-고 있다 - Be doing

-고 있다 expresses ongoing actions or the progressive tense. It means "be doing [verb]" and indicates that an action is currently in progress or happening continuously.

Structure

Verb stem + -고 있다

Breakdown:

• -고: Connective ending
• 있다: To exist/be

Literal meaning: "Exist while [verb]-ing" → "Be [verb]-ing"

Conjugation

Present Tense

Formal: -고 있습니다

Polite: -고 있어요

Casual: -고 있어

Past Tense

Formal: -고 있었습니다

Polite: -고 있었어요

Casual: -고 있었어

Future Tense

Formal: -고 있을 것입니다

Polite: -고 있을 거예요

Casual: -고 있을 거야

Core Meaning: Action In Progress

Currently Happening

Actions happening right now:

• 먹고 있어요 (am eating)
• 공부하고 있어요 (am studying)
• 일하고 있어요 (am working)
• 자고 있어요 (am sleeping)
• 걷고 있어요 (am walking)

Without -고 있다: Simple present (habitual or future)

• 먹어요 (eat / will eat)
• 공부해요 (study / will study)

With -고 있다: Progressive (happening now)

• 먹고 있어요 (am eating right now)
• 공부하고 있어요 (am studying right now)

Common Usage Patterns

Describing Current Actions

What you're doing now:

• 지금 뭐 하고 있어요? (What are you doing now?)
• TV 보고 있어요 (I'm watching TV)
• 책 읽고 있어요 (I'm reading a book)
• 음악 듣고 있어요 (I'm listening to music)
• 전화하고 있어요 (I'm on the phone)

Describing Others' Actions

What someone else is doing:

• 엄마가 요리하고 있어요 (Mom is cooking)
• 아빠가 신문 읽고 있어요 (Dad is reading the newspaper)
• 친구가 운동하고 있어요 (Friend is exercising)
• 동생이 게임하고 있어요 (Younger sibling is playing games)

Continuous States

Ongoing situations:

• 비가 오고 있어요 (It's raining)
• 눈이 오고 있어요 (It's snowing)
• 바람이 불고 있어요 (Wind is blowing)
• 해가 떠오르고 있어요 (Sun is rising)

Long-term Ongoing Actions

Extended activities:

• 한국어를 배우고 있어요 (I'm learning Korean)
• 다이어트하고 있어요 (I'm on a diet)
• 운동하고 있어요 (I'm exercising - as a routine)
• 일하고 있어요 (I'm working - employed)

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

• 먹고 있습니다 (am eating)
• 공부하고 있습니다 (am studying)
• 일하고 있습니다 (am working)

Polite (해요체)

• 먹고 있어요 (am eating)
• 공부하고 있어요 (am studying)
• 일하고 있어요 (am working)

Casual (반말)

• 먹고 있어 (am eating)
• 공부하고 있어 (am studying)
• 일하고 있어 (am working)

Tense Usage

Present Progressive

Currently happening:

• 먹고 있어요 (am eating)
• 자고 있어요 (am sleeping)
• 공부하고 있어요 (am studying)

Past Progressive

Was happening:

• 먹고 있었어요 (was eating)
• 자고 있었어요 (was sleeping)
• 공부하고 있었어요 (was studying)

Example:

• 어제 이 시간에 뭐 하고 있었어요?
  (What were you doing at this time yesterday?)

• 친구하고 영화 보고 있었어요
  (I was watching a movie with a friend)

Future Progressive

Will be happening:

• 내일 이 시간에 뭐 하고 있을 거예요?
  (What will you be doing at this time tomorrow?)

• 회의하고 있을 거예요
  (I'll be in a meeting)

Common Expressions

Daily Activities

• 밥 먹고 있어요 (eating a meal)
• 샤워하고 있어요 (taking a shower)
• 요리하고 있어요 (cooking)
• 청소하고 있어요 (cleaning)
• 빨래하고 있어요 (doing laundry)

Work/Study

• 일하고 있어요 (working)
• 공부하고 있어요 (studying)
• 숙제하고 있어요 (doing homework)
• 회의하고 있어요 (in a meeting)
• 발표하고 있어요 (giving a presentation)

Leisure

• 쉬고 있어요 (resting)
• 놀고 있어요 (playing/hanging out)
• 게임하고 있어요 (playing games)
• 운동하고 있어요 (exercising)
• 산책하고 있어요 (taking a walk)

Communication

• 전화하고 있어요 (on the phone)
• 문자하고 있어요 (texting)
• 이야기하고 있어요 (talking)
• 채팅하고 있어요 (chatting)

Negative Forms

Not Doing

안 -고 있다:

• 안 먹고 있어요 (am not eating)
• 안 자고 있어요 (am not sleeping)

-지 않고 있다:

• 먹지 않고 있어요 (am not eating)
• 자지 않고 있어요 (am not sleeping)

Wasn't Doing

Past negative:

• 안 먹고 있었어요 (wasn't eating)
• 공부하지 않고 있었어요 (wasn't studying)

Question Forms

What Are You Doing?

Present:

• 뭐 하고 있어요? (What are you doing?)
• 지금 뭐 하고 있어요? (What are you doing now?)

What Were You Doing?

Past:

• 뭐 하고 있었어요? (What were you doing?)
• 그때 뭐 하고 있었어요? (What were you doing then?)

Is Someone Doing?

Checking if action is happening:

• 지금 자고 있어요? (Are you sleeping now?)
• 일하고 있어요? (Are you working?)

Common Contractions

Casual Speech Shortcuts

있어 often shortened to 있:

• 뭐 하고 있어? → 뭐 하고 있? (What are you doing?)
• 먹고 있어? → 먹고 있? (Are you eating?)

Note: This is very casual and common in spoken Korean

Usage with Different Verb Types

Action Verbs (Main Use)

Physical actions:

• 먹다 → 먹고 있어요 (eating)
• 자다 → 자고 있어요 (sleeping)
• 걷다 → 걷고 있어요 (walking)
• 달리다 → 달리고 있어요 (running)

State Verbs (Less Common)

Some state verbs can use -고 있다:

• 살다 → 살고 있어요 (am living)
• 앉다 → 앉아 있어요 (am sitting) *usually uses -아/어 있다
• 서다 → 서 있어요 (am standing) *usually uses -아/어 있다

Note: Many state verbs prefer -아/어 있다 instead

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Current Action

A: 지금 뭐 하고 있어요?
(What are you doing now?)

B: 저녁 준비하고 있어요.
(I'm preparing dinner.)

A: 도와줄까요?
(Shall I help you?)

B: 괜찮아요, 거의 다 했어요.
(It's okay, I'm almost done.)

Dialogue 2: Past Action

A: 어제 전화했을 때 뭐 하고 있었어요?
(What were you doing when I called yesterday?)

B: 샤워하고 있었어요. 못 받아서 미안해요.
(I was taking a shower. Sorry I couldn't answer.)

Dialogue 3: Interruption

A: 지금 바빠요?
(Are you busy now?)

B: 네, 숙제하고 있어요.
(Yes, I'm doing homework.)

A: 그럼 나중에 다시 올게요.
(Then I'll come back later.)

Dialogue 4: Checking Activity

A: 아기가 자고 있어요?
(Is the baby sleeping?)

B: 네, 조용히 해 주세요.
(Yes, please be quiet.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 좋고 있어요

Using -고 있다 with adjectives

✅ Correct: 좋아요

Adjectives don't use -고 있다

---

❌ Incorrect: 있고 있어요

Using -고 있다 with 있다/없다

✅ Correct: 있어요

Existence verbs don't need -고 있다

---

❌ Incorrect: 먹어요 (when meaning "am eating now")

Using simple present for current action

✅ Correct: 먹고 있어요

Use -고 있다 for actions in progress

Comparison with Similar Patterns

-고 있다 vs Simple Present

-고 있다: In progress now

• 먹고 있어요 (am eating now)

Simple present: Habitual or future

• 먹어요 (eat / will eat)

-고 있다 vs -아/어 있다

-고 있다: Action in progress

• 입고 있어요 (am putting on / am wearing)

-아/어 있다: Resultant state

• 입어 있어요 (am wearing - have on)

Covered in detail in "-고 있다 vs -아/어 있다" section

Summary Table

Verb	-고 있다 Form	Meaning	Past
먹다	먹고 있어요	am eating	먹고 있었어요
자다	자고 있어요	am sleeping	자고 있었어요
공부하다	공부하고 있어요	am studying	공부하고 있었어요
일하다	일하고 있어요	am working	일하고 있었어요
읽다	읽고 있어요	am reading	읽고 있었어요
보다	보고 있어요	am watching	보고 있었어요
듣다	듣고 있어요	am listening	듣고 있었어요
걷다	걷고 있어요	am walking	걷고 있었어요

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Progressive tense: Expresses actions in progress
• ✅ Currently happening: Emphasizes "right now"
• ✅ Action verbs: Mainly used with action verbs, not adjectives
• ✅ All tenses: Works in present, past, and future
• ✅ Very common: Essential for natural Korean
• ✅ Different from simple present: 먹어요 (general) vs 먹고 있어요 (now)

-고 있다 is essential for describing ongoing actions and the progressive tense in Korean. Master this pattern to naturally express what you or others are doing at any given moment.