Long time no see guys & gals. Today I will cover the usage of “~te imasu” which means “doing something”. On how to convert from normal form to “te” form, please refer to my previous post.

Drink coffee – Ko-hi- o nomimasu
Drinking coffee – Ko-hi- o nonde imasu
Drank coffee – Ko-hi- o nomimashita

I am writing a letter to friend – Tomodachi ni tegami o (kaku)kaite imasu
I am not writing postcard to friend – Tomodachi ni hagaki wa kaite imasen
I am singing oddies – Mukashi no uta o (utau)utatte imasu
I am not singing new song – Atarashii uta wa utatte imasen
Meaning : Tomodachi (Friend), Tegami (Letter), Hagaki (Postcard), Mukashi (Olden Days), Uta (Song)

Q : What are you doing? – Nani o (suru)shite imasu ka?
A : Swimming at the pool – Pu-ru de (oyogu)oyoide imasu
Meaning : Nani (What), Pu-ru (Pool)

Once you have master the conversion of ~te form, everything will be easier.