Lesson 5
In this lesson, let’s learn how to say that you are “in the middle of doing” something in Korean. In Level 2 Lesson 10, we introduced the structure -고 있다 as the plain present progressive, and now let us take a look at some other ways of expressing the present progressive by using the word 중.
중 = middle, center, medium
The word 중 can be used with many other words to form various meanings that are related to middle, center, or medium.
Ex)
중학교 = middle school
중간고사 = midterm exam
중앙 = central
When you want to say, “I am in the middle of doing something”, you can use 중 in the form of -고 있는 중이다.
-고 있는 중이다 = to be in the middle of + Verb-ing
The basic form of the present progressive is -고 있다.
Ex)
먹고 있다 = I am eating.
뭐 먹고 있어요? = What are you eating?
You can add the ending -는 to change the verb into an adjective to modify the noun 중.
-고 있 (progressive) + -는 중 (in the middle of Verb-ing)
-고 있는 중 + -이다 (to be)
-고 있는 중이다 (to be in the middle of Verb-ing)
You only conjugate the verb -이다 at the end to express the tense of the sentence.
Ex)
Present: -고 있는 중이에요.
Past: -고 있는 중이었어요.
Future: -고 있는 중일 거예요.
Sample Sentences
가고 있는 중이에요.
= I am on my way.
= I am in the middle of going.
* You can say “가고 있어요” to mean the same thing, but -는 중 emphasizes the fact that you are doing something right at this very moment.
뭐 하고 있는 중이었어요?
= What were you doing?
= What were you in the middle of doing?
열쇠를 찾고 있는 중이었어요.
= I was in the middle of looking for the key.
* For all the sentences above, you can change -고 있는 중 to -는 중 to mean the same thing.
가고 있는 중이에요. → 가는 중이에요.
뭐 하고 있는 중이에요? → 뭐 하는 중이에요?
열쇠를 찾고 있는 중이었어요. → 열쇠를 찾는 중이었어요.
Sample Mini Dialogues
1.
A: 공부해요! 언제 공부할 거예요? = Study! When are you going to study?
B: *하는 중이에요! = I am!
* You can say 하는 중이에요 in other forms as well.
Ex)
하고 있어요.
하고 있는 중이에요.
If you are upset, you can add -잖아요.
Ex)
하는 중이잖아요.
2.
A: 뭐 하는 중이었어요? = What were you doing?
B: 아무것도 안 했어요. = I did not do anything.
3.
A: 다 샀어요? = Did you buy everything?
B: 아직 고르는 중이에요. = I am still in the middle of choosing.