Look at two sentences:
A. 窓が開いている。
B. 窓が開けてある。
Both translate to "the window is open." But Japanese speakers instantly know these mean different things.
ている = The State You See
ている is the most common auxiliary verb, describing "the state you see right now." It doesn't care who did it or how it got that way — it just describes the current situation.
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窓が開いている。 → The window is open. (It's just open — maybe the wind blew it open, maybe someone opened it — who knows, who cares.)
-
電気がついている。 → The light is on.
Note: ている attaches to the て-form of intransitive verbs — 開いている (開く → 開いて).
てある = Someone Did It, and the Result Remains
てある specifically attaches to the て-form of transitive verbs, meaning "someone intentionally did this action, and the result is still there."
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窓が開けてある。 → The window has been (deliberately) opened. (Someone opened it on purpose.)
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黒板に字が書いてある。 → There are characters written on the blackboard. (Someone wrote them.)
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冷蔵庫にビールが冷やしてある。 → There's beer chilled in the fridge. (Someone put it in to chill.)
Key Features of てある
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Conjugation | Transitive verb て-form + ある |
| Subject marker | Usually が (not を) |
| Implied meaning | Someone intentionally performed this action |
| Agent | Not mentioned (omitted) |
Important: Even though てある uses transitive verbs, the subject takes が, not を. It's 「窓が開けてある」, not 「窓を開けてある」.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| ている | てある | |
|---|---|---|
| Verb type | Intransitive | Transitive |
| Nuance | Describing a state | Someone did it; result remains |
| Window is open | 窓が開いている | 窓が開けてある |
| Light is on | 電気がついている | 電気がつけてある |
| Door is closed | ドアが閉まっている | ドアが閉めてある |
See the pattern? ている uses intransitive verbs (開く, つく, 閉まる), while てある uses transitive verbs (開ける, つける, 閉める).
When to Use てある
てある most commonly appears when "someone has prepared something in advance":
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会議の前に、資料がコピーしてある。 → Before the meeting, the materials have been copied. (Someone copied them.)
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ホテルはもう予約してある。 → The hotel has already been booked. (Someone booked it.)
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名前がリストに書いてある。 → The name is written on the list. (Someone wrote it.)
Self-Test
Q1. What's the difference between 「電気がついている」 and 「電気がつけてある」?
Show answer
「電気がついている」 simply describes the state of the light being on, without concern for who turned it on. 「電気がつけてある」 implies that someone intentionally turned the light on, and the resulting state is still maintained.
Q2. Which sentence is correct?
A. 黒板に字を書いてある。 B. 黒板に字が書いてある。
Show answer
B is correct. In the てある construction, what would normally be the object (字) takes が instead of を.
Q3. Rewrite using てある: 「ビールが冷えている」→ Someone has chilled the beer.
Show answer
ビールが冷やしてある。 「冷える」 is intransitive; its transitive counterpart is 「冷やす」, so you use 「冷やしてある」 to indicate someone chilled it.
Summary
- ている (intransitive): Simply describes the current state, regardless of who caused it
- てある (transitive): Implies someone intentionally did the action, and the result remains
- てある takes が for its subject, not を
- てある commonly appears in "prepared in advance" contexts