猫の写真で日本語の動詞を学ぼう

What does “-te imasu” mean in Japanese?

To say an action is happening right now, Japanese uses 〜ています (-te imasu): the verb’s te-form plus います. So 立つ (to stand) becomes 立っています (“is standing”), 寝る (to sleep) becomes 寝ています (“is sleeping”), and 食べる becomes 食べています (“is eating”). Each cat photo freezes one action mid-moment — exactly what 〜ています describes.

The same form also covers an ongoing state: 座っています can be “is sitting down” (the action) or “is seated” (the result). To ask “what’s it doing?” you say 何をしていますか, and to offer alternatives, それとも (“or…?”) — 立っていますか、それとも座っていますか. Drop the い in casual speech and you get 〜てる: 食べてる, 寝てる.