N5#te-form#verbs#grammar#states

〜ている / 〜てある (Ongoing vs State)

Distinguish ongoing actions from resultant states.

Context

Observing the World

Imagine you walk into a room. You see your friend eating lunch, and you also see a window that has been left open. In Japanese, you describe these two situations using different grammar patterns, even though both involve the 'te-form'.

When someone is in the middle of an action, we use one structure. When we describe the current state of an object resulting from a past action, we use another. Understanding this difference helps you describe your daily environment accurately.

Explanation

The Grammar Patterns

The difference lies in whether you are focusing on the action itself or the resulting state of an object.

Verb-teいるある

Use 〜ている to describe an ongoing action (e.g., 'I am eating') or a continuous state (e.g., 'I live in Tokyo'). It focuses on the subject performing the action.

Use 〜てある to describe a state that exists because someone performed an action (e.g., 'The window is open'). It focuses on the object and the fact that it was intentionally set to that state.

Tip

〜てある is usually used with transitive verbs (verbs that take an object marked with を).

Examples

Seeing it in Action

Compare these examples to see how the focus shifts.

私(わたし)は本(ほん)を読んでいる(よんでいる)。

I am reading a book.

私わたしI本ほんbook読んでいるよんでいるam reading

窓(まど)が開けてある(あけてある)。

The window has been opened (and is currently open).

窓まどwindow開けてあるあけてあるhas been opened

友達がテレビを【みている】。

Hint: Ongoing action

My friend is watching TV.

Usage

Nuance and Usage

Choosing between these forms changes the meaning of your sentence significantly.

Ongoing vs State

〜ている

Focus on the action happening now.

ドアを閉めている (I am closing the door)

〜てある

Focus on the result of the action.

ドアが閉めてある (The door is closed)

Which sentence describes a state resulting from an action?

本を読んでいる
✓ 本が置いてある

置いてある describes the state of the book being placed there.

Deep dive

Deep Dive: Transitive vs Intransitive

A note on verb types.

In Japanese, '〜てある' specifically requires a transitive verb (a verb that acts on an object). If you want to describe a state using an intransitive verb (like 'the window is open' where you don't care who opened it), you would use '〜ている' (e.g., 窓が開いている). This is a common point of confusion for learners!

Summary

Lesson Summary

Use 〜ている for ongoing actions and 〜てある for resultant states. Keep in mind that 〜てある implies an intentional action was taken to create that state.

開ける

あけるverb

to open (transitive)

閉める

しめるverb

to close (transitive)

置く

おくverb

to place

窓

まどnoun

window