-아/어 있다 State: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -아/어 있다 on intransitive and passive verbs by the last vowel of the stem.
• Explain the difference between an action (앉았어요), a state (앉아 있어요) and an action in progress (앉고 있어요).
• Choose between -아/어 있다 and -고 있다 for posture, position and clothing.
• Fix the most common mistake: attaching -아/어 있다 to a transitive verb.

Before you start: you should know the dictionary form of a verb, which ends in 다, and the basic polite ending -아요/어요. An intransitive verb is a verb with no object, like 앉다 (sit), and a transitive verb takes an object, like 열다 (open something). The Korean SOV sentence pattern explains objects. Audio plays only when you press a button.

What Does the -아/어 있다 State Mean?

The -아/어 있다 state means that an action has happened and its result is still there. Korean grammar calls this the resulting state (결과 상태), one kind of aspect (동작상). Aspect is the way a verb shows the shape of an event over time, such as ongoing, finished or still in effect.

Why does Korean need this form? English says "the door is open" and "the light is on" with a plain adjective. Korean treats many of these as verbs that finished their action. A door is 열려 있다, "has been opened and stays open", and a light is 켜져 있다, "has been turned on and stays on". The form gives learners a natural way to describe what a room, a body or a street looks like right now.

Two sentences show the pattern:

• 의자에 앉아 있어요. (uijae anja isseoyo.) [의자에 안자 이써요] = "I am sitting on the chair." Sitting down is done, and the speaker is in the seated state.
• 불이 켜져 있어요. (buri kyeojyeo isseoyo.) [부리 켜저 이써요] = "The light is on." Someone turned it on, and it stays on. After ㅈ, the vowel ㅕ is spoken [ㅓ], so 켜져 sounds like [켜저].

A First Example, Labelled

In the first sentence, 의자에 means "on the chair", 앉아 is the stem 앉 plus 아, and 있어요 is 있다 in the polite ending. In the second sentence, 불이 is "the light" with the subject particle 이, 켜져 is the stem 켜지 plus 어, and 있어요 is the same helper verb. Both sentences use a subject that is in a state, and neither has an object. The next section turns the examples into a rule.

How Does the -아/어 있다 State Work?

The -아/어 있다 state works by attaching the helper verb 있다 to the -아/어 form of an intransitive or passive verb. A helper verb (보조 용언) is a verb that follows another verb to add meaning. The main verb carries the action, and 있다 carries the result.

The steps are:

1. Take the dictionary form and remove 다. The result is the stem.
2. Add 아 if the last vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ. Add 어 for every other vowel.
3. Contract the result if the stem ends in a vowel, as in the polite ending.
4. Add 있다, then choose the ending: 있어요, 있었어요, 있을 거예요.

Pattern Table

The table shows common verbs. Each row gives the stem, the -아/어 form and the full state phrase with a model sentence.

Three details in the table deserve attention.

First, ㅂ irregular verbs change before 어: 눕다 becomes 누워, because the ㅂ turns into 우. The lesson on irregular verbs covers this family, and the rule here is identical to the polite ending: 누워요, 누워 있어요.

Second, many state verbs are passives made with 이, 히, 리 or 기, such as 열리다 and 닫히다. The passive supplies the "something was done" idea, and 있다 supplies "and it stays". The lesson on -아/어지다 become passive explains how 켜지다 and similar verbs form.

Third, the phrase 앉아 있다 is spelled with a space, but the attached form 앉아있다 is also accepted under the spelling rule for auxiliary verbs (한글 맞춤법 제47항). Both are correct, and this site uses the spaced form.

The table lists the forms. The worked example below shows how a speaker builds one sentence.

Worked Example: Building 앉아 있어요

Building a state phrase takes five steps. The target is "I am seated" with the verb 앉다.

1. Check the verb type. 앉다 is intransitive, because you cannot "sit something". It qualifies.
2. Find the stem. Remove 다 from 앉다. The stem is 앉.
3. Choose 아 or 어. The last vowel of 앉 is ㅏ, so add 아: 앉아.
4. Add 있다. The state phrase is 앉아 있다.
5. Read the result. In the polite ending, 앉아 있어요. (anja isseoyo.) [안자 이써요] = "I am seated." With a place: 의자에 앉아 있어요.

You will know it worked when the sentence has no object and describes where something is or how it looks. The common slip at step 1 is choosing a transitive verb. Compare the three stages of one door:

• 저는 문을 열었어요. (jeoneun muneul yeoreosseoyo.) = "I opened the door." This is an action by a person.
• 문이 열렸어요. (muni yeollyeosseoyo.) = "The door opened." This is the event of becoming open.
• 문이 열려 있어요. (muni yeollyeo isseoyo.) = "The door is open." This is the resulting state.

Notice that the state sentence has the subject 문이, not an object. That is the pattern's central feature. The next section compares it with similar forms.

How Is -아/어 있다 Different from -고 있다 and -아/어 놓다?

The difference between the three forms is the stage of the action. -고 있다 shows the middle of an action. -아/어 있다 shows the result of an action. -아/어 놓다 shows a result that a person leaves in place on purpose. All three use a helper verb, but they say different things.

Verdict: ask whether the action is still happening. If yes, use -고 있다. If the action is finished and the result stays, use -아/어 있다 for a verb without an object. If a person completed an action on an object and left it that way, use -아/어 놓다.

An example shows the risk. The sentence 옷을 입고 있어요 means "I am wearing clothes", and it uses -고 있다 even though the state is a result, because the verb 입다 takes an object. Sentences like 입어 있어요 are not used. The lesson on -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다 compares the first two forms in depth, the lesson on progressive -고 있다 covers the form on its own, and the lesson on -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 covers the third.

The comparison shows how the forms divide the work. The next section covers the cases where the rule bends.

When Do You Use -아/어 있다, and When Not?

Use -아/어 있다 for posture, position and changed condition, and watch for four exceptions. Each one gives the rule and an example.

• Posture and position. Words for how a body or object sits in space take this form: 서 있다 (stand), 앉아 있다 (be seated), 누워 있다 (lie), 걸려 있다 (hang), 놓여 있다 (be placed). Example: 벽에 그림이 걸려 있어요. (A picture hangs on the wall.)
• Changed condition. 살아 있다 (be alive), 비어 있다 (be empty), 남아 있다 (remain) and 붙어 있다 (be stuck on) describe how something looks now. Example: 음식이 조금 남아 있어요. (A little food remains.)
• Honorific subjects. Replace 있다 with 계시다: 할아버지가 의자에 앉아 계세요. (Grandfather is seated.) The same swap gives the request 여기 앉아 계세요 (Please stay seated here).
• Other tenses. The helper verb takes the tense. Past: 앉아 있었어요 (I was seated). Future: 앉아 있을 거예요 (I will be seated). Negative: 앉아 있지 않아요 or 안 앉아 있어요, though a different verb is often more natural.

An honest limit: native speakers sometimes use -고 있다 for states that this lesson assigns to -아/어 있다, and the line between the two moves with the verb. Verbs of wearing (입다, 신다, 쓰다) and holding (들다, 가지다) take -고 있다 for the state. This lesson covers the main pattern and does not list every verb. The exceptions show the limits of the table, and the next section lists the mistakes that result.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어 있다?

Learners usually make five mistakes, and each has a quick repair.

1. Attaching -아/어 있다 to a transitive verb. Learners often assume that any verb can take it. Actually, the verb must have no object. 문을 열어 있어요 is wrong. Fix: 문이 열려 있어요 for a state, or 문을 열어 놓았어요 for a door you left open.
2. Using it for an action in progress. 앉아 있어요 does not mean "I am sitting down right now". Fix: for the moment of sitting down, use the plain verb: 지금 앉아요 (I am sitting down now).
3. Using -아/어 있다 for clothes. 코트를 입어 있어요 is wrong. Fix: 코트를 입고 있어요.
4. Confusing the past action and the past state. 앉았어요 means "I sat down". 앉아 있었어요 means "I was seated". Fix: use 앉았어요 for a moment and 앉아 있었어요 for a period.
5. Pronouncing 있어요 as written. The spoken form is [이써요]. Fix: practise the sound with the audio.

Use this checklist when a sentence sounds off: Does the verb have an object? Is the action still happening or is the result the point? Is the verb a wearing verb? Practice puts the checklist to work.

Practice and Answers

Try the four items before you read the answer key. Cover the answers with your hand.

1. Choose the form. A door is standing open. Complete: 문이 ___. (열었어요 / 열려 있어요)
2. Fix the error. A learner says 저는 창문을 닫혀 있어요 to mean "I left the window closed". Rewrite the sentence.
3. Translate. "The light is on." Use 켜지다.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about a person who is standing and one about an empty seat, using -아/어 있다.

Answer key

1. 열려 있어요. The door is in a resulting state, so the sentence is 문이 열려 있어요. 열었어요 would mean that someone opened it.
2. 창문이 닫혀 있어요. (changmuni dachyeo isseoyo.) [창무니 다처 이써요] In 닫혀, ㄷ + ㅎ becomes [ㅊ], and ㅕ after ㅊ is spoken [ㅓ]. The window is the subject. For a window that a person closed on purpose and left, 창문을 닫아 놓았어요 also works.
3. 불이 켜져 있어요. (buri kyeojyeo isseoyo.) The verb 켜지다 gives 켜져.
4. Answers vary. A model pair: 그 사람은 문 앞에 서 있어요. (That person is standing in front of the door.) and 자리가 비어 있어요. (The seat is empty.) Check that neither sentence has an object.

A rule of thumb for checking your own work: if the English sentence can say "is open", "is on", "is seated" or "is empty" without an object, -아/어 있다 is probably right.

Next Lessons after the -아/어 있다 State

After the -아/어 있다 state, study the form that tells experience and the forms that mark action in progress. This lesson explains the resulting state but does not cover every aspect form.

1. Continue with -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience for "I have done it before".
2. Compare actions in progress and states in -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다.
3. Study progressive -고 있다 for the action in progress.
4. Study -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 for results you leave on purpose.
5. Read about the passive in -아/어지다 become passive.
6. Return to Korean aspect to see every lesson in the set.

With these steps, the -아/어 있다 state becomes a quick test: no object, finished action, lasting result, add 아 있다 or 어 있다.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -아/어 있다 mean?

It describes a state that remains after an action is finished. 앉다 means to sit down, and 앉아 있다 means to be seated. 열리다 means to open, and 열려 있다 means to be open. The action is over, and the result continues. English often uses "is sitting", "is open" or "is turned on".

What is the difference between -고 있다 and -아/어 있다?

-고 있다 shows an action in progress: 먹고 있어요 means I am eating. -아/어 있다 shows the state after an action: 앉아 있어요 means I am seated. The test is whether the action is still happening: if yes, use -고 있다, and if it is done, use -아/어 있다.

Can I use -아/어 있다 with every verb?

No. It works with intransitive and passive verbs, which have no object, such as 앉다, 서다, 열리다 and 켜지다. It does not work with transitive verbs. 문을 열어 있어요 is wrong. Say 문이 열려 있어요 for a door that is open, or 문을 열어 놓았어요 for a door you left open.

How do I make -아/어 있다 honorific?

Replace 있다 with the honorific 계시다. 할아버지가 의자에 앉아 계세요 means that grandfather is seated, with respect. The same swap gives a polite request: 여기 앉아 계세요 means please stay seated here. The rest of the pattern, the stem plus 아 or 어, does not change.

How do I say it was in that state in the past?

Put the past marker on 있다: 앉아 있었어요 means I was seated for a while, and 불이 켜져 있었어요 means the light was on. Compare 앉았어요, which means I sat down. The first sentence describes a state in the past, and the second describes the action of sitting.