Skip to main content
All Japanese activities

Activities: The continuous in Japanese

By: Akiko Kashiwagi-Wood

Activity 1: Choose the best form

Choose the appropriate phrase to fit the sentence.

  1. 私は東京に （ ・ ） が、来月田舎に引っ越す。 Watashi wa Tōkyō ni ( sumit tsutsu aru / sunde iru ) ga, raigetsu inaka ni hikkosu. I live in Tokyo, but (I) will move to the countryside next month.

  2. 今 （ ・ ） 、ちょっと待っていてください。 Ima ( ryōri shite iru tokoro na node / ryōri shite iru node ), chotto matte ite kudasai. (I) am right in the middle of cooking so please wait a minute.

  3. 彼女の魂は彼女の音楽の中で （ ・ ） 。 Kanojo no tamashii wa kanojo no ongaku no naka de ( iki tsuzukeru / ikite iru tokoro da ). Her spirit keeps living in her music.

  4. 十二月に入って、少しずつ （ ・ ） 。 Jūni-gatsu ni haitte, sukoshi zutsu ( samuku nari tsutsu aru / samuku natte iru ). Entering December, it is getting colder little by little.

  5. 窓の外を見たら、ちょうど佐藤さんが ( ・ ） だった。 Mado no soto o mi tara, chōdo Satō-san ga ( aruki tsuzukeru / aruite iru tokoro ) datta. When (I) looked out the window, Mr. Sato was just walking (by).

  6. 今までずっと水泳教室に通ってきた。これからも （ ・ ） つもりだ。 Ima made zutto suiei kyōshitsu ni kayotte kita. Kore kara mo ( kayoi tsuzukeru / kayotte iru ) tsumori da. (I) have been taking swimming lessons for a long time. I intend on continuing to go there.

  7. 一昨日からずっと、雪が （ ・ ） 。 Ototoi kara zutto, yuki ga ( furi tsuzuite iru / futte iru tokoro da ). Since the day before yesterday, it has continued snowing.

  8. まだ三月の半ばなのに、桜の花が （ ・ ） 。 Mada sangatsu no nakaba na noni, sakura no hana ga ( saki tsutsu aru / saite iru tokoro da ) . It’s still mid-March, but the cherry blossoms are gradually blooming.

Activity 2: Finish the conversations

Following are the conversations between two people. Fill in the blanks with the given words, appropriately changing the form. Avoid using the ending ている! Check the English translation for the intended meaning. Make sure you match the level of politeness!

    • Kana:

      もしもし、今何してる？
      Moshi moshi, ima nani shiteru?
      Hi, what are you doing now?

    • Riko:

      今？よ。今日、友達が遊びに来るから。
      Ima, ___ yo. Kyō, tomodachi ga asobi ni kuru kara.
      Now? (I’m) in the middle of cleaning. Because (my) friend is coming to visit.

    • Teacher:

      卒業後はどうしますか。
      Sotsugyōgo wa dō shimasu ka.
      What will you do after you graduate?

    • Student:

      卒業後は、韓国に帰ります。
      Sotsugyōgo wa, Kankoku ni kaerimasu.
      After (I) graduate, I am going back to Korea.

    • Teacher:

      そうですか。寂しいですね。
      Sō desu ka. Sabishii desu ne.
      I see. (That would be) sad.

    • Student:

      でも、日本語はよ。
      Demo, Nihongo wa ___ yo.
      But, I will continue studying Japanese.

    • Ian:

      僕の町では、最近子供の数が減ってきているんだ。ポールさんの町はどう？
      Boku no machi de wa, saikin kodomo no kazu ga hette kite iru n da. Pōru-san no machi wa dō?
      In my town, the number of children has been decreasing recently. How about in your (=Paul’s) town?

    • Paul:

      そうだな、僕のところでも最近子供の数がかな。
      Sōda na, boku no tokoro de mo saikin kodomo no kazu ga ___ ka na.
      Well, the number of children in the town where I live is (slowly) decreasing these days.

      去年は僕が行っていた小学校が閉まっちゃったんだよ。
      Zan'nen da kedo. Kyonen wa boku ga itte ita shōgakkō ga shimachatta n da yo.
      It's a pity. The elementary school that I attended closed last year.

    • Suzuki:

      もしもし田中さん、今どこにいるんですか。
      Moshi moshi Tanaka-san, ima doko ni iru n desu ka.
      Hello, Mr. Tanaka. Where are you at now?

    • Tanaka:

      今、コンビニの前を。
      Ima, konbini no mae o ___.
      I am now walking right in front of the convenience store now.

      あと5分ぐらいで着くと思いますよ。
      Ato gohun gurai de tsuku to omoimasu yo.
      (I) think I’m going to be (there) in 5 minutes or so.

    • Mori:

      新しい仕事はどうですか。
      Atarashii shigoto wa dō desu ka.
      How is your new job?

    • Ota:

      おかげさまで、少しずつ。
      Okage sama de, sukoshi zutsu ___.
      Thank you, (I) am gradually getting used to it.