jabi-어 있다
-어 있다: Still in That State
Resulting state — the action finished, and that state continues.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem vowel ㅏ / ㅗ | -아 있다 | 앉다 → 앉아 있다 / 놓다 → 놓아 있다 |
| Other vowels | -어 있다 | 서다 → 서 있다 / 열리다 → 열려 있다 |
| 하다 / passive-style states | -해 있다 / -혀 있다 (lexical) | 켜지다 → 켜져 있다 |
| Polite present | -아/어 있어요 | 앉아 있어요 / 열려 있어요 |
-어 있다 says the action is done, and the state that resulted is still true.
우리말샘 lists auxiliary 있다 in the -어 있다 frame as: the action or change finished, and that state continues. Its sister frame -고 있다 is the one that keeps the action in progress — see -고 있다.
의자에 앉아 있어요.
I'm seated (on the chair).
문이 열려 있어요.
The door is open.
밖에 서 있어요.
I'm standing outside.Forms
Same -아/어 link you already know from -아서 / -어서 and -어 주다:
| Stem | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ / ㅗ | -아 있다 | 앉아 있다 |
| other | -어 있다 | 서 있다, 열려 있다 |
Polite present: 앉아 있어요, 열려 있어요.
The pair that confuses everyone
| Form | Job | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| -고 있다 -고 있다 | action in progress | lowering onto the chair |
| -어 있다 | resulting state | already seated |
앉고 있어요. in the middle of sitting down
앉아 있어요. seated ← usually thisEnglish collapses both into is sitting. Korean keeps them apart. For posture and open/closed states, -어 있다 is the everyday choice.
Not just “past tense”
-았-/-었- -었어요 can report that something happened. -어 있다 keeps the result in the present.
창문을 열었어요. I opened the window. (event)
창문이 열려 있어요. The window is open. (state now)Everyday anchors
| Line | Sense |
|---|---|
| 앉아 있어요 | be seated |
| 서 있어요 | be standing |
| 누워 있어요 | be lying down |
| 문이 열려 있어요 | the door is open |
| 불이 켜져 있어요 | the light is on |
If you catch yourself saying 앉고 있어요 for someone already on the sofa, swap to 앉아 있어요.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 대한 씨 딸이 태어난 지 벌써 1년이 됐어요? — Sejong Korean 2, Unit 18, on the theme of 모임. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. Someone is already on the chair. Which is the natural line?
2. How does -어 있다 differ from -고 있다?
3. What does 문이 열려 있어요 describe?
Common questions
Is 앉아 있어요 the same as 앉았어요?
앉았어요 reports that sitting happened. 앉아 있어요 reports that the seated state is still true now. Both can be true after the same event; the second keeps the result in view.
Which verbs take -어 있다?
Common everyday ones are posture and change-of-state verbs: 앉다, 서다, 눕다, 열리다, 닫히다, 켜지다. Do not bolt -어 있다 onto every verb the way English uses -ing.
Can adjectives take -어 있다?
The dictionary frames 있다 as an auxiliary mainly after verbs in the -어 있다 construction. For adjectives, use the plain present: 예뻐요, not 예쁘어 있어요.
Where does -고 있다 fit?
Read [[g:go-itda]] as the progressive pair. If English would say 'is sitting' for either the act or the pose, check which Korean actually wants.