Results & Consequences in Japanese || Using ている, となる & More

Q: What is the difference between ている and ていた when expressing results?

ている expresses a continuous or current result, while ていた indicates a past result or consequence that no longer applies.

Q: How do になる and となる differ in showing results or transformations?

になる is commonly used for natural changes or expected results, while となる often emphasizes a formal or significant transformation.

Q: Can になる and ている be used together?

Yes, using になっている can describe a state resulting from a transformation that is currently ongoing or exists as a consequence.

Q: When is it appropriate to use となる over になる?

となる is typically used in written or formal contexts to describe official outcomes, major transformations, or declarative results.

Q: Can I study Japanese in Japan?

Of course! We offer Japanese Courses in Tokyo , with group or individual classes. You’ll even have the chance to live with a Japanese family as part of our homestay program.

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JAPANESE RESULTS & CONSEQUENCES

In Japanese, expressing results and consequences can involve various structures like ている, ていた, になる, and となる, each adding layers to describe ongoing, past, and transformative outcomes.

Mastering these expressions helps convey the progression, completion, and impact of actions in different contexts.

HOW TO USE ている & ていた, RESULT OF AN ACTION

Many verbs in the ている form describe continuous actions.

However, depending on the context, some verbs in the ている form express the result of an action.

With these verbs, the ている form describes the state that results from the change.

PATTERN

Verb (て form) + いる / いた

To make a verb into the ている form, you need to conjugate the verb into the て form and add 〜いる to the end.

When a verb changes the state of something instantly, the ている form of that verb describes the resulting state.

The clue to whether a verb falls into this category or not is if the change is instantaneous.

Let’s see example sentences.

Japanese	English
テレビがついている。	The TV is on.
蚊が死んでいる。	The mosquito is dead.
切符が落ちている。	There’s a ticket on the ground.

View More Examples:

japanese	english
彼はとても疲れている。	He is very tired.
お父さんは仕事のためにもう家を出ていた。	My dad had left home for work already.
レストランはもう開いている。	The restaurant is already open.

As you can notice in these examples, they are not talking about ongoing action, rather they are describing the result of an action even though using the ている form.
We also noticed that the change happened instantly.

HOW TO USE になる, TO RESULT IN

There are more expressions in Japanese that describe the results and consequences. The first one is ～になる.

～になる means “to become”, “to result in”, or “to change into”.

PATTERN

Verb (dictionary form) + ことになる
Noun + になる
い adjective(remove final い) + く + なる
な adjective(remove final な) + になる

Let’s see some examples:

Japanese	English
息子も大人になりました。	My son also became an adult.
仕事で疲れたので、とても眠くなりました。	I became very sleepy because I was so tired from the work.
来年、私は20歳になります。	I will be 20 years old next year.

View More Examples:

japanese	english
妻はもっときれいになりたいそうです。	My wife wants to be more beautiful.
友達の結婚式に行くことになりました。	I have to attend the wedding of my friend.
大学生になるのが楽しみです。	I am looking forward to becoming a university student.

HOW TO USE となる, FORMAL WAY

となる basically means the same as になる, with slight differences.

First of all, となる may sound more formal, and it can only be used with verbs and nouns, not with adjectives.

Also, it is often used in formal writing.

PATTERN

Verb (dictionary form) + こととなる
Noun + となる

Japanese	English
学校の先生となることが目標です。	My goal is to become a school teacher.
来月結婚することとなりました。	I am going to get married next month.
英語を勉強するために3か月間アメリカに行くこととなりました。	I will go to the United States for 3 months to study English.

View More Examples:

japanese	english
兄が会社の社長となることとなりました。	My older brother became CEO of that company.
この度、就職することとなりました。	I was able to get the chance to start working.
高橋さんは出張のため、中国に行くこととなります。	Mr. Takahashi will go to China to make a business trip.

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FAQs

What is the difference between ている and ていた when expressing results?

ている expresses a continuous or current result, while ていた indicates a past result or consequence that no longer applies.

How do になる and となる differ in showing results or transformations?

になる is commonly used for natural changes or expected results, while となる often emphasizes a formal or significant transformation.

Can になる and ている be used together?

Yes, using になっている can describe a state resulting from a transformation that is currently ongoing or exists as a consequence.

When is it appropriate to use となる over になる?

となる is typically used in written or formal contexts to describe official outcomes, major transformations, or declarative results.

Can I study Japanese in Japan?

Of course!

We offer Japanese Courses in Tokyo, with group or individual classes. You’ll even have the chance to live with a Japanese family as part of our homestay program.