-고 있다 vs -아/어 있다: Differences, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Choose -고 있다 or -아/어 있다 by asking whether the sentence has a doer and an object.
• Form -아/어 있다 from intransitive and passive verbs such as 앉다 and 열리다.
• Handle wearing verbs and motion verbs, which break the simple rule.
• Correct the common error 문을 열어 있어요.

Before you start: study progressive -고 있다 first. Time: about 30 minutes.

How Do -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다 Compare at a Glance?

Both forms end in 있다, but they point at different moments. -고 있다 describes the movement, and -아/어 있다 describes the result that stays after the movement. The table sets the main criteria side by side.

A transitive verb is a verb that takes an object, such as 열다 ("to open something"). An intransitive verb has no object, such as 앉다 ("to sit"). A passive verb says that something is done to the subject, such as 열리다 ("to be opened"). These three terms decide the form.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 문을 열고 있어요. (muneul yeolgo isseoyo) "I am opening the door."

Pronunciation: [무늘 열고 이써요]. A person is doing the opening right now, so the sentence uses -고 있다 and keeps the object 문을.

2. 문이 열려 있어요. (muni yeollyeo isseoyo) "The door is open."

Pronunciation: [무니 열려 이써요]. Nobody is opening it now. The door itself is in an open state, so the subject is 문이 and the verb is the passive 열리다 plus -아/어 있다.

The two sentences describe the same door at two moments. The next section shows how the state form is built.

Which Verbs Take -아/어 있다?

Intransitive and passive verbs take -아/어 있다, because the thing in the state is the subject. Remove 다, add 아 or 어 by the same vowel rule as the polite ending, merge the vowels where they meet, and add 있다.

How to Form -아/어 있다

Romanization: anja isseoyo, seo isseoyo, nuwo isseoyo, pieo isseoyo, yeollyeo isseoyo, kyeojyeo isseoyo, geollyeo isseoyo and sseuyeo isseoyo. Two forms in the table show vowel merging: 서 + 어 becomes 서, and 열리 + 어 becomes 열려.

Verb Pairs: from Action to State

Many verbs come in pairs. The transitive verb names the action, and its passive partner names the state. The first column pairs with -고 있다, and the second pairs with -아/어 있다.

Pronunciation: 불을 켜고 있어요 is [부를 켜고 이써요] (bureul kyeogo isseoyo), and 불이 켜져 있어요 is [부리 켜저 이써요] (buri kyeojyeo isseoyo). 그림을 걸고 있어요 is [그리믈 걸고 이써요] (geurimeul geolgo isseoyo), and 그림이 걸려 있어요 is [그리미 걸려 이써요] (geurimi geollyeo isseoyo). 이름을 쓰고 있어요 is [이르믈 쓰고 이써요] (ireumeul sseugo isseoyo), and 이름이 쓰여 있어요 is [이르미 쓰여 이써요] (ireumi sseuyeo isseoyo). The detailed state pattern is in -아/어 있다 state. The next section gives a test for choosing the form.

How Do You Test Which Form to Use?

Run three quick tests on the sentence you want to say, and the form usually decides itself. Each test takes a few seconds.

1. Subject test. Ask who or what is the subject. A doer who acts on something takes -고 있다. A thing that sits in a state takes -아/어 있다.
2. Object test. Look for 을 or 를. If the sentence has an object, use -고 있다. If it has none, check the verb: an ongoing intransitive action such as 비가 오고 있어요 ("It is raining") still takes -고 있다, while a change of position or condition such as 앉다 or 열리다 takes -아/어 있다.
3. Photo test. Imagine a photograph. If the photo shows movement, such as hands on a door handle, use -고 있다. If the photo shows a result, such as an open door, use -아/어 있다.

The tests agree for most verbs. Two groups of verbs break the simple rule, and the next sections cover them.

Which Verbs Allow Both Forms, or Neither?

A few verbs take both forms with different meanings, and some take neither. The table lists the cases learners meet first.

Pronunciation: 서울에 살고 있어요 is [서우레 살고 이써요] (seoure salgo isseoyo), 물고기가 살아 있어요 is [물고기가 사라 이써요] (mulgogiga sara isseoyo), 친구가 오고 있어요 is [친구가 오고 이써요] (chinguga ogo isseoyo), and 친구가 와 있어요 is [친구가 와 이써요] (chinguga wa isseoyo). The motion verbs follow a clear pattern: 오고 있어요 shows the friend on the way, and 와 있어요 shows the friend already here. Adjectives take neither form, because they have no action to be in progress and no change to leave a result.

What about Wearing Verbs and Motion Verbs?

Wearing verbs take -고 있다 even though the meaning is a state, and motion verbs make a state with -아/어 있다 by describing arrival. These two groups explain most of the exceptions that confuse learners.

Wearing verbs. 입다 (to wear clothes), 신다 (to wear shoes) and 쓰다 (to wear a hat) take objects, so they follow the transitive rule. The form -고 있다 then covers both the act and the lasting state.

Romanization: cheongbajireul ipgo isseoyo, sinbareul singo isseoyo and mojareul sseugo isseoyo. The wrong forms 입어 있어요, 신어 있어요 and 써 있어요 do not exist for wearing. The detail is in wearing verbs 입다 신다 쓰다 -고 있다.

Motion verbs. 가 있어요 and 와 있어요 describe the position after the movement. 친구가 와 있어요 means "My friend has come and is here", and 친구가 미국에 가 있어요 means "My friend has gone to the US and is there".

With both groups explained, the next section covers tenses and the honorific forms.

Tenses, Honorific and Leaving a Result

The same changes apply to 있다 as in any other sentence. The state form also has a partner that keeps the doer in the sentence.

Romanization: muni yeollyeo isseosseoyo, uijae anja itseumnida, muni yeollyeo itji anayo, harabeojiga anja gyeseyo and muneul yeoreo noasseoyo. When you want to keep the person who did the action, use -아/어 놓다 ("to leave in place") after the verb instead of -아/어 있다. The next section builds one sentence step by step.

Choosing the Form for a New Sentence

To choose the form for a new sentence, decide whether you are describing the action or the result, then find the verb that fits. Follow these steps with "The light is on".

1. Decide what you describe. A light that stays on is a result, so the form is -아/어 있다.
2. Find the thing in the state. The subject is 불 ("light"), marked with 이.
3. Find the state verb. The action verb 켜다 ("to turn on") has the passive partner 켜지다.
4. Take the stem. 켜지.
5. Add 어 and merge. 켜지 + 어 becomes 켜져.
6. Add 있어요. 켜져 있어요, and with the subject: 불이 켜져 있어요.

You'll know it worked when the sentence has no 을/를 and the subject takes 이 or 가. Common mistake at this step: using the action verb 켜다 directly, as in 불이 켜 있어요. Move to the passive partner first.

For the action, the same light gives 불을 켜고 있어요 ("I am turning on the light"), with an object and -고 있다.

The steps cover the main pattern. The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Six mistakes cover most wrong choices between the two forms.

1. Using -아/어 있다 with a transitive verb. 문을 열어 있어요 is wrong. Say 문이 열려 있어요, or 문을 열어 놓았어요.
2. Using -고 있다 for a state with a passive verb. 문이 열고 있어요 is wrong, because 문이 cannot do the opening. Say 문이 열려 있어요.
3. Using -아/어 있다 for wearing. 입어 있어요 is wrong. Say 입고 있어요.
4. Forgetting to merge the vowels. 앉 있어요 and 켜지 어 있어요 are incomplete. Say 앉아 있어요 and 켜져 있어요.
5. Mixing the two meanings of 살다. 살고 있어요 is "live in a place", and 살아 있어요 is "be alive".
6. Skipping the passive partner. Learners try 켜 있어요. Move to 켜지다 first, then add 어 있어요.

Limitation: this lesson covers -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다 for physical situations. It does not cover the wider set of aspect forms in Aspect and Experience, such as -아/어 보다. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. "The light is on": 불이 켜고 있어요 or 불이 켜져 있어요?
2. Fix the error. 문을 열어 있어요. (The speaker wants to say "The door is open.")
3. Translate. "He is sitting on a chair."
4. Write your own. Write one sentence that says a picture is hanging on the wall, using 걸리다.

Answer Key

1. 불이 켜져 있어요 (buri kyeojyeo isseoyo) Pronounced [부리 켜저 이써요]. The light is the subject and is in a state, so the passive partner 켜지다 takes -아/어 있다.

2. 문이 열려 있어요. (muni yeollyeo isseoyo) Pronounced [무니 열려 이써요]. The transitive 열다 cannot take -아/어 있다. The passive 열리다 can.

3. 그는 의자에 앉아 있어요. (geuneun uijae anja isseoyo) Pronounced [그는 의자에 안자 이써요]. 앉다 is intransitive, and the sentence describes a seated state.

4. Sample answer: 벽에 그림이 걸려 있어요. (byeoge geurimi geollyeo isseoyo) "A picture is hanging on the wall." Pronounced [벼게 그리미 걸려 이써요]. Any state sentence with the subject marked by 이 or 가 and the form 걸려 있어요 is right.

If you chose the wrong form, run the three tests again: who is the subject, is there an object, and what would a photograph show? Then continue with the next lessons.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다, the natural next lesson is -는 중이다 in the middle of, which gives a third way to say that an action is under way. To review the first form alone, read progressive -고 있다. For a wider list of confusable forms, see Confusing Grammar Compared. The set overview, Korean progressive tense, lists every lesson in order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: -고 있다 vs -아/어 있다 is the difference between "is doing" with a doer and an object, and "is in a state" with the thing as the subject.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference between -고 있다 and -아/어 있다?

-고 있다 describes an action in progress, with a doer: 문을 열고 있어요 means "I am opening the door". -아/어 있다 describes the state that remains after an action, with no doer in view: 문이 열려 있어요 means "The door is open". One shows the movement, and the other shows the result.

Can I Use -아/어 있다 with a Transitive Verb?

No. 문을 열어 있어요 is wrong, because 열다 takes an object and -아/어 있다 does not. Use the passive partner instead: 문이 열려 있어요. Or keep the doer and use -아/어 놓다: 문을 열어 놓았어요, "I left the door open". The state form needs the thing in the state as its subject.

Why Do Wearing Verbs Use -고 있다?

입다, 신다 and 쓰다 take objects, as in 옷을 입다, so they follow the transitive rule and take -고 있다. The form also covers the state of wearing, so 청바지를 입고 있어요 means "I am wearing jeans". The lesson on wearing verbs shows how to say that you are in the act of putting something on.

Is It 앉고 있어요 or 앉아 있어요?

앉아 있어요 means "is sitting", a state, and it is the normal way to describe someone seated. 앉고 있어요 would mean the person is in the act of sitting down, which is rare. 앉다 is an intransitive verb, so -아/어 있다 is its natural partner. Native speakers usually describe the movement with 앉았어요 or 앉는 중이에요.

How Can I Tell If a Verb Has a State Form?

Check whether the verb is intransitive or passive. 앉다, 서다 and 눕다 are intransitive and take -아/어 있다 directly. Many transitive verbs have a passive partner ending in 이, 히, 리, 기 or 지다, such as 열리다 and 켜지다. Look the verb up in the Standard Korean Dictionary (표준국어대사전) to confirm the partner.