JLPT N4 Grammar – Complete Guide to “〜ている” and “〜ていない”
Table of Contents
1. Complete Guide to “〜ている” and “〜ていない”
2. ① Present Progressive Form
3. ② Resulting State
4. ③ Continuation of a Habit
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Similar Articles
8. Comment
Q: If “〜ている” corresponds to the English “-ing,” then I thought “〜ていない” would mean “not -ing.” But can it also mean “not yet” or “have not”? I’m confused.
A: “〜ている” doesn’t only express a progressive action — it can also indicate a resulting state or a habitual continuation. This article clearly explains these three usages and how they differ from “〜ていない.”
JLPT N4 Grammar
How to Use “〜ている”
Beyond the Present Progressive Form
① Present Progressive Form
This indicates that an action is currently in progress or continuing at the moment.
In the negative form, it means that the action is not happening right now.
In written language, “〜ている / 〜ていない” is generally used,
while in spoken language, it is more natural to omit “い” and say “〜てる / 〜てない.”
[Examples]
A：今、何をしているの？
B：何もしてないよ。
A: What are you doing now?
B: Nothing right now.
A：今、雨が降ってる？
B：ううん、降ってないよ。
A: Is it raining now?
B: No, it’s not.
A：今、電話中？
B：ううん、電話してないよ。音楽を聞いてるんだ。
A: Are you on the phone?
B: No, I’m not. I’m listening to music.
② Resulting State
When combined with instantaneous verbs such as “結婚する (to marry)” or “持つ (to have),” it expresses a state that began at some point in the past and continues in the present.
In the negative form, it means that the state has not yet been reached.
[Examples]
わたしは結婚していません。
I’m not married.
⇒ In other words, I’m single now.
免許は持っているけど、車は持っていません。
I have a driver’s license, but I don’t own a car.
⇒ This means I obtained a license in the past, but I don’t currently own a car.
Also, some verbs are used differently in affirmative and negative forms.
For example, with the verb “知る (to know),” you cannot use the negative form “〜ていない”; instead, you must use the plain negative “知らない.”
[Examples]
A：このレストラン、知っていますか。
B：〇 はい、知っていますよ。
× いいえ、知っていません。
A: Do you know this restaurant?
B: Yes, I know it.
On the other hand, in the negative form, the range of verbs that can be used increases. It is common to use the pattern “まだ〜ていない” to express that a certain result or state has not yet occurred.
(Note: “まだ” is often omitted depending on the context.)
[Examples]
A：もう駅に着いた？
B：ううん、まだ着いてない。
A: Have you arrived at the station yet?
B: No, not yet.
⇒ The result of “arriving” has not been completed yet.
A：宿題してるの？
B：ううん、まだしてないよ。
A: Are you doing your homework?
B: No, not yet.
⇒ A is asking whether the action is in progress now, while B is saying that they haven’t started yet.
A：もう資料はできましたか。
B：すみません、まだできていません。
A: Are the materials ready yet?
B: Sorry, not yet.
JLPT N5 Vocabulary
The usage and rules of “分かる” and “知る”
③ Continuation of a Habit
The affirmative form “〜ている” expresses an action or state that began at some point in the past and continues up to the present.
[Commonly used verbs]
作る (to make), 働く (to work), 教える (to teach), 売る (to sell), etc.
[Examples]
アップルはパソコンを作っています。
Apple makes computers.
父は銀行で働いています。
My father works at a bank.
On the other hand, the negative form “〜ていない” means “not even once from a certain point in the past up to the present.”
[Examples]
アップルは化粧品を作っていません。
Apple doesn’t make cosmetics.
⇒ This means that since its founding, Apple has never produced cosmetics.
父は銀行で働いていません。郵便局で働いています。
My father doesn’t work at a bank. He works at the post office.
昔はこの商店でたばこを売っていましたが、今は売っていません。
In the past, this shop used to sell cigarettes, but it doesn’t sell them now.
⇒ It means that the shop used to sell them up to a certain point in the past but hasn’t sold them at all since then.
Let’s Compare
In Japanese, even the same sentence can have different meanings depending on the context or situation.
Therefore, a sentence like the one below can be difficult to interpret without additional information.
[Example]
働いていません。
I’m not working.
Now, let’s look at the following example:
[Example]
去年の10月に仕事を辞めてから、働いていません。
I haven’t worked since I quit my job last October.
In this case, it means “I haven’t worked even once from last October until now.”
In other words, it expresses the negative form of habitual continuation.
However, depending on the context, it can also be interpreted as the negative form of the present progressive.
The difference lies in where the speaker’s focus is.
・Negative form of habitual continuation / resultative state:
The focus is on the flow of time from a certain point in the past to the present.
・Negative form of the present progressive:
Focus is limited to the present, with little or no attention to the past.
Unlike English, Japanese does not distinguish these nuances through grammar.
Instead, the meaning is determined by context and situation.
Summary
In all cases, “〜ている / 〜ていない” is used in written language, while in spoken language the “い” is often omitted, becoming “〜てる / 〜てない.”
[Present Progressive Form]
- Expresses that an action or process is currently ongoing or continuing. In the negative form, it indicates that the action is not happening right now.
- The negative form of the present progressive focuses on the present, not including the past.
[Resulting State]
- When used with instantaneous verbs such as “結婚する” (to get married) or “持つ” (to have), the affirmative form expresses that something that happened at a certain point in the past continues to exist in the present.
- The negative form indicates that the state has not yet been reached.
- For example, the verb “知る” (to know) does not take the negative “知っていない”; instead, the plain negative “知らない” must be used.
- In negative sentences, more verbs can be used, and the pattern “まだ〜ていない” often expresses that a result or state has not yet occurred, though “まだ” is often omitted.
- The focus is on the flow of time from the past to the present.
[Habitual Continuation]
- In the affirmative form, it expresses that an action started at some point in the past and is still continuing in the present.
- In the negative form, it means that something has not been done even once from a certain point in the past up to the present.
- The focus is on the flow of time from the past to the present.
Similer Articles
- JLPT N2・N4 Grammar – The difference between ”〜にくい”, ”〜づらい” and “〜がたい”
- JLPT N4・N5 Vocabulary – The difference between “聞けない” and “聞こえない”
- JLPT N4・N5 Grammar – The difference between “〜けど” and “〜のに”
- JLPT N3・N4 Grammar – The difference between “〜ように” and “〜通りに”
- JLPT N4 Vocabulary – The difference between “何でも” and “何も”
▼ Subscribe to Our Newsletter ▼
Receive free tips for learning Japanese!
