Level 2 Lesson 10 / Present Progressive / -고 있어요

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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.

475 Responses to  Level 2 Lesson 10 / Present Progressive / -고 있어요 

  1. Amelia says:

    어제 이 시간에 쇼핑하고있었어요

  2. bayan says:

    어 제 이 시 간 에 저 는 공 부 하 고 있 었 어 요
    yesterday at this time i was studying
    이 거 맞아요?

  3. bayan says:

    어 제 이 시간 에 공 부 하고 있었어요
    yesterday at this time i was studying

  4. Keiani Coromina says:

    한국 친구 일겁 명 있어요!

  5. susan says:

    저는 공부하고 있어요
    before that, 저녁을 먹고 있었어요
    soon, 자고있을 거예요
    오늘은 점심때 바베큐 돼지 고기 만들었어요
    감사합니다!

    • jinseokjin says:

      Great! It will be more natural to say 잘 거예요 instead of 자고있을 거예요.

    • susan says:

      석진씨, 고맙습니다!
      I’ve been wondering about future tense and future progressive. It seems like they could be interchangable many times. Thanks again for the input :)

  6. Antoinette says:

    어제 이 시간에 숙제를 하고 있었어요

  7. Keiani Coromina says:

    어제 이시간에 공부 했어요!

  8. Rene Mario says:

    안녕하세요!
    어제 이시간에 회사에서 일하고 있었어요 ^^

  9. Rene Mario says:

    Add.. Yesterday at this time i was working in the company

  10. Rahl says:

    언제 한국윽 공부있었어요.

  11. Tyler says:

    For speaking in 번말 would it be ok if instead of saying something like 알고 있어요 to just say 알고? Or instead of 공부하고 있어요 to just say 공부하고? This has been bothering me lol.

    감사합니다, 래슨들 너무 잘 해요!

  12. Soon says:

    어제 이 시간에 텔레비전 시정하고 있었어요.

  13. 저는 내 집에서 나고까지 운전하고 있었어요.
    (I currently live in Okinawa and “Nago” is the city to which I was driving).
    Translation of what I wanted to say:
    “I was driving from my house to Nago.”

  14. 저는 내 집에서 나고까지 운전하고 있었어요.
    (Nago is a city in Okinawa near where I live)

  15. Tj Fsmith says:

    어재 이시간이 온동 하고 있서서요.
    Yesterday at this time I was working out.

    Pls let me know if this is correct? 고맙소미다!

  16. Vince says:

    강의가 지루해서 꾸벅꾸벅 졸고 있어요.
    저 사람 봐요. 자면서 이야기하고 있어요.

    These 2 sample sentences in the PDF.What does the 서 in 자면서 and 지루해서 mean? what is it referring to? Im Lost!

  17. Karen says:

    어제 이 시간에 일하고 있었어요 . Is it correct ?

  18. JJ says:

    어제 이시간에 자고 있었어요. ._.

  19. tj says:

    프랑 스 어 수 업 에 고 있었 어 요.

  20. dominixb says:

    어제 이 시간에 놀고 있었어요.

  21. Hinata says:

    Hi 선생님!

    Is this correct? I’m not sure what to do with the verb.
    I just add -ㅗ있을 가여요 since the verb stem of read
    ends in ㄱ.

    읽다 – to read

    그녀자 책 일 고있을 거여요.
    (She will be reading a book.)

    그녀자(는) 책이 도서관에서 일 고있을 거여요.
    (She will be reading a book in the library.)

    감사합니다! *-*

    • jinseokjin says:

      그녀자 책 일 고있을 거여요. > 그녀가 책을 읽고 있을 거예요.

      그녀자(는) 책이 도서관에서 일 고있을 거여요. > 그녀가 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있을 거예요.

      Can you guess how to use the pattern correctly? :)

  22. Hinata says:

    Hi everyone!

    Can someone help me, please?
    In my last sentence I just add -ㅗ있을가여요 instead of 고있을가여요 because the verb stem of read is 읽 and it ends with ㄱ. Is this right? It is in formal way.
    Thanks…

    제 친구랑 나는 몰에 가 고있을가여요.
    (My friend and I will be going to the mall.)

    그녀잔는 도서관에서 책을 일 고있을가여요.
    (She will be reading a book in the library.)

    제 친구랑 나는 몰에 가 고있을가여요.
    (My friend and I will be going to the mall.)

    그녀잔는 도서관에서 책을 일 고있을가여요.
    (She will be reading a book in the library.)

    • jinseokjin says:

      Hi Hinata,
      Let me correct your sentences,

      제 친구랑 나는 몰에 가 고있을가여요.
      > 제 친구랑 저는 몰에 가고 있을 거예요.

      그녀잔는 도서관에서 책을 일 고있을가여요.
      > 그녀는 도서관에서 책을 읽고 있을 거예요.

  23. allsaintesday says:

    Hey guys! I’m loving your show – thanks so much for presenting authentic, colloquial Korean in a fun, hip way!

    However, I must say that the example sentences by Kyu Han were unhelpful, in my opinion – both because they were too fast for me to understand a single word, they were not phrases that I would EVER use in real life, and also because the tone/subject matter of both seemed impolite and a bit disrespectful. Just not my cup of tea.

    But for everything else, many many thanks!

  24. Miranda says:

    어제 이 시간에 티비 버거 있었엉요.

    Is there a reason that it is 시간에 and not 시간에서? I thought we used the second one when we were talking about doing an action and not something existing…

    And why does the 이 stand alone? Would it not make sense for it to be attached to 어제?

    감사합니다 !

    • jinseokjin says:

      어제 이 시간에 티비 버거 있었엉요.

      이 시간 = this time

      As the speaker indicate the time, so 이 (this) is needed. The sentence won’t be natural if 이 is omitted.

      If the speaker say something which happend within a duration, like from 2pm~ 3pm, then 에서 can be added.
      ex) 이제 2시에서 3시까지 뭐 했어요?

      But if it is not duration, 에서 is not natural.

    • Greg says:

      ~에서 is not only, but mostly for locations (doing action at/in somewhere).
      Times is usually ~에 (at).
      What you mentioned about existing/not existing, I heard something like that long ago about locations – how to decide if it’s ~에 or ~에서 for location.
      ~에 is mostly used with 있다/없다 I think. Like:
      저는 집에 있어요. 집에서 티비를 봐요.

      이 in that case means “this”, but it’s not used on it’s own, but related to a noun coming next in the sentence. In that case the noun is 시간 so it’s “this time”.

      It’s usually written apart, but some fixed words have it written together, like: 이렇게, 이분, 이것, 이와 같이, 이번, 이때.
      Same with 그 and 저. But it’s doesn’t always work. 이번 is “this time (occasion)”, but when I wrote 그번 (that time) I was told it’s wrong.. Should have said 그때 I guess.

      and btw it’s 티비를 보고 있었어요.

    • Greg says:

      ah another usage of ~에 can be short of 에다 or 에다가, which is “on something”. 연필을 책상에(다가) 얹어 놨어요 – I put pencil on the desk.

  25. Kenji says:

    어제,이 기간 동안, 일했습니다.

  26. Rachel says:

    어제 이시간에 드라마 봐고있었어요^^

  27. Caitlyn says:

    글쎄요, 어제 크리스마스있었어요,그래서, 먹고있었어요.

  28. 싀모나 says:

    어제 이 시간 에 그리 고있었어요(Yesterday at this time i was drawing)Did I get it right?

    • Greg says:

      어제 이 시간에 그림을 그리고 있었어요
      spacing, and I noticed 그리다 always comes with 그림 to clarify I guess. Same as 춤을 추다, 잠을 자다 or 꿈을 꾸다 etc..

  29. 싀모나 says:

    어제 이 시간 에 그리 고있었어요

  30. 싀모나 says:

    어제 이 시간에 그리 고있었어(Yesterday at this time,i was drawing)
    Did I get it right?

  31. Eleni says:

    어제, 나는 저녁에 5시에 막고 있었어요.

  32. Eleni says:

    어제, 나는 저녁에 5시에 먹고 있었어요.

  33. 베일리 says:

    어제 이 시간에 자고 있었어요.
    정말 정말 고마워요!
    I really appreciate all of your hard work!

  34. Dana says:

    어제 이 시간에 한국어 공부하고 있었어요.

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