What is Progressive Tense in Korean? (-고 있다)
In English, when you want to say you are doing something right now, you add “-ing” to a verb (e.g., I am reading, She is listening).
In Korean, we attach -고 있다 (-go it-da) to the verb stem!
- Present Progressive (-ing): Verb Stem + -고 있어요 (-go it-seo-yo)
- Past Progressive (was/were -ing): Verb Stem + -고 있었어요 (-go it-eot-seo-yo)
How to Conjugate (-고 있다 Rules)
The best part about this grammar rule is that it doesn’t matter whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or a consonant! Just drop -다 (-da) from the basic verb form and attach -고 있어요 or -고 있었어요.
| Base Form (Meaning) | Present Progressive (-go it-seo-yo) | Past Progressive (-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 사다 (sa-da / to buy) | 사고 있어요 (sa-go it-seo-yo) | 사고 있었어요 (sa-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 보다 (bo-da / to watch) | 보고 있어요 (bo-go it-seo-yo) | 보고 있었어요 (bo-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 만나다 (man-na-da / to meet) | 만나고 있어요 (man-na-go it-seo-yo) | 만나고 있었어요 (man-na-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 오다 (o-da / to come) | 오고 있어요 (o-go it-seo-yo) | 오고 있었어요 (o-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 찾다 (chat-da / to look for) | 찾고 있어요 (chat-go it-seo-yo) | 찾고 있었어요 (chat-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 만들다 (man-deul-da / to make) | 만들고 있어요 (man-deul-go it-seo-yo) | 만들고 있었어요 (man-deul-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 일하다 (il-ha-da / to work) | 일하고 있어요 (il-ha-go it-seo-yo) | 일하고 있었어요 (il-ha-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
| 공부하다 (gong-bu-ha-da / to study) | 공부하고 있어요 (gong-bu-ha-go it-seo-yo) | 공부하고 있었어요 (gong-bu-ha-go it-eot-seo-yo) |
Real Life Example Sentences
Let’s look at how native Korean speakers use this in real conversations!
- 댄 씨가 지금 음악을 듣고 있어요.
- Romanization: Daen ssi-ga ji-geum eum-ag-eul deut-go it-seo-yo.
- English: Dane is listening to music right now.
- 민우 씨가 지금 집에 가고 있어요.
- Romanization: Min-u ssi-ga ji-geum jib-e ga-go it-seo-yo.
- English: Minu is going home now.
- 어제 친구가 전화했을 때, 저는 자고 있었어요.
- Romanization: Eo-je chin-gu-ga jeon-hwa-haess-eul ttae, jeo-neun ja-go it-eot-seo-yo.
- English: When my friend called yesterday, I was sleeping.
Practice Dialogues (In conversation)
Dialogue 1
- A: 왕징 씨, 지금 시장에 같이 가요.
- A: Wang Jing ssi, ji-geum si-jang-e gat-i ga-yo.
- A: Wang Jing, let’s go to the market together.
- B: 미안해요. 지금 숙제를 하고 있어요.
- B: Mi-an-hae-yo. Ji-geum suk-je-reul ha-go it-seo-yo.
- B: I’m sorry, but I’m doing my homework right now.
Dialogue 2
- A: 왜 아까 전화를 안 받았어요?
- A: Wae a-kka jeon-hwa-reul an bat-at-seo-yo?
- A: Why didn’t you answer the phone a while ago?
- B: 샤워하고 있었어요.
- B: Sya-wo-ha-go it-eot-seo-yo.
- B: I was taking a shower.
- Important Tip! (-고 있었다 vs -/었어요)
💡 Check It Out!
If an action simply took place in the past without emphasizing that it was ongoing at that exact moment, use the simple past tense (-았/었어요) instead of -고 있었어요.
- A: 어제 뭐 했어요? (Eo-je mwo haess-eul-yo? / What did you do yesterday?)
- B: 집에서 쉬었어요. (O) (Jib-e-seo swi-eot-seo-yo. / I relaxed at home.)
- B: 집에서 쉬고 있었어요. (X – awkward unless someone interrupted you!)
Free Printable Practice Worksheet (PDF)
Download the free worksheet below to test your knowledge! Fill in the blanks using -고 있어요 or -고 있었어요.
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