Overview
The Korean progressive form ~고 있다 expresses actions that are currently in progress -- the equivalent of English "-ing" (is eating, is studying, is raining). It indicates that an action is happening right now or was happening at a specific point in time.
This is one of the most essential grammar patterns in Korean, used constantly in everyday conversation.
Form
The progressive is formed by taking the verb stem and adding 고 있다:
| Step | Process | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dictionary form | 먹다 (to eat) | |
| 2. Remove 다 → stem | 먹 | |
| 3. Add 고 있다 | 먹 + 고 있다 | 먹고 있다 |
The ending 있다 is then conjugated for politeness:
| Style | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Polite informal (해요체) | ~고 있어요 | 먹고 있어요 |
| Polite formal (합쇼체) | ~고 있습니다 | 먹고 있습니다 |
| Casual (반말) | ~고 있어 | 먹고 있어 |
Conjugation table
| Dictionary form | Stem | Progressive (해요체) |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 (eat) | 먹 | 먹고 있어요 |
| 가다 (go) | 가 | 가고 있어요 |
| 읽다 (read) | 읽 | 읽고 있어요 |
| 공부하다 (study) | 공부하 | 공부하고 있어요 |
| 보다 (see/watch) | 보 | 보고 있어요 |
| 듣다 (listen) | 듣 | 듣고 있어요 |
| 만들다 (make) | 만들 | 만들고 있어요 |
| 자다 (sleep) | 자 | 자고 있어요 |
| 기다리다 (wait) | 기다리 | 기다리고 있어요 |
| 운동하다 (exercise) | 운동하 | 운동하고 있어요 |
Note: No vowel harmony or contraction is needed. Simply add 고 있다 to any verb stem. This makes ~고 있다 one of the easiest conjugation patterns in Korean.
Tense Variations
~고 있다 can be combined with past and future tenses:
| Tense | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | ~고 있어요 | 먹고 있어요. | I am eating. |
| Past | ~고 있었어요 | 먹고 있었어요. | I was eating. |
| Future | ~고 있을 거예요 | 먹고 있을 거예요. | I will be eating. |
Past progressive examples
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 어제 이 시간에 자고 있었어요. | eoje i sigane ja-go isseosseoyo. | I was sleeping at this time yesterday. |
| 전화했을 때 공부하고 있었어요. | jeonhwahaesseul ttae gongbuha-go isseosseoyo. | I was studying when you called. |
| 비가 오고 있었어요. | biga o-go isseosseoyo. | It was raining. |
Function 1: Ongoing Actions (Right Now)
The primary use is to describe what someone is doing at this moment:
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 지금 밥을 먹고 있어요. | jigeum babeul meok-go isseoyo. | I am eating right now. |
| 한국어를 공부하고 있어요. | hangugeoreul gongbuha-go isseoyo. | I am studying Korean. |
| TV를 보고 있어요. | TV-reul bo-go isseoyo. | I am watching TV. |
| 음악을 듣고 있어요. | eumageul deut-go isseoyo. | I am listening to music. |
| 아이들이 놀고 있어요. | aideuri nol-go isseoyo. | The children are playing. |
| 비가 오고 있어요. | biga o-go isseoyo. | It is raining. |
Function 2: Ongoing Situation (These Days)
~고 있다 can describe an action that is ongoing over a longer period:
| Korean | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 요즘 한국어를 배우고 있어요. | yojeum hangugeoreul baeu-go isseoyo. | I'm learning Korean these days. |
| 새 프로젝트를 하고 있어요. | sae peurojekteureul ha-go isseoyo. | I'm working on a new project. |
| 이사를 준비하고 있어요. | isareul junbiha-go isseoyo. | I'm preparing to move. |
| 책을 쓰고 있어요. | chaegeul sseu-go isseoyo. | I'm writing a book. |
Function 3: State of Wearing/Carrying
With certain verbs related to wearing, carrying, or holding, ~고 있다 describes the resulting state rather than the ongoing action:
| Verb | Action meaning | ~고 있다 (State) |
|---|---|---|
| 쓰다 (wear a hat/glasses) | putting on | 모자를 쓰고 있어요. (wearing a hat) |
| 입다 (wear clothes) | putting on | 코트를 입고 있어요. (wearing a coat) |
| 신다 (wear shoes) | putting on | 운동화를 신고 있어요. (wearing sneakers) |
| 들다 (hold/carry) | picking up | 가방을 들고 있어요. (holding a bag) |
| 끼다 (wear rings/gloves) | putting on | 반지를 끼고 있어요. (wearing a ring) |
| 차다 (wear a watch) | putting on | 시계를 차고 있어요. (wearing a watch) |
| 메다 (carry on shoulder) | slinging on | 배낭을 메고 있어요. (carrying a backpack) |
State vs Action
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 모자를 쓰고 있어요. | I am wearing a hat. (the hat is already on) |
| 모자를 쓰고 있는 중이에요. | I am in the process of putting on a hat. (actively putting it on) |
For "wearing" verbs, ~고 있다 typically means the state (already wearing), not the process.
~고 있다 vs ~아/어 있다
These two progressive forms have different functions:
| Form | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ~고 있다 | Ongoing action | 먹고 있어요. (I am eating.) |
| ~아/어 있다 | Resulting state (intransitive) | 앉아 있어요. (I am seated.) |
~아/어 있다 examples (state)
| Korean | Meaning | Why ~아/어 있다 |
|---|---|---|
| 문이 열려 있어요. | The door is open (state). | Result of opening |
| 앉아 있어요. | I am seated (state). | Result of sitting |
| 서 있어요. | I am standing (state). | Result of standing |
| 누워 있어요. | I am lying down (state). | Result of lying down |
Key difference
| ~고 있다 | ~아/어 있다 |
|---|---|
| Action in progress | State from completed action |
| 밥을 먹고 있어요. (eating now) | 앉아 있어요. (seated now) |
| Transitive verbs (먹다, 읽다) | Intransitive verbs (앉다, 서다, 눕다) |
~는 중이다 (In the Middle Of)
Another way to express "in progress" is ~는 중이다:
| ~고 있다 | ~는 중이다 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 먹고 있어요. | 먹는 중이에요. | I'm eating. |
| 공부하고 있어요. | 공부하는 중이에요. | I'm studying. |
Both are interchangeable for most ongoing actions. ~는 중이다 slightly emphasizes "in the middle/process of," while ~고 있다 is more natural in everyday speech.
Negative Progressive
To negate the progressive:
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 안 + ~고 있다 | 안 먹고 있어요 | I am not eating. |
| ~고 있지 않다 | 먹고 있지 않아요 | I am not eating. |
안 먹고 있어요 is more common in speech.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 먹어 있어요. (eating) | 먹고 있어요. | Ongoing action uses ~고 있다, not ~아/어 있다 |
| 있고 있어요. | Not used | 있다 (exist) does not take ~고 있다 |
| 알고 있어요. | Correct (special) | 알다 + 고 있다 = "I know" (state of knowing) |
| 좋고 있어요. | Not natural | Adjectives generally don't use ~고 있다 |
Note on 알다: 알고 있어요 means "I know" (state of knowing). This is one of the few cases where ~고 있다 with a non-action verb is natural and common.
Summary
- ~고 있다 = verb stem + 고 있다. Expresses ongoing actions (like English "-ing").
- No vowel harmony needed -- simply add 고 있다 to any verb stem.
- Tenses: 하고 있어요 (present), 하고 있었어요 (past), 하고 있을 거예요 (future).
- Wearing verbs + ~고 있다 = state of wearing (not the process).
- ~고 있다 (action in progress) vs ~아/어 있다 (resulting state).
- ~는 중이다 is an alternative meaning "in the middle of."
- Most adjectives and 있다/없다 do not use ~고 있다.