"The teacher is sitting."

Translation: 선생님이 앉아 있어요.

[LiKenun]

-고 있다 is attached to verbs that take objects. - 있다 is attached to verbs that do not.

[okkay47]

What about "sleeping" which ia translated as 자고 있다?

[LiKenun]

기린은 하루에 약 두시간을 잔다. ← 麒麟은 하루에 約 두時間을 잔다.

• “Giraffes sleep for about two hours a day.”

추위 때문에 잠을 잘 수 없다.

• “Because of the cold, I can’t sleep.”

낮잠을 자야겠어.

• “I need to take a nap.”

단잠을 자고 있었어.

• “I slept like a baby.”
• “I slept well.”
• “I had a great sleep.”

In English, sleep can be used intransitively. “I slept two hours” is understood as “I slept for two hours.” There is no object in that sentence at all. But even in English, it can be used transitively:

• “I slept the night away.“

[netbuckeye]

but sleeping doesn't take objects so why is it 자고 있어요?

[LiKenun]

but sleeping doesn't take objects so why is it 자고 있어요?

Sure it does: 어제 밤에 잠을 잘 잤습니까?

Here’s another example: 단잠을 자고 있었어.

It literally means I slept a sweet sleep. And sleep is transitive in this English sentence as well!

[zschuah]

-아/어/해 있다 is used to express the continuous state of a COMPLETED action; can only be used with intransitive verbs (no object)

As such, I think a better English translation would be "The teacher is SEATED".

선생님이 앉고 있어요.
The teacher is sitting down. (He has not sat down yet, still in the process of sitting down. He is still bending his knees, and his butt is moving closer to the chair.)

선생님이 앉아 있어요.
The teacher is seated.

[hwaryeon]

:D thanx so much

[ShwetaM13]

Why 선생님이 not 선생님은 or 선생님는??

[Dol65k]

• Sentence with 이: Answer for the question "WHO is sitting?"
• Sentence with 은: Answer for the question "WHAT is the teacher doing?"

[NightOfNights]

i forgot to add the 이 at the end, usually it says it's a typo but it doesn't accept it for this one....