun, you can.
Ex. 大好きな音楽を集めたCDが長旅を楽しいものにしている。
How’s that?
Thank you. That helps a lot. :-) So that pattern is really about doing something intentionally.
– 静かにしている ＝ staying quiet on purpose
As opposed to it being that way for some time:
– 最近、静かです= Recently it has been quiet
As an english speaker, I tend to want to use a conjugation to show time. ‘has been quiet’, ‘has been hot’, ‘have been busy’. With verbs, those patterns usually translate to ‘ている’. Like: it has been raining = 雨が降っています. But with adjectives, it is just the plain adjective. It’s definitely easier than English, but sometimes it throws me off. Like the other day I wanted to tell my teacher that class has been fun and said ‘楽しかったです’ instead of ‘楽しいです’. So she was wondering why it was not fun anymore. ;-P 恥ずかしかったです。
@elainelinc
That’s right.
But the thing is the translation could be the same so you have to know the nuance difference.
Ex. 最近、彼は静かにしている。= He has been very quiet recently. (He has kept himself quiet.)
Ex. 最近、彼は静かだ。= He has been very quiet recently.
***
Thank you for sharing your story.
If you just say 雨が降っています，we automatically think “It is raining NOW.” but if you say “雨がここ２、３日、ずっと降っています。”, it means “It has been raining these few days.”
It is very interesting to compare English and Japanese tense.
そうですね。面白いです。学べば学ぶほどもっと微妙な違いを気づいています。日本語を勉強しながら英語の文法もゆっくり考えている必要があります。 マギー先生がたくさん例えばを作るのはほんとに役に立つです。いろいろのやり方が見えて学ぶ事が多いのです。:-)
Maggie Sensei and Max Sensei. Thanks for this lesson. It was very helpful. You’re amazing!!!
If possible, you can also teach about the use of ーてある?
Thanks to you I’m more passionate for japanese language.
どうもありがとうございます！！！
@Zé Carlos
Hi Carlos,
Great to hear you are more passionate for nihongo.
OK, I will make a lesson on 〜てある. It may take a time but please wait patiently.
Maggie Sensei, I’ll always wait for your lessons no matter how much time you spend.
Don’t need rush yourself and keep your excelent work!
Tchau!
こんにちはマギー先生！＾＾
I hope you are fine. Your lessons are great like always. I’m so glad that you made a lesson on “ている” as it’s very helpful and easy to understand.
I have the following questions:
1. “普段、車で会社に通っている”。In this sentence, why did you use the verb “通う” and what is the meaning of this verb? Can we use “行っている”instead?
2. 今、宿題やっているのだけれど難しすぎて… In this sentence, what is “すぎて” and why is it at the end? I’ve never seen “て-form at the end before..
3. 少しでも皆のお役に立ったらうれしいです。What is “少しでも” and how to use it? And what is “立ったら” in the same sentence?
4. What is the difference between the following words “忘れた”、”忘れてた”、”忘れちゃった”？I’m so confused.
Can you please explain them and give me examples.
Thank you so much in advance. You’re a great teacher for all of us.
@kuroineko
こんにちは、kuroineko-chan.
I’m good. Thank you for asking.
You got good questions.
1) 通う means “to commute” “to go somewhere back and forth”. While we use 行く when you go somewhere just once, we use 通う for school, office or some place you go daily.
2) We often leave a sentence unfinished on purpose. (The readers/speakers have to read between the lines.)
今、宿題やっているのだけれど難しすぎて(困っている／どうしたらいいのかわからない／手伝ってくれない？）….
Not just ~て、we often leave a sentence with が
Ex. 今、宿題をやっているのですが….etc.
3) 少しでも = even a little It’s a typical Japanese expression to make yourself humble or modest.
＊役に立つ is an idiom. It means “to be useful, helpful, to serve something”
＊役に立てたら = If S is useful, helpful →casual 役に立ったら
4) 忘れた= I forgot
忘れちゃった= (casual contraction) I forgot (involves some feelings)
忘れて（い）た= I had forgotten (continued state of forgetting) focusing on the state of forgetting
Konnichiwa! Sorry, I don’t know where to ask question,so i just posted here
@Charlotte
Konnichiwa, Charlotte!
You can ask a question here, any comment section or Maggie’s room. What is your question?
マギー先生、「ことがある」と「ている」について質問がある。この文は違いがありますか：
− 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。
− 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行ったことがある。
意味は同じですか？
@elanelinc
いい質問ですね。
1) 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行っている。
2) 彼女は、沖縄に５回も行ったことがある。
They both means “She has been to Okinawa “FIVE” times” and talking about her experiences.
You can use them both but there is a slight nuance difference.
But 1) shows her experiences has certain connection with the present time.
If you talking about the experiences of going to Okinawa as a past event, you use 2)
なるほど、ありがとうマギー先生。:-) その話題はも質問があります。「X never happens」と日本語で言ったらどちらか正しいかな。
例えば：
１。その子供は素直なことがない。
Those children are never obedient
２。その子供は素直にしていない。
Those children are not obedient (right now)
Or Those children are not obedient (generally)
３。Maxは猫を追うことがない。
Max never chases cats
４。Maxは決して猫を追っていない。
Max never chases cats.
In all examples, the statements are meant to be general. Maybe the children are obedient sometimes, and maybe Max has chased a cat once. ;-)
@elainelinc
X never happens = Xは〜ことは／がない
１。その子供は素直なことがない。
That child is never obedient
→Fine (Those children = その子供達）
２。その子供は素直にしていない。
→That child can’t keep obedient.
３。Maxは猫を追うことがない。
Max never chases cats
→Fine. (It is his nature.)
If you say
Maxは猫を追ったことがない
= Max has never chased a cat (in his life)
４。Maxは決して猫を追っていない。
Max never chased a cat. (Explaining the past event)
説明してくれた、ありがとう。分かるような気がします。:-) このレッスンを作ってくれてありがとう。今まで「ている」も分かっていると思いましたが。。。違いそうです。;-P
も一つ質問を聞きたいのです。その例えば：Max先生の話を聞いていますか
I would guess there is some nuance like:
– ‘have you heard that story about max sensei (lately/recently)?’ or
– ‘have you been hearing that story about Max sensei’ – like it’s an ongoing issue, people keep talking about it.
Whereas if you said 「Max先生の話を聞きましたか」／‘have you heard that story about Max sensei’, the time is less clear. Maybe it’s recent, maybe it happened a while ago.
Is that correct?
I must say I am really thankful for you making this blog! It has helped really much, love how you always give many example sentences which I can memorize and use later. Plus the slang lessons are great, I have some japanese friends and sometimes it’s hard to understand them because of massive amount of slang they use, uh.
This isn’t really related to this lesson, but I’ve been wondering about one sentence for a few days already and still can’t figure it out. Could you help me?
変換そのままやっちまった
I do understand what そのまま means, but I have no idea what 変換 and やっちまった mean in that context and how can they be related to each other.
@Aurora
Thank you for your nice message! It is so nice to hear this site has help you. A new slang lesson is coming soon!
変換そのままやっちまった
OK, I need to know the context but I think the speaker is talking about 文字変換. When you type Japanese letters, you first type using romaji and then press Enter key to change it to kanji or hiragana. That is called 変換.
Usually when you press Enter key, it shows some candidates of words.
For example,
taichou →（たいちょう）→体調、隊長、退庁、退潮、体長….They are all ”taichou”
そのまま means “the way it is” in this case, without picking the right kanji / leaving the kanji which appeared in the first place./ without checking whether the kanji is right or not
やっちまった is a bit rough colloquial expression of やってしまった （してしまった） to happen to do something without one’s intention
So I think that person happened to send a message without checking the kanji
For example, you meant to say
体長はいかがですか？= How do you feel today? (体長 – physical condition)
But when you typed
→隊長はいかがですか？ = How is the captain?
Hope this helps.
相変わらずマギー先生からいいところを習っています。ありがとう。
@elainelink
さっそく「います」を使っていますね。感心！感心！
（もう少し自然な言い方にしてみましょうか。「いいところ」は英語でなんて言いたかったかな？ →いつもマギー先生から〜を学んでいます。）
「いいところ」で「good points」と言ったかったです。英語と違いそうですね。日本語でなんと言いますか。
マギー先生こんにちは! マギー先生のサイトは大好きだよ! このレッスンを教えくれてありがとう。いつもコメントを書きたいんだけど間違いで書いて心配する。
毎日このサイトに来ている。
@ocd
はじめまして、ocd! いつもこのサイトに来てくれているのね、ありがとう！！コメントとってもうれしいです。いつでも気軽に書いて下さい。
でも日本語、よく書けていますよ。（ 間違いで書いて心配する。→「間違わないか心配です」 にした方が自然かな。)
また来てね！ :)
Thank you very much for correction. I don’t very well understand when to use [か] in relative clauses (I hope I’m not mistake this grammar with smth else).But next time for sure I’ll try harder! Thanks again.
@ocd
どういたしまして！いつでもこのコメントで練習してね。間違った方が絶対に上達しますよ。 I will make a mini lesson on Facebook how to use か sometime soon!
先生、「ている」の使い方をはっきり説明してくれてありがとう！！でもね、「てくる」のレッソンがあるのですか？その複合動詞は一番わかり難いよ！「ていく」だってもそれほど難しくない！そうして、スラングについて質問ですが、「なんか」と「なんて」教えてください。
@Blossom
レッスンあります。以下、リンクです。
＊〜ていく & ~てくる
＊なんて
＊もんか、もんで、なんて
＊なんか (Mini Lesson)
Thank you :)
@Connor
You’re welcome! Anytime! :)
Great lesson! The (adj+ている) I didn’t know about, so it’s helpful! Thanks Max & Maggie様! ＾。＾
@サカトキ
Great to hear this lesson was helpful.
Love from Max and Maggie❤
こんにちは、マギー先生！
愛犬のマックスを雇ってくれてありがとう！とても嬉しいです！
質問があるんですが、「〜ている」は過去形で使えば、普通の過去形とどう違いますか？
「使っていた」と「使った」、「行っていた」と「行った」
@Lava
こんにちは！Lava!!
ええ〜〜Lavaがマックス先生のお友達だったんですね。ちっとも知りませんでした。マックス先生、このレッスン、この２週間、がんばって作っていましたよ。ほめてあげて下さいね。
過去形はまた違う使い方があるので分けて別にレッスンを作るつもりでしたが、
使った = used something particular time
使っていた =was using something, or used to do something
Ex. マックスはマギー先生のサイトを使った。
= Max used Maggie Sensei’s site. (just that time.)
Ex. マックスはマギー先生のサイトを2回使った。
= Max used Maggie Sensei’s site twice. (Just those two times.)
***
If you want to describe the way Max used to use Maggie Sensei’s site, you use 使っていた
Ex. マックスは前、マギー先生のサイトを使っていた。
= Max used to use Maggie Sensei’s site.
******
Ex. 1) 昨日の夜、マックスはこのサイトを使っていた。
= Max was using this site last night.
Ex. 2)昨日の夜、マックスはこのサイトを使った。
= Max used this site last night.
The difference : While 2) just expresses one time action, 1) implies Max was continuously using this site.
行った= went somewhere particular time
行っていた= used to go somewhere
Ex.マックスは昨日、東京に行った
= Max went to Tokyo yesterday.
(You can’t say 行っていた）
Ex. マックスは昔は東京によく行っていた。
= Max used to go to Tokyo frequently.
(You can replace it with 行った(ものだ）but 行っていた describes the time Max used to go to Tokyo more.)
また機会があったら”〜ていた”のレッスンを作りますね。
そうです、私はFacebookの蘭和ですよ！マックスの飼い主です（＾＾）。マギー先生のサイトをよく使っています（＜ーこの使い方は当ていますか？）
説明してくれてありがとうございました！とても役に立ちました！
@Lava・欄和
そうだったんですね。Lavaの大切なMax先生と一緒にお仕事できて楽しかったですよ。これからもよろしくね❤
Thanks for the lesson :) Bu I still have one question about the spelling of teiru. Is it “te” and then “iru” or “teiru” with a long spoken “e”?
Thank you in advance :)
@Connor
Ahh because I wrote Vている(=teiru)?
V+ている (= V+te iru) might be easier for you to understand, huh?
I added the space between “te” and “iru” to make it more clear.
So V+ている= V+te iru
(But the pronunciation is the same because there is no pause.)