Quick Answer
Take these two sentences: 窓が開いている — the window is open. 窓が開けてある — the window has been opened. Same physical state. Different meaning.
ている observes a current condition without claiming who caused it or why. てある says someone did this deliberately — a purposeful human action, with the result still visible. There is also a structural rule: てある only attaches to transitive verbs. ている works with both transitive and intransitive verbs.
Comparison Table
| ている | てある | |
|---|---|---|
| Verb type | Transitive or intransitive | Transitive only |
| Who caused it? | Unknown / natural / unimportant | Someone did it on purpose |
| Focus | Current state or ongoing action | Resulting state from deliberate action |
| Subject | The thing in the state (が / は) | The thing affected (が / は) |
| Nuance | Neutral observation | Preparation, readiness, or consideration |
| Example | 窓が開いている (The window is open) | 窓が開けてある (The window has been opened [by someone, on purpose]) |
Detailed Explanation
ている — Neutral Resulting State
With intransitive verbs, ている describes a state that came from some change. The focus is the current condition — no claim about who caused it or why.
電気が消えている。
Denki ga kiete iru.
The light is off. (It went off — no implication of who turned it off)
With transitive verbs, ている usually describes an ongoing action. It can also describe a resulting state — but unlike てある, it carries no implication of intent.
てある — Deliberate Resulting State
てある attaches to transitive verbs. Someone — often unnamed — performed an action on purpose, and the result is still in place. The nuance is practical: it's been handled, it's ready.
電気が消してある。
Denki ga keshite aru.
The light has been turned off. (Someone turned it off on purpose — e.g., to save electricity)
Notice the verb shift: ている uses the intransitive 消える (kieru), while てある uses the transitive 消す (kesu). You will see this pattern throughout — てある forces you to reach for the transitive form.
Example Pairs
Pair 1 — Window
窓が開いている。
Mado ga aite iru.
The window is open. (neutral — just a current state)
窓が開けてある。
Mado ga akete aru.
The window has been opened. (on purpose — e.g., to air out the room)
Pair 2 — Writing on the board
黒板に名前が書いてある。
Kokuban ni namae ga kaite aru.
A name has been written on the board. (someone wrote it there deliberately)
黒板に名前が書いている。
Kokuban ni namae ga kaite iru.
A name is written on the board. (neutral observation, less common phrasing)
Pair 3 — Dinner
夕食が用意してある。
Yūshoku ga yōi shite aru.
Dinner has been prepared. (someone prepared it, it's ready for you)
夕食が用意されている。
Yūshoku ga yōi sarete iru.
Dinner is being prepared / has been prepared. (passive — more neutral)
Pair 4 — Door locked
鍵がかかっている。
Kagi ga kakatte iru.
The door is locked. (neutral — could have locked by itself, or someone did it)
鍵がかけてある。
Kagi ga kakete aru.
The door has been locked. (someone locked it intentionally — e.g., for security)
Pair 5 — Map on wall
地図が貼ってある。
Chizu ga hatte aru.
A map has been put up on the wall. (deliberately placed there for a reason)
地図が貼られている。
Chizu ga hararete iru.
The map is posted. (passive/neutral — just stating it's there)
Pair 6 — Reservation
席が予約してある。
Seki ga yoyaku shite aru.
A seat has been reserved. (I / someone took care of it — it's handled)
席が予約されている。
Seki ga yoyaku sarete iru.
A seat is reserved. (neutral passive — no specific nuance of who did it or why)
Pair 7 — Flowers
花が飾ってある。
Hana ga kazatte aru.
Flowers have been arranged. (someone placed them there on purpose)
花が飾られている。
Hana ga kazararete iru.
Flowers are displayed. (neutral observation)
Pair 8 — Heater
暖房がついている。
Danbō ga tsuite iru.
The heater is on. (neutral — just observing the state)
暖房がつけてある。
Danbō ga tsukete aru.
The heater has been turned on. (turned on beforehand — so the room is warm when you arrive)
Common Patterns
Some contexts strongly favor one form. Here are the most reliable patterns.
| Context | Correct form | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Reading signs, notices, labels | 〜と書いてある | Someone deliberately wrote it there |
| Describing natural states (rain, wind) | 〜ている | Nature has no deliberate intent; てある doesn't apply |
| "It's been taken care of" / preparation | 〜てある | Implies purposeful action in advance |
| Wearing clothes (on a person) | 〜ている (着ている、履いている) | Clothing verbs use ている for wearing states |
| Results of natural change (melted, broken) | 〜ている (溶けている、壊れている) | Intransitive verbs — てある impossible |
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1 — Using てある with intransitive verbs
てある can only attach to transitive verbs. Using it with intransitive verbs is ungrammatical.
❌ 花が咲いてある。
❌ Hana ga saite aru.
Wrong — 咲く (to bloom) is intransitive
✅ 花が咲いている。
✅ Hana ga saite iru.
Correct — The flowers are blooming.
Mistake 2 — Confusing てある with ておく
てある and ておく are closely related — both involve preparation. The difference is perspective: ておく describes the act of doing something in advance. てある describes the state left behind by that action.
資料を用意しておいた。→ 資料が用意してある。
Shiryō o yōi shite oita. → Shiryō ga yōi shite aru.
I prepared the materials (in advance). → The materials are prepared (and ready).
Mistake 3 — Missing the purposeful nuance of てある
てある requires a purposeful human actor. Natural events — weather, rivers, seasons — have no deliberate intent behind them, so てある cannot apply.
❌ 空が曇ってある。
❌ Sora ga kumotte aru.
Wrong — nobody made the sky cloudy on purpose
✅ 空が曇っている。
✅ Sora ga kumotte iru.
Correct — The sky is cloudy.
Mistake 4 — Forgetting that てある marks the object with が (not を)
In the stative sense, the object of the original verb becomes the subject, marked with が. Using を sounds like you are still mid-action rather than describing a result.
❌ 手紙を書いてある。(ambiguous / unnatural for stative)
❌ Tegami o kaite aru.
Unnatural for describing a resulting state
✅ 手紙が書いてある。
✅ Tegami ga kaite aru.
Correct — A letter has been written (and is ready).
Related Articles
- は vs が — Topic vs Subject (Comparison X vs Y)
- に vs で — Location Particles (Comparison X vs Y)
- から vs ので — Because (Comparison X vs Y)
- けど vs のに — But/Although (Comparison X vs Y)
- ば vs たら vs なら — Conditionals (Comparison X vs Y)
- だけ vs しか — Only (Comparison X vs Y)
Quick Quiz
Fill in the blank with ている or てある (use the correct verb form where needed).
- Question 1: The notice says "No Entry." Someone wrote it there on purpose.
「立入禁止」と＿＿＿＿＿。
"Tachiiri kinshi" to ________.
Answer: 書いてある (kaite aru) — someone deliberately wrote it.
- Question 2: The window is open — you just notice it, no idea why.
窓が＿＿＿＿＿。
Mado ga ________.
Answer: 開いている (aite iru) — neutral observation, intransitive verb.
- Question 3: Don't worry about the hotel — a room has been reserved (I took care of it).
部屋が＿＿＿＿＿から、大丈夫ですよ。
Heya ga ________ kara, daijōbu desu yo.
Answer: 予約してある (yoyaku shite aru) — deliberately done in preparation.