Progressive -고 있다: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -고 있다 sentences from any verb stem.
• Form the past, future, formal and negative progressive.
• Recognise the state meanings of 알고 있다, 살고 있다 and 입고 있다.
• Avoid -고 있다 with adjectives and with fixed future plans.

Before you start: you should know the polite ending -아요/어요 and the verb-last sentence pattern. Time: about 30 minutes.

What Does Progressive -고 있다 Mean?

Progressive -고 있다 marks an action that has started and is not finished at the moment of speaking. The form has two parts. The ending 고 links the verb to the next word, and 있다 ("to exist") says that the action exists in time, so the whole phrase reads "is doing".

Compare the simple present with the progressive:

The simple present already covers "I am eating", so the progressive is a way of stressing the action in progress. Learners often over-use it at the start. The rule of thumb is to use -고 있다 when someone asks what you are doing or when you want to stress the moment.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 지금 밥을 먹고 있어요. (jigeum babeul meokgo isseoyo) "I am eating now."

Pronunciation: [지금 바블 먹꼬 이써요]. The final ㅂ of 밥 moves onto 을, and the 고 after ㄱ is spoken with a tense sound, like 꼬.

2. 친구를 기다리고 있어요. (chingureul gidarigo isseoyo) "I am waiting for a friend."

Pronunciation: [친구를 기다리고 이써요]. The stem 기다리 ends in a vowel, so 고 follows it with no change.

Both sentences keep the object marked with 을 or 를 and put the progressive group at the end. The next section shows how the group is built from any verb.

How Does -고 있다 Work?

Remove 다 from the dictionary form, add 고, and add 있다 in the form you need. The stem does not change, so the same rule works for every verb.

Pattern Table

Romanization of the polite column: meokgo isseoyo, gago isseoyo, ilgo isseoyo, gongbuhago isseoyo, gidarigo isseoyo, deutgo isseoyo, dopgo isseoyo, salgo isseoyo, and mandeulgo isseoyo.

Three details make the table easy to apply.

1. The stem stays whole. 듣 does not become 들, 돕 does not become 도우, and 살 keeps its ㄹ. The ending 고 starts with a consonant, so irregular changes that happen before a vowel do not occur.
2. Write 있다 as a separate word. 먹고 있어요 has a space. 먹고있어요 is a spacing error.
3. Some sounds change in speech. After a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ, the 고 is spoken with a tense sound: 읽고 is [일꼬], 듣고 is [듣꼬], and 돕고 is [돕꼬]. Revised Romanization does not mark this tensing.

Tenses and Speech Levels

Only 있다 changes when the tense or the speech level changes. The group 먹고 stays the same.

Romanization: meokgo isseosseoyo, meokgo isseul geoyeyo, meokgo itseumnida, meokgo isseo, meokgo itda and meokgo itji anayo. The negative can also be 안 먹고 있어요, which is heard in speech. With the pieces in place, the next section builds one sentence step by step.

Building a Sentence with -고 있다, Step by Step

To make a progressive sentence, take the dictionary form, remove 다, add 고, add 있다 and conjugate it. Follow these steps with 지금 밥을 먹고 있어요.

1. Start from the dictionary form. 먹다 ("to eat").
2. Remove 다. The stem is 먹.
3. Add 고. 먹 + 고 becomes 먹고.
4. Add 있다. 먹고 있다, with a space.
5. Conjugate 있다 for the speech level. For the polite style, 있다 becomes 있어요: 먹고 있어요.
6. Add the other words. 지금 밥을: 지금 밥을 먹고 있어요.

You'll know it worked when the sentence ends in 있어요 and the verb part ends in 고. Common mistake at this step: attaching 고 to the whole dictionary form, as in 먹다고 있어요. Remove 다 first.

Repeat the steps with two more verbs. For 가다, the stem is 가, and the polite form is 가고 있어요. For 공부하다, the stem is 공부하, and the polite form is 공부하고 있어요.

The pattern works for action verbs. The next section explains which verbs can take it.

Which Verbs Can Take -고 있다?

Action verbs take -고 있다, and adjectives do not. A few verbs give a state meaning instead of an action, so the English translation changes from "is doing" to "is in a state".

Romanization: yojeum hangugeoreul baeugo isseoyo, jigeum gago isseoyo, algo isseoyo, seoure salgo isseoyo, cheongbajireul ipgo isseoyo and usaneul gajigo isseoyo. For the state uses, the English "is wearing" and "knows" describe a situation that lasts, not a single moving action. The verbs for clothes and accessories have their own pattern in wearing verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다. Adjectives such as 예쁘다 cannot take -고 있다 at all, because they have no action to be in progress, as explained in Korean adjectives are verbs. The next section compares -고 있다 with its neighbours.

How Is -고 있다 Different from the Present Tense and -는 중이다?

Use the simple present for habits and plain facts, -고 있다 to stress an action in progress, and -는 중이다 for being in the middle of a task. All three can describe what you are doing now, but each stresses something different.

Romanization: meogeoyo, meokgo isseoyo, meongneun jungieyo and meogeul geoyeyo. A friend who calls and asks 뭐 하고 있어요? ("What are you doing?") expects a -고 있다 answer. A friend who asks 같이 갈래요? ("Shall we go together?") gets 지금 먹는 중이에요 when you are busy. The detail is in -는 중이다 in the middle of, and the plain present is in Korean present tense uses. The comparison with the state form -아/어 있다 is in -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다. The next section covers the polite form for older people.

Honorific Form -고 계시다

For a respected person, replace 있다 with the honorific 계시다. The pattern is -고 계시다, and the polite form is -고 계세요.

Romanization: deusigo gyeseyo, jumusigo gyeseyo and seonsaengnimi chaegeul ilgo gyeseyo. The honorific 계시다 is used only for the other person, never for yourself. The full list of honorific verbs is in Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다. The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Six mistakes cover most wrong progressive sentences.

1. Using -고 있다 with an adjective. 꽃이 예쁘고 있어요 is wrong. Say 꽃이 예뻐요. To show change in progress, say 날씨가 따뜻해지고 있어요.
2. Using -고 있다 for a fixed future. 내일 가고 있어요 sounds like "I am on my way tomorrow". Say 내일 갈 거예요 for a plan.
3. Dropping the space. 먹고있어요 is a spacing error.
4. Using it for being married. 결혼하고 있어요 does not mean "I am married". Say 결혼했어요.
5. Reading 입고 있어요 as "putting on". The phrase usually means "is wearing". To say you are in the act of dressing, use 입는 중이에요.
6. Writing 는 instead of 고. 먹는 있어요 is wrong. The linking ending is 고, and 는 belongs to 는 중이다.

The same stems appear in all speech levels, and the sentence pattern behind every example is in the Korean SOV sentence pattern. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. "I am waiting for a friend": 친구를 기다리고 있어요 or 친구를 기다려 있어요?
2. Fix the error. 꽃이 예쁘고 있어요. (The speaker wants to say "The flower is pretty.")
3. Translate. "I am studying Korean now."
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about what you are doing right now, using 마시다 (to drink) or 읽다 (to read).

Answer Key

1. 친구를 기다리고 있어요 (chingureul gidarigo isseoyo) Pronounced [친구를 기다리고 이써요]. 기다리다 is an action verb, so it takes -고 있다. The form -아/어 있다 is for results and states.

2. 꽃이 예뻐요. (kkochi yeppeoyo) Pronounced [꼬치 예뻐요]. 예쁘다 is an adjective, so it takes the plain present, not -고 있다.

3. 지금 한국어를 공부하고 있어요. (jigeum hangugeoreul gongbuhago isseoyo) Pronounced [지금 한구거를 공부하고 이써요]. The stem 공부하 is followed by 고 and then 있어요.

4. Sample answer: 지금 커피를 마시고 있어요. (jigeum keopireul masigo isseoyo) "I am drinking coffee now." Pronounced [지금 커피를 마시고 이써요]. Any action verb with 고 있어요 is right.

If you chose the wrong form, check two things: the word must be an action verb, and the pattern must be stem + 고 + 있어요. Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After progressive -고 있다, the natural next lesson is -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다, which separates an action in progress from a state that remains. Then study -는 중이다 in the middle of and the pattern for wearing verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다. The set overview, Korean progressive tense, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: progressive -고 있다 adds 고 to the verb stem and then 있다, and it says that an action is in progress or that a state holds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -고 있다 Mean in Korean?

-고 있다 shows that an action is in progress, like "is doing" in English. 지금 밥을 먹고 있어요 means "I am eating now". With a few verbs it shows a state instead, as in 알고 있어요 ("I know") and 입고 있어요 ("I am wearing it"). The verb 있다 carries the tense and the politeness ending.

How Do I Form -고 있다?

Remove 다 from the dictionary form, add 고, and then add 있다 conjugated as needed. 먹다 becomes 먹고 있다, and the polite form is 먹고 있어요. The stem never changes, even for irregular verbs such as 듣다 and 돕다. Write 있다 as a separate word, with a space before it.

Can I Use -고 있다 with Adjectives?

No. 예쁘고 있어요 is wrong, because adjectives describe a state and have no action to be in progress. Say 예뻐요 for "is pretty". To show a change in progress, add -아/어지다 first: 날씨가 따뜻해지고 있어요 means "The weather is getting warmer". The present tense page covers adjectives in detail.

Do I Need -고 있다, or Is the Present Tense Enough?

The present tense is often enough, because 먹어요 already means both "I eat" and "I am eating". Use -고 있다 when you want to stress that the action is happening now or that it covers a period, such as 요즘 한국어를 배우고 있어요. Asking 뭐 하고 있어요? ("What are you doing?") is the most common use.

How Do I Say -고 있다 Politely to an Older Person?

Use the honorific verb 계시다 in place of 있다, and the honorific form of the main verb where one exists. 선생님이 책을 읽고 계세요 means "The teacher is reading a book". For 먹다 the honorific is 드시다, so say 드시고 계세요. Never use 계시다 for yourself.