TeacherJoy

The present progressive is less commonly used in Korean than it is in English.

• 올해 뭐 해요?
• 이번 달에 뭐 해요?
• 이번 주에 뭐 해요?
• 오늘 뭐 해요?
• 지금 뭐 해요?

Korean use time adverbs before verbs. The adverb and the situation already tell you whether it’s progressive or just the simple present.

But anyway, I’m here to teach you the pattern today. The pattern is “-고 있다.” The original meaning of 있다 has evolved here; it no longer means “exist.” It marks the progressive.

So, let’s practice.

Depending on the situation and what you want to express:
“지금 뭐 해요?” can become “지금 뭐 하고 있어요?”
You can sound even more polite by changing “있어요” to “계세요.”
So, “지금 뭐 하고 계세요?”

“지금 뭐 드세요?” can become “지금 뭐 드시고 계세요?”
Since ‘드시다’ is an honorific version of ‘먹다,’ you should match the level of politeness.

And here’s a useful bit:
There are times when you use the progressive tense not because the action is literally happening now, but because you’re sending a message or adding emotional weight without directly stating it.

For example:

“I love you.” → “사랑해요.” or “사랑합니다.”
If you want to exaggerate or highlight the feeling, “사랑하고 있어요.” or “사랑하고 있습니다.”

“I know it.” → “알아요.” or “압니다.”
But I personally think I often say “알고 있어요.” or “알고 있습니다.”

“I didn’t know it.” → “몰랐어요.” or “몰랐습니다.”
You can say “모르고 있었어요.” or “모르고 있었습니다.”

Alright, that’s enough grammar for today.
Go use it somewhere and impress someone.