Progressive (-고 있다)
The progressive form -고 있다 for ongoing actions
I can describe ongoing actions and current states using -고 있다
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
지금 뭐 하고 있어요?
What are you doing now?
책을 읽고 있어요.
I'm reading a book.
비가 오고 있었어요.
It was raining.
모자를 쓰고 있어요.
I'm wearing a hat.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
-고 있다 (Progressive: "be doing")
Express an ongoing action using verb stem + -고 있다, similar to English "-ing" form.
| Verb | Progressive | Polite form |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹고 있다 | 먹고 있어요 |
| 읽다 (read) | 읽고 있다 | 읽고 있어요 |
| 공부하다 (study) | 공부하고 있다 | 공부하고 있어요 |
| 기다리다 (wait) | 기다리고 있다 | 기다리고 있어요 |
Tense variations:
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present progressive | -고 있어요 | 지금 먹고 있어요 (I'm eating now) |
| Past progressive | -고 있었어요 | 그때 먹고 있었어요 (I was eating then) |
Important: Only action verbs can use -고 있다. Descriptive verbs (adjectives) CANNOT: *예쁘고 있어요 (WRONG). Also, some verbs like 알다 (know) and 입다 (wear) use -고 있다 for a resulting state, not an ongoing action: 모자를 쓰고 있어요 = is wearing a hat (state), not is putting on a hat.
Use with adjectives (impossible). Overuse where simple present suffices.
Common Error Patterns
Used -고 있다 with a descriptive verb/adjective
Only action verbs can use -고 있다. Adjectives (크다, 작다, 예쁘다) cannot
Used progressive where simple present is more natural
Korean prefers simple present for habitual actions. -고 있다 is for actions happening RIGHT NOW
지금 뭐 하고 있어요?
What are you doing now?
하 + -고 있어요 = are doing. The most common progressive question.
책을 읽고 있어요.
I'm reading a book.
읽 + -고 있어요 = am reading. Describes an action happening right now.
비가 오고 있었어요.
It was raining.
오 + -고 있었어요 = was coming (past progressive). 비가 오다 = to rain.
모자를 쓰고 있어요.
I'm wearing a hat.
쓰고 있어요 = wearing (resulting state, not the act of putting on). Clothing verbs use -고 있다 for state.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is -고 있다 used?
- Express an ongoing action using verb stem + -고 있다 , similar to English "-ing" form.
- How is -고 있다 formed?
- Important: Only action verbs can use -고 있다. Descriptive verbs (adjectives) CANNOT: *예쁘고 있어요 (WRONG). Also, some verbs like 알다 (know) and 입다 (wear) use -고 있다 for a resulting state, not an ongoing action: 모자를 쓰고 있어요 = is wearing a hat (state), not is putting on a hat.
- What are common mistakes with -고 있다?
- Using -고 있다 with adjectives. Not distinguishing ongoing action from resulting state. Overusing progressive where simple present suffices. EN speakers: May overuse progressive as in English ('I'm living in Seoul' → Korean prefers 서울에 살아요, not 살고 있어요). Also forget it can't be used with adjectives. DE speakers: German has no progressive — uses simple present for ongoing actions ('Ich esse gerade'). Need to learn when Korean requires the progressive form. RU speakers: Russian uses imperfective aspect for ongoing actions, not a separate progressive. Mapping imperfective → -고 있다 works sometimes but not always. CS speakers: Czech uses imperfective verbs similarly to Russian.