てある — The Intentional Remnant
Expresses that someone (an unstated human agent) did a transitive action on purpose, and the resulting state STILL persists for a reason. Focus is on the state that remains, not the act itself.
Structure
[Transitive Verb te-form] + ある
Examples
窓が開けてあります。
Mado ga akete arimasu.
The window has been (intentionally) left open.
開ける (transitive: to open something) + てある = someone opened it and left it that way
黒板に字が書いてある。
Kokuban ni ji ga kaite aru.
Words are written on the blackboard.
書く (to write) + てある = someone wrote them, they remain
テーブルの上に晩ご飯が用意してある。
Teeburu no ue ni bangohan ga youi shite aru.
Dinner has been prepared and is waiting on the table.
用意する (to prepare) + てある = someone prepared it and it remains ready
• The Particle Flip: Transitive verbs normally take the object particle を (窓を開ける = I open the window). But in てある the object becomes the standing subject of the state, so it usually takes が (窓が開けてある). • Vs ている: 窓が開いている (intransitive 開く — the window is open right now, said neutrally). 窓が開けてある (transitive 開ける — a human opened it on purpose and left it). てある implies human intention/preparation.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones てある is tested against.
vs ている (with intransitive verb, e.g. 開いている)
ている just reports a state (window is open). てある adds that a person opened it deliberately and left it for a purpose.
vs ておく
ておく is the ACTION of doing something in advance (窓を開けておく = I'll open the window ahead of time). てある is the resulting STATE left behind (窓が開けてある = the window has been opened).
More verb forms
- てくる — Come Doing / Has Been Doing (Toward Now)
- てみる — Try Doing (and See)
- Potential Form — Can / Be Able To (Verbs)
- がる／がっている — Describing Others' Feelings
- 〜出す (だす) — Abrupt Eruptions
- 〜始める (はじめる) — Intentional Beginnings
- 意向形 (いこうけい) — Volitional Form (Let's / I'll)
- くする / にする — Make something become (a quality)
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