You didn't give a context. Context is not just what is contained in a sentence; it is the surroundings and situation and circumstances in which something is said.Hi, I'm studying the ~ている form and my textbook says that in some contexts it can be used to 'describe what a person does by occupation.' So, in this context, could the sentence be interchangeable with the ~います form. For example:
- 私は英語を教えます。
- 私は英語を教えています。
By context I meant, if when asked about my occupation (teaching English), both sentences can be interchangeable.
In that context, you can't use 私は英語を教えます。 as an answer. It expresses future tense.By context I meant, if when asked about my occupation (teaching English), both sentences can be interchangeable.
In that context, you can't use 私は英語を教えます。 as an answer. It expresses future tense.
e.g.
今は国語を教えていますが、来年からは英語を教えます。
６０００円で週に３回英語を教えます would be acceptable, but this is more likely explaining about the price, not answering the occupation question. I don't think 教えます work well for the current occupation.
The present form of action verbs CAN'T express the present action. This is a fundamental principle.I'm a bit lost at the moment. I always thought it was OK to say, for example, 山田さんは日本語を教える (Yamada-san teaches English), or 山田さんは日本語の教師です (Yamada-san is a Japanese teacher). I understand why it's OK to use -ている to talk about one's current occupation but I don't understand why it isn't correct to use -います. Wouldn't it be stating a fact that I teach Eng?
This is wrong. 買う actually belongs to the second group; 継続動詞(durative verbs).In this case I think it doesn't make much sense, as buying is something almost instantaneous, which changes a person's state from not having something to having something, so I think it would be in the third group, implying that the ている form would state the result of the action.
So there isn't a reference book you can go to if you want to check to which of those 3 groups a verb belongs?I personally have never seen 継続動詞 etc. marked in a dictionary.
As same as 行っています, 買いに行っています can express 1)present habit, 2)different agents do that repeatedly or 3)on-going action.How about 買いに行っています？
買っている is used only for #1(not only for frequent shopping places) and #2. 買っているところです is used for #3.買っている → よく行くお店？ (豆腐は近所のお店で買っています )
状態動詞, 継続動詞 or 瞬間動詞 are technical terms basically only used in linguistics. Non-native learners would be more familiar with this concept of classification than native Japanese speakers.I personally have never seen 継続動詞 etc. marked in a dictionary. Are these terms commonly used or is it more a linguistics thing?
That's right. Probably this is one of reasons that dictionaries don't have this classification for each verb.Where does something like 落ちる go? Can't that mean either? (context dependant - falling, or fallen).
As same as 行っています, 買いに行っています can express 1)present habit, 2)different agents do that repeatedly or 3)on-going action.