Speakable Japanese

How to Say "I am Doing" in Japanese: Present Continuous (...-te imasu)

Hello! In the previous lesson, you learned to express "what you can do." In this lesson, we will add the depth of "time" and a sense of the "present moment" to your conversations. Let's master the '〜ています' (te imasu) form, which corresponds to the English "-ing." Once you learn to describe what is happening in real-time, for example, "I am listening to music now" or "It is raining," your Japanese will immediately become lively and dynamic!

🎯 Lesson Goal

Learn to describe actions and situations happening in the present moment using the verb's 'te-form' and the structure 「今、〜ています」 (Ima, ~te imasu)!

Step 1 Discover

Let's look at how this is used in a real conversation. Ken is calling Yuki on the phone.

👨
Ken

もしもし、今何をしていますか？

(Moshimoshi, ima nani o shite imasu ka?)

👩
Yuki

家でテレビを見ています。

(Ie de terebi o mite imasu.)

💡

Did you notice?

Both Ken and Yuki take the 'te-form' of a verb (して shite, 見て mite) and add 'います' (imasu) at the end to talk about what they are doing right now!

Step 2 The Pattern

To express that you are "doing something right at this moment," simply add 'います' to the verb's 'te-form.'

Basic Chunk

います。

( imasu.)

🔑 Key Transformation Example

食べます (tabemasu - to eat) → 食べて (tabete) → 食べています (tabete imasu - am eating now)

🌟 Pro Tip: State vs. Action

This form is used not only for actions happening right now but also to describe states that are ongoing (for example, "結婚しています" - kekkon shite imasu = to be married).

Step 3 Pattern Practice

Listen, repeat, and see how the vocabulary changes in these real-time situations.

  • Waiting I am waiting for a train.

    電車を 待っています。

    (Densha o matte imasu.)

  • Drinking He is drinking coffee.

    彼はコーヒーを 飲んでいます。

    (Kare wa ko-hi- o nonde imasu.)

  • Weather It is raining.

    雨が 降っています。

    (Ame ga futte imasu.)

Step 4 Make It Yours!

This is the most important step! Try to say in Japanese what you are doing "right at this moment".

👉 私は今、 YOUR ACTION います。

Vocabulary Cheat Sheet

te-form Verbs

  • よんで yonde (reading)
  • きいて kiite (listening)
  • たべて tabete (eating)
  • はたらいて hataraite (working)
  • べんきょうして benkyou shite (studying)

Example Nouns

  • ほん hon (book)
  • おんがく ongaku (music)
  • ともだち tomodachi (friend)
  • コーヒー ko-hi- (coffee)

Bonus Go Beyond the Basics

In real life, you'll also need to say "I am NOT doing..." and speak casually with friends. Here’s a quick guide to leveling up your conversation using the verb "to eat" (食べる)!

🙅‍♀️ 1. I am NOT doing...

Formal Negative

食べて いません。

(Tabete imasen.)

Casual Negative (Friends)

食べて いない。

(Tabete inai.)

🤝 2. Friendly & Casual

Casual Affirmative

食べて いる。

(Tabete iru.)

Super Casual (Contracted)

食べて る。

(Tabeteru - dropping the 'i')

Summary Lesson Review

Present Continuous: Add います (imasu) to the verb's te-form (e.g., 食べています) to describe an action happening right now.

Ongoing States: This form is also used to describe ongoing states, like 結婚しています (being married).

Casual Form: With friends, drop the "masu" to say 〜ている (te iru), or contract it further to 〜てる (teru).

Practice Drill

1 / X Polite

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