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なっている

21 Jun 2017
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Hi, so this is something I've been wondering some time.

I know that the ~ている form generally speaking means one of two things:

1. For actions that take some time to perform, that the action is currently in progress and ongoing (e.g. 作っている -> "making").
2. For actions that are more or less instantaneous, that the action has been done and is still in effect (e.g. 死んでいる -> "dead").

So my question is, which category does なる fit in? I ask because I don't feel certain that becoming something takes time, but I don't feel confident in calling it instantaneous.

To be more concrete, what would the following example sentences translate to?

1. あの家は本屋になっています。
2. 私は女になっています。
3. ジェフさんはタレントになっています。
 
Those all express "result of a change", so they belong to #2. The first one also can be just the current state, but anyway, it's not present progressive.
Haven't you read the explanation of how to check the type of verbs in the lesson 7 in Genki?
 
I have, but for this particular word I wasn't sure how to classify it. Thanks for the answer.

So out of curiosity, how would you refer to the ongoing process of becoming something else? Do you use another word, or another grammatical construction? Similar examples:

1. That house is becoming a store.
2. I am becoming a woman.
3. Jeff is becoming a star.
 
Another expressions are used like ~になろうとしている, ~になるところだ or ~になる途中だ.
 
Incidentally, these expressions are applied not only to なる but also to other punctual verbs, e.g., 死のうとしている, 死ぬところだ, 死にかけている, 死にそうだ, 結婚しようとしている, 結婚するところだ, 結婚しかけている, 結婚しそうだ, etc.
 
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