ている～ている

The ～ている form expresses ongoing actions ("is doing") and resulting states ("has done" / "is in a state of"). It is one of the most fundamental grammar patterns in Japanese.

Ongoing actions (progressive)

When used with action verbs, ～ている describes something that is currently happening, similar to English "-ing."

Resulting states

When used with verbs that describe instantaneous changes, ～ている expresses a state that currently exists as a result of a completed action.

In these cases, the action itself (opening, marrying) has already finished, and ～ている describes the current condition.

Knowing: しっている知っている

The verb しる知る means "to come to know." To express "I know," Japanese uses しっている知っている – the state of having come to know something.

Casual speech

In casual conversation, ～ている is often shortened to ～てる.

Negative and past forms

The いる part conjugates normally as a る-verb:

• Negative: ～ていない / ～てない (casual)
• Past: ～ていた / ～てた (casual)
• Polite: ～ています / ～ていました