ています (te imasu) — Continuous Action & Resulting State
A key compound form combining a verb's te-form with います. It has two distinct meanings depending on the TYPE of verb: (1) an action currently in progress, or (2) the lingering state that results from an instantaneous, completed change.
Structure
[Verb te-form] + います
Examples
今、ご飯を食べています。
Ima, gohan o tabete imasu.
I am eating a meal right now.
Continuous action: 'eating' inherently takes time
結婚しています。
Kekkon shite imasu.
I am married.
Resulting state: the act of marrying is instantaneous, but the state continues
窓が開いています。
Mado ga aite imasu.
The window is open.
Resulting state: the window opened and currently remains open
• Action vs State Verbs: 走る (run, durative) vs 死ぬ (die, instantaneous). 走っている = 'currently running'; 死んでいる = 'is dead' (state), NOT 'is dying'. • Coming/Going Alert: 行っています does NOT mean 'I am going.' It means 'has gone (and is still there).' 'I am on my way' uses different phrasing (向かっています). • Habitual: ています also expresses habits/ongoing facts: 毎日走っています (I run every day). • Knowing: 知る always appears as 知っています (I know); its plain negative, however, is 知らない (not 知っていない).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ています is tested against.
vs てあります (te arimasu)
自動詞 + ています describes a state as simply observed (窓が開いています = the window is open); 他動詞 + てあります stresses that someone did it on purpose and left it that way (窓が開けてあります = the window has been opened [intentionally]).
vs ます (plain non-past)
飲みます = a habit or future plan; 飲んでいます = an action in progress right now (or a habit, from context).
More verb forms
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