-고 있다
Be -ing
-고 있다 is used to say you are "doing" something right now. It's the Korean equivalent of adding "-ing" to a verb in English.
How It Works
This is one of the most common and useful patterns in Korean. It expresses the present progressive tense, describing an action that is happening at the moment of speaking.
How to form it:
Simply take the verb stem (the verb without -다) and add -고 있다.
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹 + -고 있다 → 먹고 있다
- 보다 (to see/watch) → 보 + -고 있다 → 보고 있다
- 공부하다 (to study) → 공부하 + -고 있다 → 공부하고 있다
The 있다 part is then conjugated to the appropriate politeness level and tense.
- Present Polite: -고 있어요
- Present Formal: -고 있습니다
- Past Polite: -고 있었어요 (was/were -ing)
Habits and Ongoing Periods:
-고 있다 also describes something you keep doing over a period, not only what you are doing at this moment.
- 요즘 매일 운동하고 있어요. (I've been exercising every day lately.)
운동해요 is the neutral present. 운동하고 있어요 adds a 'these days, ongoing' feel.
Honorific Form:
When the person performing the action is someone you need to show respect to (like a grandparent or teacher), you use the honorific verb 계시다 instead of 있다. The pattern becomes -고 계시다.
- 할머니가 주무시고 계세요. (Grandmother is sleeping.)
Examples (5)
- 지금 뭐 하고 있어요?
What are you doing now?
Word by Word: Now what doing are?
- 저는 책을 읽고 있어요.
I am reading a book.
Word by Word: I book am reading.
- 동생이 텔레비전을 보고 있어요.
My younger sibling is watching TV.
Word by Word: Younger sibling television is watching.
- 어제 친구하고 이야기하고 있었어요.
Yesterday, I was talking with a friend.
Word by Word: Yesterday friend with was talking.
This shows the past progressive tense. The action of talking was in progress at a point in the past.
- 사장님은 회의하고 계세요.
The boss is in a meeting.
Word by Word: Boss meeting is doing (honorific).
계시다 is the honorific form of 있다. It is used here because the subject, 사장님 (boss), requires a higher level of respect.
Common Mistakes
Using -고 있다 with adjectives.
Not Quite날씨가 춥고 있어요.Better날씨가 추워요.-고 있다 is used for actions (verbs), not states of being (adjectives). To say 'it is cold,' you just conjugate the adjective 춥다 to 추워요.
Learn This First
To express ongoing actions, you need conjugation, the connector 고, and 있다.
Related Patterns
- -는 중In the Process of Doing
Similar meaning. Both express an action in progress. '-는 중' literally means 'in the middle of doing' and is often used with nouns (e.g., '공부하는 중이에요' - I'm in the middle of studying).
- Verb stems
Essential knowledge. -고 있다 attaches directly to the verb stem after dropping the -다 from the dictionary form.
- -았/었/였-Past Tense
The past tense marker. To say you were doing something, you attach this to 있다, making -고 있었어요.
- Honorific forms
When the subject requires respect, 있다 changes to its honorific form, 계시다. The pattern becomes -고 계시다 (e.g., -고 계세요).