Welcome back to another lesson on TENSEs! In this lesson we are introducing how to make sentences in the present progressive form, such as “I’m eating.” “I’m studying.” and “I’m driving.” The basic construction in the present tense is VERB STEM + -고 있어요 [-go i-sseo-yo], and you can find out how to say this in the past tense and the future tense as well by listening to the lesson. Be sure to answer the quiz at the end of the lesson as well!
Say hi to our friends who recorded the sample sentences for us:
오규환 http://twitter.com/karistuck
조미경 http://twitter.com/mikyungcho
안효성 http://twitter.com/anyo20000
진석진 http://twitter.com/jinseokjin
You can download a free PDF for this lesson here, or if you want to study with our TalkToMeInKorean textbooks, you can get them here. And after you learn the basics, try writing your own Korean sentences and get corrections from native speakers through HaruKorean, our 1:1 correction service.
어세 이 시간에 텔레비전 봐고 있었어요. Yesterday at this hour I was watching television.
어세 이 시간에 텔레비전 봐고 있었어요. > 어제 이 시간에 텔레비전 보고 있었어요.
어제 시간에 드라마 보고 있었어요. I hope It’s correct. I have a question. Why in the MP3 link you said 어제이, with the subject marking particle. Yesterday isn’t the subject, right ?
Hi Chaimae Me,
The 이 you heard after 어제 modifies 시간 and it does’t work as a topic marking particle.
이 시간 : this time
So the complete sentence will be like this. “어제 이 시간에 드라마 보고 있었어요”.
어제 이 시간에 학교에서 공부하고 있었어요.
어제 일요일이라서, 이 시간에 제가 자고 있었어요… (지금은 여덟 시 반이에요… just in case, i’m not THAT lazy… hehehehehehehe).
어제 이 시간에, 자고 있었어요… > < 지금 자고 있어요.
나는 피아노 하 고 있었어요
or
나는 피아노 했어요.
I was playing the piano.
??? does that work?
Hi Sarah Cole,
나는 피아노 하 고 있었어요 > 저는(or 나는) 피아노 치고 있었어요.
피아노 하다 is not correct. You can say 피아노 연주하다 or 피아노 치다 to mean “to play the piano”.
Thanks for your comment.
How about this? Is this correct? 어제 이 시간에 맛있는 샌드위치 있고 있었어요. I`m not sure about the “was having” part. Hope you can help me. 감사합니다
Hi Gel,
있고 있었어요 > 먹고 있었어요
“to have” or “to eat” are “먹다” in Korean.
It was so close. Thanks for your comment.
어제 시간에 햄버거 먹고 있었어요. 그것 맛 있었어요!
어제 이시간에 공부하고 있었어요. 그래서 피곤했어요.
어제 이 시간에 짱자면 먹고 있었어요 ^^
어제, 이 시간에, 집에서 한국어 공부하고있었어요, 으로 매일 하요, 하고 같이 경은씨 그리고 현우씨.
Yesterday, at this time, I was studying Korean, as I do everyday, together with Kyeong Eun-ssi and Hyunwoo-ssi.
Is that right?
I was thinking about the 에 of 시간에. Is that the same particle used for places? I thought about it as saying the time when something is happening, the same way about the place where something is happening. Then is it used for places and time? Is it translated as ‘at’, right? I’m a bit confused with that.
Thanks for everything =) listening your voices everyday I feel you as part of my daily life, when I can’t study and listen to your voices it’s like something is missing. Thanks for the hard work, you are all great! I wish you the best!
어제 이시간에 텔레비전 보고 있었어요. Haha, actually I’m not sure what I’m doing yesterday at this time xD ㅋㅋㅋ
You are doing a great job.
I always profit from your site, whenever I have a question about the Korean grammar.
Altough I am far away from being fluent in Korean I love your learning materials, they are always proof read and of high quality.
But nonetheless, I found in your transcription some inaccuracies, but I am not sure.
Please have a look, copied from your PDF file:
규환: 노숙하고 있어요.
[no-su-ka-go i-sseo-yo.] is here a “h” missing? For me, no-su-ka-ha-go i-sseo-yo would be better, but could this be due to a phonetic liason?
= I’m sleeping on the street.
노숙하다 [no-su-ka-da] = to sleep on the street again without an h
미경: 지금 당신을 생각하고 있어요.
[ji-geum dang-si-neul saeng-ga-ka-go i-sseo-yo.] here also without h
= I’m thinking about you now.
당신 [dang-sin] = you (formal, written language)
Greets and keep up with your very good work.