類Time and change
Kinds of verbs
Verbs fall into groups that behave differently, especially with ている. Knowing the group tells you what a sentence means.
The groups
What happens when you add ている?
| Kind | What it describes | Examples | With ている |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | How things are | ある, いる, できる, 要る | Usually not used |
| Continuing | Actions that take time | 食べる, 読む, 書く, 走る | Is doing |
| Instant | Changes that happen at a point | 死ぬ, 着く, 結婚する, 始まる | Has happened, and stays that way |
| Always in ている | Qualities | 似ている, すぐれている | Used only this way |
See the difference
Same ending, different meaning
I'm reading a book.
An ongoing action.
The train has arrived.
It arrived, and it's still here. “Is arriving” would be wrong.
In use
Instant verbs and the state they leave
My older sister is married.
This doesn't mean she's in the middle of a wedding.
The window is open.
I live in Tokyo.
Living takes ている for the current state.
He takes after his mother.
Other ways to sort verbs
Control and movement
Whether you can choose to do something also matters. Volitional verbs (食べる, 行く) can take patterns like ~ましょう, and non-volitional ones (降る, 分かる) generally can't. Movement verbs (行く, 来る, 帰る) with ている mean you've gone and are still there: 東京に行っています, “They've gone to Tokyo and are there now.”
Adjectives have groups too: most describe qualities, while some describe feelings and need special handling for other people, which comes up later.
Check yourself
What does ている mean here?
Your turn
ある, or いる + て?
My daughter is sleeping now.
Say it yourself
Catching up
An old friend asks about your family. Your brother lives in Osaka and is married, and your mother is reading a book right now.
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