-아/어 있다

Build it

When to use it

The vowel follows the -아요/어요 rule: 앉아 있다, 서 있다, 열려 있다.

The key restriction is that it attaches only to intransitive verbs — verbs with no object. 앉다, 서다, 눕다, 남다, and the passive forms 열리다, 켜지다, 닫히다 all qualify. A transitive verb like 먹다 cannot take it: 밥을 먹어 있어요 is impossible.

Against -고 있다 the contrast is sharp. 앉고 있어요 means someone is in the act of sitting down; 앉아 있어요 means they are seated. English “is sitting” covers both, which is why learners default to -고 있다 and end up describing a very slow descent into a chair.

With an honoured subject, 있다 rises to 계시다: 선생님이 앉아 계세요.

How to attach it

In use

1. 친구가 저기 앉아 있어요.

   My friend is sitting over there.

2. 창문이 열려 있어요.

   The window is open.

3. 불이 아직 켜져 있어요.

   The light is still on.

4. 사람들이 줄을 서 있었어요.

   People were standing in line.

5. 음식이 조금 남아 있어요.

   There’s a bit of food left.

6. 할아버지가 소파에 앉아 계세요.

   Grandfather is sitting on the sofa.

Compared with

• -고 있다

  -고 있다 is the action unfolding; -아/어 있다 is the state it produced. For anything with an object, only -고 있다 is possible.

  앉고 있어요. (lowering into the chair)  /  앉아 있어요. (seated)

• Passive verbs

  Many of the verbs that take this ending are passive forms in their own right. Learning the pairs together is efficient.

  열다 → 열리다 → 열려 있다  /  켜다 → 켜지다 → 켜져 있다

• -아/어 놓다

  -아/어 놓다 says someone did it and left it that way, keeping the agent in view. -아/어 있다 reports the state without saying who caused it.

  창문이 열려 있어요. (the window is open)  /  창문을 열어 놓았어요. (I left the window open)

Watch out

• 지금 밥을 먹어 있어요.

  지금 밥을 먹고 있어요.

  먹다 takes an object, so it cannot use this ending. Only intransitive verbs describe a resulting state this way.

• 친구가 저기 앉고 있어요. — meaning “is sitting there”

  친구가 저기 앉아 있어요.

  앉고 있어요 describes the act of sitting down. For someone already seated, the state form is required.

• 할아버지가 소파에 앉아 있어요.

  할아버지가 소파에 앉아 계세요.

  With an honoured subject, 있다 becomes 계시다 so the whole sentence matches.

Next

← All TOPIK 2 grammar