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When we want to expresss that something is in progress, we can use the
progressive form:

> 勉強している
>
> studying

But another way of expressing a progressing action is by adding 中 to the noun:

> 仕事中
>
> working

I want to know the difference between these two. Can I say 勉強中 or 仕事している to
achieve the same meaning? If I can't, is there a pattern to this? I mean like
what kind of nouns can I add 中 to?

I know that 勉強している is a verb while 仕事中 is an adverb but I don't care about the
part of speech. I'm only considering it as a standalone word right now.
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2016-11-02T20:42:13.073
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2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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grammar tense
What is the difference between 〜ている and 〜中?
You can say 勉強中 or 仕事している. When the Japanese say a short phrase like 勉強している,
it's frequently shortened as 勉強してる in a colloquial manner. Therefore, 仕事してる is
more natural than 仕事している when you are asked by someone on a phone, etc.

○○中 is a very productive way to coin new words. 食事中, 旅行中, and 入院中 are a few
examples of very common expressions of this type.
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2016-11-03T01:29:04.237
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To me, there is no big difference between 勉強しています and 勉強中です. It is just
personal preference. [中]{ちゅう} can create idioms when combined with other nouns
such as [工事中]{こうじちゅう} which means _under construction / repair_ and you should
note that it is a noun, not an adverb.

[中]{ちゅう} means _middle_. If you are in the middle of something, you are doing
something. Therefore, 私は勉強中です is translated to

> I am in the middle of studying. / I am studying.

If you use [中]{ちゅう}, you can make the sentence more concise, but you have to
note that it can't be used with all Japanese nouns.
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2016-11-03T15:31:51.847
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answer