English -ing hides two different pictures; Korean gives each its own form. -고 있어요 = the action is happening now: 먹고 있어요 — I'm eating. -아/어 있어요 = something already happened and the result remains: 앉아 있어요 — I'm sitting (seated); 문이 열려 있어요 — the door is open. The second works only with verbs where something happens to the subject.
Here is a TOPIK-style picture: a woman on a bench, a book in her hands, the café door behind her open. Describe it. She is sitting, she is reading, the door is open — three -ings or ises in English. In Korean, two of those sentences use one form and one uses the other, and choosing wrong is the most common error in this kind of question.
Two cameras
Sitting down is a single moment; after it, you are seated — a state. Reading is an activity that keeps going. Korean chooses the form by that difference, not by the English -ing.
An action in progress
Add -고 있어요 to any action verb stem. No vowel rules.
For right this second, you will also hear -는 중이에요: 통화하는 중이에요 — I'm in the middle of a call. And in casual conversation Koreans often just use the plain present: 뭐 해요? — 밥 먹어요.
A state that remains
Take the polite present without 요 (앉아요 → 앉아) and add 있어요. Only for verbs where something happens to the subject: posture, movement into a place, and passive verbs.
The door, the light, the window: transitive verbs need a passive
This is where learners go wrong most. 열다 (to open something) and 켜다 (to switch something on) are transitive — someone does them to an object. They cannot take -아/어 있어요. To describe the resulting state, Korean uses the passive partner, where the door or light is the subject:
| Action (transitive) | Passive / intransitive | State | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 열다 | 열리다 | 문이 열려 있어요 | the door is open |
| 닫다 | 닫히다 | 창문이 닫혀 있어요 | the window is shut |
| 켜다 | 켜지다 | 불이 켜져 있어요 | the light is on |
| 끄다 | 꺼지다 | 에어컨이 꺼져 있어요 | the air-con is off |
| 쓰다 | 쓰이다 | 이름이 쓰여 있어요 | a name is written (on it) |
Wrong
문을 열어 있어요.A transitive verb with a result form.Right — pick one picture
문이 열려 있어요.The door is open (state).문을 열고 있어요.Someone is opening the door (action).
If this reminds you of Japanese 開いている / 開けてある, you are right — both languages separate the action from the state it leaves. Hanguljo's sister site explains the Japanese version in ている vs てある vs ておく.
Two exceptions that break the pattern
“She is wearing” uses -고 있어요
Verbs of putting on clothes — 입다 (clothes), 신다 (shoes), 쓰다 (hat, glasses), 끼다 (gloves, rings), 매다 (tie, belt) — describe the state of wearing with -고 있어요, not -아/어 있어요.
Context decides whether 입고 있어요 means is wearing or is putting on (right now) — usually it is the first. Describing what people are wearing is a classic beginner exercise — and a common exam task.
“Are you married?” is 결혼했어요?
A few verbs describe a lasting state with the past tense, because the change happened once and its result continues.
The past tense forms are in the Korean past tense guide.
Honorific: 계세요
When the person is someone you respect, 있어요 becomes 계세요 in both forms:
-고 계세요 — action
사장님은 지금 통화하고 계세요.sajangnimeun jigeum tonghwahago gyeseyoThe boss is on a call right now.
-아/어 계세요 — state
할머니가 거실에 앉아 계세요.halmeoniga geosire anja gyeseyoGrandma is sitting in the living room.
계시다 is the honorific of 있다 — the same verb inside 안녕히 계세요. See 이에요 vs 있어요.
Describe the picture
| What you see | Korean | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A woman is sitting on a bench | 여자가 벤치에 앉아 있어요. | posture, result → 아 있어요 |
| She is reading a book | 책을 읽고 있어요. | ongoing activity → 고 있어요 |
| She is wearing a hat | 모자를 쓰고 있어요. | wearing verb → 고 있어요 |
| The café door is open | 카페 문이 열려 있어요. | passive + 어 있어요 |
| A man is walking past | 남자가 지나가고 있어요. | movement in progress → 고 있어요 |
Check yourself
Doing it, or it's done?
Posture = a state that remains → 앉아 있어요.
An ongoing activity → -고 있어요.
Transitive 켜다 → passive 켜지다 + 어 있어요: 켜져 있어요.
Wearing verbs use -고 있어요 for the state.
Marital status = past tense: 결혼했어요?
Action in progress, honorific → -고 계세요.
See the difference, then say it
Hanguljo takes you from Foundation lessons (Hangul, stroke order, native audio) through the TOPIK 1–6 lessons — vocabulary, grammar and particles — with Hanja roots and memory hooks and a 7-stage SRS engine. Speak in the conversation track with shadowing, train your ear with dictation, learn from any Korean video you paste in, read real Korean with the on-device OCR scanner, and keep practising with home, lock screen and quiz widgets — in a calm, focused design.
Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeQuick reference
- -고 있어요
- Action in progress: 먹고 있어요, 비가 오고 있어요, 배우고 있어요. Also -는 중이에요 (in the middle of).
- -아/어 있어요
- Result that remains, intransitive/passive verbs only: 앉아 있어요, 서 있어요, 누워 있어요, 붙어 있어요.
- Transitive verbs
- Use the passive for the state: 문이 열려 있어요, 불이 켜져 있어요, 창문이 닫혀 있어요. Never 문을 열어 있어요.
- Wearing
- 입다, 신다, 쓰다, 끼다, 매다 + 고 있어요 = is wearing.
- Past = state
- 결혼했어요 (is married), 닮았어요 (resembles).
- Honorific
- -고 계세요 (action), -아/어 계세요 (state).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between -고 있어요 and -아/어 있어요?
-고 있어요 = action in progress. -아/어 있어요 = the result of a change that remains.
Why is 문을 열어 있어요 wrong?
-아/어 있어요 needs an intransitive or passive verb: 문이 열려 있어요.
How do you say “she is wearing”?
Wearing verb + -고 있어요: 코트를 입고 있어요.
How do you ask “Are you married?”
결혼했어요? — the past tense describes the state.
What is the honorific form?
-고 계세요 and -아/어 계세요.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Language Dictionary (표준국어대사전) — entries for the auxiliary constructions -고 있다 and -아/어 있다 and the passive verbs 열리다, 켜지다, 닫히다.
- National Institute for International Education, TOPIK official site — TOPIK I includes picture-based questions where these forms matter.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Revised Romanization of Korean.