Hi there. first post on jref! I've been self-teaching myself slowly for about a year and so far so good. The only area that's really confused me is when to use te iru, desu or a form of the verb. I understand for the most part how to use te iru, but It seems like there's many instances where they mean the same thing. Such as:
"boku wa mainichi benkyou shite imasu" vs "boku wa mainichi benkyou shimasu".
Is there any difference between these 2 or are they interchangeable? I know the first sentence can be read as "I'm studying every day" or "I have been studying everyday".
Or when describing appearance, you would say:
"Ojii san wa chotto futotte imasu", I understand this is the result of the action of "gaining weight" but couldn't you also say "futoi desu?"
Lastly, what about location/ existence?
"Ojii san wa koko desu" vs "Ojii san wa koko ni imasu."
For these examples, could someone explain what the differences are? are they interchangeable or do certain situations call for one over the other?
thank you!
Will
"boku wa mainichi benkyou shite imasu" vs "boku wa mainichi benkyou shimasu".
Is there any difference between these 2 or are they interchangeable? I know the first sentence can be read as "I'm studying every day" or "I have been studying everyday".
Or when describing appearance, you would say:
"Ojii san wa chotto futotte imasu", I understand this is the result of the action of "gaining weight" but couldn't you also say "futoi desu?"
Lastly, what about location/ existence?
"Ojii san wa koko desu" vs "Ojii san wa koko ni imasu."
For these examples, could someone explain what the differences are? are they interchangeable or do certain situations call for one over the other?
thank you!
Will