～ている grammar — change verbs and resultative states
A closer look at ～ている with change verbs — resultative states, the Present Perfect, and when the two don't line up. Example from Attack on Titan.
髪が伸びてないか？
→ Has your hair grown?
髪 (かみ) = hair
伸びる (のびる) = to grow; to stretch; to extend [intransitive verb]
が = subject marker — used here because 伸びる is intransitive and takes no direct object
伸びてない = 伸びていない (contracted) — negative resultative state
か = question marker
伸びる as a change verb
伸びる is a change verb — it describes a subject undergoing a change of state (hair goes from short to longer). Change verbs in their ～ている form express a resultative state: the change has happened, and what ている points to is the state that now exists as a result.
So Eren isn't asking "is your hair growing right now?" — he's not observing an action in progress. He's pointing at the current state of Mikasa's hair and noting that a change has taken place. The hair has grown. That result is visible now.
More on ている: examples · theory.
ている and the Present Perfect
Change verbs in ている form often translate as the Present Perfect in English — "has grown," "has changed," "has arrived" — because both focus on a past event whose result is relevant now.
That said, the match isn't always clean. When the resultative state is simply a current condition with no emphasis on the preceding change, English often uses the Present Simple instead:
窓が開いている。
→ The window is open. (not "the window has opened")
The Japanese ている is the same structure in both cases — resultative state. It's English that handles the two situations differently depending on whether the focus is on the change or the condition.
In Eren's line, the focus is clearly on the change — Mikasa's hair is longer than it used to be, and he's remarking on that. Present Perfect is the natural fit.
The official English translation uses Past Simple — "your hair grew." This is a translation choice, not a grammatical one. Past Simple in English can also convey a completed change with visible results, and it reads more naturally in casual speech. The Japanese ている doesn't change — it's still a resultative state either way.
The ている (te iru) form is one of the most versatile grammar patterns in Japanese—used for ongoing actions, states, habits, and results. Here's how it works with real examples.
Before diving in: this post builds on the theory from the previous ている post. Worth reading first if you haven't.
All examples are from Jujutsu Kaisen, episode 19.
学長たちや高専に待機している術師が動けていない。可能性もある。
→ There's also the possibility that the sorcerers stationed at the school and the colleges haven't been able to act.
学長 (がくちょう) = principal [たち = pluralising suffix]
待機 (たいき) = standing by; on alert [suru verb]
可能性 (かのうせい) = possibility; likelihood
Kamo, to himself, while fleeing from Hanami.
Two uses of ている in one sentence—different types.
待機している = to stand by / be on standby. 待機する is an intransitive non-change verb—it describes an ongoing action with no defined endpoint. ている here = action in progress. "Stationed at" in the official translation is technically an adjective, but "sorcerers who are standing by" captures the same nuance.
Learn more about aspects here.
動けていない — note the form: this is 動ける (potential form of 動く) + ていない. The potential matters: it's not "haven't acted" but "haven't been able to act." 動く as "to take action" is a change verb—you act in order to achieve a result. ている with a change verb expresses a resultative state, so 動けていない = the result of not being able to act is still in effect. English naturally reaches for the perfect: "haven't been able to act."
Quick recap — telic vs. atelic
The two tables from the previous post are included here for reference:
To use ている correctly, you need to know whether a verb is telic (change verb)—an action with a defined endpoint and result—or atelic (non-change verb)—an ongoing action where the endpoint is unclear or irrelevant.
ている shows:
A habitual action (ongoing, but possibly temporary — "these days")
An action in progress at the moment of speaking
A resultative state — the result of a completed action still holds (e.g. 大阪に行っている = I've gone to Osaka; I'm there now)
The Reddit example is worth keeping in mind:
Last night, when I asked my [Japanese] wife to send an email to me, she said もう送っている, which I took to mean that she was sending the message… What I later realized is that in this context 送っている meant that the message has been sent. According to my wife, if she wanted to say she was sending the message it would have been 送っているところ. (Reddit)
Japanese treats 送る as a change verb first—the focus is on the result (the message reaching its destination), not the process. English speakers default to progressive aspect and miss this.
Example 1 — 持っている
だが謎のふてぶてしさ、余程の術式を持っているのか（現にこの私が下手に動けなかった）
→ But that inexplicable boldness… does he possess a considerable cursed technique? (In fact, even I couldn't move carelessly.)
のか here isn't simply surprise—it's Hanami reasoning out loud to herself, forming a hypothesis from visible evidence. のか marks internal questioning or thinking through a conclusion.
持つ is a stative verb—it describes a state of possession rather than an action being performed. 持っている = to be in the state of having / to possess. This is a resultative/stative use of ている, not action in progress. Hanami isn't watching Todou acquire something; she's observing that he already has it.
Note: English distinguishes "I have a dog" (possession) from "I'm having breakfast" (eating)—the progressive form shifts meaning. Japanese doesn't work this way. 持っている covers possession without any such ambiguity.
Example 2 — できている
呪霊の体は呪力でできている
→ A cursed spirit's body is made of cursed energy.
呪霊 (じゅれい) = cursed spirit
体 (からだ) = body
呪力 (じゅりょく) = cursed energy
～でできる = to be made of ～
Todou to Yuuji.
できる is a change verb—it describes the completion of something, a result achieved. できている = resultative state: the body came into being in this form, and that result is still in effect. "Be made of" in English captures this naturally—it's a description of a permanent state, not an ongoing process.
Note: できる alone (without ている) would suggest something about to happen in the future. ている anchors it as a present, ongoing state.
Example 3 — 操っている / 思っていた
これだけの質量 実物に呪力を通し操っていると思っていた
→ With this much mass… I thought he was channeling cursed energy into the real thing to control it.
これだけ = this much; to this extent
質量 (しつりょう) = mass
実物 (じつぶつ) = the real thing; the actual object
通し (とおし) = 通す in pre-masu connective form—to channel through; to pass through [connects two verbs: "channel and control"]
操る (あやつる) = to control; to manipulate; to manoeuvre
油断 (ゆだん) = carelessness; letting one's guard down [visible in the gif, not the sentence itself]
操っている — "to control" doesn't tell us what the end result will be or whether it succeeds. It's a non-change verb: ている = action in progress. Todou assumed Hanami was actively channeling energy into the wood in that moment.
思っていた — 思う is a stative verb: it describes the state of holding an opinion or belief. 思っていた = that belief was in effect at the time, up until a moment ago. This isn't "I was considering something" (deliberate mental activity)—it's "that was my understanding while it lasted." The past tense marks that the opinion no longer holds: Todou has just been proven wrong.
Example 4 — 偽っている
何も偽っているつもりはありませんよ
→ I have no intention of pretending anything.
何も + negative = nothing; not anything
つもりはありません = have no intention of [verb]
偽る (いつわる) = to lie; to deceive; to feign; to falsify
"To pretend" or "to deceive" describes ongoing behavior—you keep up an act, and whether it succeeds is a separate question. The pretending itself has no built-in endpoint or guaranteed result. Non-change verb: ている = action in progress.
Example 5 — 満たされている
いつの間にか満たされている
→ Before I knew it, I had become satisfied.
いつの間にか (いつのまにか) = before one realises; unnoticed; without knowing when
満たす (みたす) = to satisfy; to fulfil; to meet (conditions) [transitive; change verb]
満たされる = to be satisfied [passive form]
満たす is a change verb—satisfying something means reaching a result (a need is met, a condition is fulfilled). 満たされている = passive + ている = resultative state: the state of having become satisfied is now in effect. Mahito wasn't satisfied before this moment; now he is, and he's only just noticed it.
Final thoughts
ている doesn't map onto any single English tense. The present continuous is one option, the present perfect is another, and sometimes the best translation is a stative adjective with no tense marker at all. Which one fits depends on the verb.
There's no exhaustive list of change vs. non-change verbs to memorize—grammar books in Japanese include partial lists as illustrations, not complete references. Some verbs fall into both categories depending on context, and those require extra attention.
Exposure helps more than memorization here. But if you want a solid theoretical anchor, study transitive and intransitive verbs in depth. Understanding that distinction won't resolve every edge case, but it will make a lot of ている behavior considerably less mysterious.
