-고 있다 vs -어 있다: Still Doing, or Still Seated

The chair

Someone drops into a chair. A minute later they are still there.

앉아 있어요.
anja isseoyo — They are seated.

어 있다 is the state after the action finished. Sat. Still sat. The chair work is done.

Swap the hinge.

앉고 있어요.
anggo isseoyo — They are in the middle of sitting down.

고 있다 is the action in progress. If they already landed, 앉고 있어요 is the failed first report. English is sitting covers both. Korean does not.

The window

창문을 열고 있어요 — hands on the frame, motion now.

창문이 열려 있어요 — the window is open. Nobody needs to be touching it.

Learners say 열고 있어요 for a room that has been open all morning. That is the swap this page exists to stop. The open state is 열려 있어요. The opening motion is 열고 있어요.

서 있어요 is the standing state, like 앉아 있어요. 서고 있어요 is standing up. Same cut.

Korean skips the progressive

You do not owe -고 있다 to every English -ing. 지금 공부해요 already works. Use 고 있다 when the in-progress mark matters: 지금 듣고 있어요, so they do not hang up.

Do not borrow 아서. 앉아서 들으세요 is a command after -아서, which that form cannot take. This page is state versus motion.

One test. Is the action still being done? 고 있다. Did it finish, and the result stays? 어 있다. If you only remember one failed line, remember 앉고 있어요 said of a person who sat down five minutes ago. That seat is 앉아 있어요. 문이 닫혀 있어요 is the shut state. 문을 닫고 있어요 is hands on the door now. Listening stays 듣고 있어요, because listen is an action you keep doing, not a leftover pose. Do not leave thinking both are fine. English -ing will try to sell you that lie.