| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow. |
| [Verb/Verb phrase in te-form] + います |
| [Verb/Verb phrase in te-form] + imasu |
| [person] is doing something |
| This sentence pattern is used to describe an action that is currently in progress. The key part here is the verb in te-form, which is used to connect with the verb います (imasu). Together, they express that the subject is doing something right now—an ongoing action. |
| Let’s see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern. |
| ワインをのんでいます｡ |
| Wain o nonde imasu. |
| "I'm drinking wine." |
| In this sentence: |
| ワイン (wain) means 'wine.' |
| を (o) is the object marker, showing that the wine is the thing being acted upon. |
| のんで (nonde) is the te-form of のむ (nomu), meaning 'to drink.' |
| います (imasu) shows the action is currently in progress. |
| So, ワインをのんでいます｡ translates to "I'm drinking wine." |
| You're using the pattern [te-form] + imasu to show what action is happening right now. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| もしもし、今、何を していますか｡ (Moshi moshi, ima, nani o shite imasu ka.) |
| Hello, what are you doing now? |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| Let's break it down: |
| First, "もしもし" is a common way to say "hello" on the phone. It sets the context but doesn't affect the verb pattern. |
| "今 (ima)" means "now." It tells us that the speaker is asking about something happening at this moment. |
| "何を (nani o)" breaks down as: |
| "何 (nani)" means "what," and "を (o)" marks it as the object - the thing someone is doing. |
| Now we get to the verb phrase that matches our pattern: |
| "しています (shite imasu)" |
| "する (suru)" is the verb "to do." |
| Its te-form is "して (shite)", and when combined with "います (imasu)", it becomes "して います (shite imasu)", meaning "am/are doing." |
| This is the core of our sentence: it expresses an action that is happening right now. |
| So, "しています (shite imasu)" fits the pattern [Verb in te-form] + imasu. |
| Altogether, "今、何を していますか。" means "What are you doing now?" |
| It uses the te-form + imasu structure to ask about an action currently in progress. |
| Here's another example |
| 今、こうえんで ジョギングをしています｡ (Ima, kōen de jogingu o shite imasu.) |
| I’m jogging in the park right now. |
| 今、こうえんで ジョギングをしています｡ (Ima, kōen de jogingu o shite imasu.) |
| I’m jogging in the park right now. |
| Let's try one more, |
| すみません、今 だれと 話していますか｡ (Sumimasen, ima dare to hanashite imasu ka.) |
| Excuse me, who are you talking with right now? |
| すみません、今 だれと 話していますか｡ (Sumimasen, ima dare to hanashite imasu ka.) |
| Excuse me, who are you talking with right now? |
| Another one. |
| ささきさんと 話しています｡ (Sasaki-san to hanashite imasu.) |
| I’m talking with Mr. Sasaki now. |
| ささきさんと 話しています｡ (Sasaki-san to hanashite imasu.) |
| I’m talking with Mr. Sasaki now. |
| Another example. |
| ひまりちゃんは だれと べんきょうしていますか｡ (Himari-chan wa dare to benkyō shite imasu ka.) |
| Who is Himari studying with now? |
| ひまりちゃんは だれと べんきょうしていますか｡ (Himari-chan wa dare to benkyō shite imasu ka.) |
| Who is Himari studying with now? |
| Next. |
| ひとりで べんきょうしています｡ (Hitori de benkyō shite imasu.) |
| She is studying alone now. |
| ひとりで べんきょうしています｡ (Hitori de benkyō shite imasu.) |
| She is studying alone now. |
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