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I always thought that a verb ending in the `て` form along with the `いる` suffix
was the English equivelent of the "ing" form of a verb.

Thus:

> see = 見{み}る, seeing = 見{み}ている
>
> do = する, doing = している

However, according to the [Wikipedia entry on
gerunds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerund), a gerund in Japanese is when
you add the particle `の`.

Say what?

To be honest, I'm not actually that interested in grammatical technicalities,
such as what label is applied to what verb form.

What I am very interested in, though, is usage.

So what, precisely, is the difference in meaning and implication between:

> 見{み}ている
>
> 見{み}ているの
>
> 見{み}るの

(This question is a spin off from "[What is the difference between `は` and
`のは`](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1322/what-is-the-
difference-between-and/1347#1347)?")
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verbs particle-の
If Vて+いる isn't a gerund, then what is it?
I think the confusion here arises from the fact that English can use the
"-ing" form of a verb in two different ways: using a verb as a noun (gerund),
or expressing a continuous action (progressive tense).

In plain language, adding の to a verb in Japanese transforms it into a noun
and makes it suitable to be followed by は, が, or various other particles that
need to have a noun preceding them:

> 映画【えいが】を **見【み】る** 。 I **will watch** a movie.
>
> 映画【えいが】を **見【み】るの** **watching** a movie (or, "the act of watching a movie")
>
> 映画【えいが】を **見【み】るの** が好【す】きだ。 I like **watching** movies. (Slightly different
> translation since the plural is more natural in English.)
>
> 映画【えいが】を見【み】るが好【す】きだ。 (incorrect, since が can't follow a verb; it needs a
> noun.)

So let's throw ～ている into the mix. ～ている shows the **continuation of an action**
, for which English uses the "-ing" form plus a helper verb:

> 映画【えいが】を **見【み】ている** 。 I **am watching** a movie.

Translating 見【み】ているの gets a little weird in English, but it can be used like
this:

> 見【み】ているの [the act of] being in the middle of watching
>
> 彼【かれ】が映画【えいが】を **見【み】ているの** を見【み】た。 I saw him [when he was **in the middle
> of** ] **watching** a movie.

And of course, remember that ～ている does not always show the continuation of an
action in Japanese. It can also show the **continuation of a state** :

> このいすは **壊【こわ】れている** 。 This chair **is broken**. (not "is breaking")
>
> かばんの中【なか】に携帯【けいたい】が **入【はい】っている** 。 A cell phone **is in** the bag. (not "is
> entering")

* * *

Postscript:

こと is the other "nominalizer" (read: noun-making machine) that can be used
like の to turn a verb into a noun. Sometimes (but not always!) you can
interchange the two:

> ピアノを **弾【ひ】くの** が好【す】きだ。 I like **playing** the piano.
>
> ピアノを **弾【ひ】くこと** が好【す】きだ。 I like **playing** the piano.

The full differentiation of の and こと as nominalizers is beyond the scope of
this question, but as a quick rule, の is generally used when the outer action
happens at the same place or time as the inner action, while こと is generally
used when the two can be considered from a removed standpoint lacking
immediacy. (For further explanation, please see [What is the difference
between the nominalizers こと and
の?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1395).)
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answer
It is, quite plainly, a verb. But due to the 「～ている」 conjugation, the verb
stops being "V" and becomes "be".

> 「見る」 -> "to see", 「見ている」 -> "to be seeing"  
>  「する」 -> "to do", 「している」 -> "to be doing"

It happens that the English translation is a verbal phrase that contains the
English form of the gerund, but it is still a verb overall, with the primary
focus now on "be".

English does not really have a form where "be" manifests itself in the present
tense when paired with a gerund, but if we shift to the past tense we see it
show up.

> 「テレビを見ていた」 -> "I had been watching television."  
>  「洗濯をしていた」 -> "I had been doing the laundry."
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answer