Here is another addition about TENSES! In this lesson, we are introducing how to make sentences in the present progressive form in Korean.
Examples of present progressive sentences in English.
1. I’m reading a book.
2. What are you watching?
3. He’s helping me a lot.
Basic construction:
- to be -ing = Verb stem + -고 있다 [-go it-da]
Present progressive:
- am/are/is -ing = Verb stem + -고 있어요 [-go i-sseo-yo]
Past progressive:
- was/were -ing = Verb stem + -고 있었어요 [-go i-sseo-sseo-yo]
Future progressive:
- will be -ing = Verb stem + -고 있을 거예요 [-go i-sseul geo-ye-yo]
Past and future progressive sentences are certainly very commonly used in everyday Korean as well, but if you basically have a very thorough understanding of how to use the present progressive form, past and future progressive forms are very easy to use too.
When using present progressive tense, there are two important points to remember:
1)
Literal translation between Korean present progressive sentences and English present progressive sentences does not always work. Especially if you use the present progressive form in English to indicate the future.
For example, if you say “I’m not going to work tomorrow.” in English, you are not talking about the present but the future, so in Korean you can not use the -고 있어요 form.
2)
In everyday conversations, sentences that need to be in the present progressive form do not always take the -고 있어요 form. Korean people often just use the plain present tense form even for sentences that take the present progress tense in English.
Example
Instead of saying:
A: 지금 뭐 하고 있어요? [ji-geum mwo ha-go i-sseo-yo?] = What are you doing now?
B: 공부하고 있어요. [gong-bu-ha-go i-sseo-yo] = I am studying.
many people say:
A: 지금 뭐 해요? [ji-geum mwo hae-yo?] = What are you doing now?
B: 공부해요. [gong-bu-hae-yo] = I am studying.
Sample sentences
일하다 [il-ha-da] = to work
일하 고 있어요. [il-ha-go i-sseo-yo] = I am working.
일하고 있었어요. [il-ha-go i-sseo-sseo-yo] = I was working.
일하고 있을 거예요. [il-ha-go i-sseul geo-ye-yo] = I’ll be working.
듣 다 [deut-da] = to listen
듣고 있어요. [deut-go i-sseo-yo] = I am listening.
듣고 있었어요. [deut-go i-sseo-sseo-yo] = I was listening.
듣고 있을 거예요. [deut-go i-sseul geo-ye-yo] = I will be listening.
Sample sentences by our friends
규환: 너 여기서 뭐 하고 있어요?
[neo yeo-gi-seo mwo ha-go i-sseo-yo?]
= What are you doing here?
여기서 [yeo-gi-seo] = 여기에서 [yeo-gi-e-seo] = here, in this place, at this place
규환: 노숙하고 있어요.
[no-su-ka-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I’m sleeping on the street.
노숙하다 [no-su-ka-da] = to sleep on the street
미경: 지금 당신을 생각하고 있어요.
[ji-geum dang-si-neul saeng-ga-ka-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I’m thinking about you now.
당신 [dang-sin] = you (formal, written language)
효성: 강의가 지루해서 꾸벅꾸벅 졸고 있어요.
[gang-ui-ga ji-ru-hae-seo kku-beok-kku-beok jol-go i-sseo-yo.]
= The lecture is boring so I’m dozing off.
강의 [gang-ui] = lecture, class
지루하다 [ji-ru-ha-da] = to be boring
꾸벅꾸벅 [kku-beok-kku-beok] = an adjective describing the action of dozing off
졸다 [jol-da] = to doze
효성: 잠도 안 자고 영어 공부 하고 있어요.
[jam-do an ja-go yeong-eo gong-bu ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= I’m even trying to stay awake and I’m studying English.
석진: 저 사람 봐요. 자면서 이야기하고 있어요.
[jeo sa-ram bwa-yo. ja-myeon-seo i-ya-gi-ha-go i-sseo-yo.]
= Look at that person. He is talking while sleeping.
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