Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 2 - Korean for Beginners #1 (Lessons 31 to 60) ᚛ Lesson 38 - The Progressive Tense in Korean – Be + -ing

The Progressive Tense in Korean – Be + -ing

In this course: 고 있다 / 고 있어 / 고 있어요 / 고 있습니다

The progressive tense

In Korean, to indicate that one is / was / will be in the middle of doing something, we follow the following form:
[Stem]고 있다

• 먹다 → 먹고 있다 (= to be eating)
• 읽다 → 읽고 있다 (= to be reading)
• 하다 → 하고 있다 (= to be doing)

The new verb with -고 있다 that is created can be conjugated to all of the possible forms of conjugation.

현경이는 공부하고 있어요.
→ Hyeongyeong is studying.

그때 전화하고 있었어요.
→ At that moment I was calling.

지금 밥 먹고 있어.
→ I am eating (a meal) right now.

강아지가 잠을 자고 있습니다.
→ The puppy is sleeping.

그때는 아빠가 부대찌개를 요리하고 있을 거야.
→ At that time, Dad will be cooking budae-jjigae.

누나는 고양이 사진을 찍고 있었어.
→ My older sister was taking pictures of the cat.

그녀는 이미 알고 있었어.
→ She already knew it.

Negation of the progressive tense

Summary table of structure

Exercises

Traveling to South Korea can be an unforgettable experience. But when you don’t speak Korean, everything gets more complicated: ordering in a restaurant or café becomes stressful, you can’t understand signs or directions, asking for help in case of trouble is nearly impossible, and most importantly, you miss out on the very essence of a successful trip to Korea: connecting with the locals.

Since English - Korean machine translators can’t always be trusted (the two languages work in completely different ways), it’s essential to prepare yourself in advance to fully enjoy your trip to South Korea!

Learn more

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