“〜te aru”: A State (intentionally done by someone) [JLPT N4]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
窓が開けてある vs 窓が開いている — てある expresses the state that ‘someone has deliberately done it.'
“〜te aru”: A State (intentionally done by someone)
「(transitive verb te-form) ＋ ある」 means “(someone has deliberately done it, and as a result) it's …, it's already been …” — stressing the state left by a deliberate, intentional human action (someone did it, and prepared it for some purpose). E.g. 「黒板に宿題が書いてある」 (the homework is written on the board (by someone)), 「明日のために食材が買ってある」 (the ingredients are bought for tomorrow), 「もう手配してあります」 (it's already arranged). ⚠️ Key: てある only attaches to transitive verbs (書く, 開ける, 買う, etc.). ⚠️ Contrast with 「ている」 (intransitive): 窓が開けてある (someone opened it, intentional) vs 窓が開いている (it's naturally open)! てある stresses human intention, ている is a plain state.
🧠 Core nuance: someone has deliberately done it, leaving a prepared state
The core is stressing the state left by a deliberate, intentional human action (someone did it, prepared for some purpose): 「transitive verb te-form ＋ ある」 expresses ‘(someone deliberately) did …, and now it's in a …-done state' (書いてある = someone has written it, 買ってある = already bought, 貼ってある = someone has posted it, 準備してある = already prepared). It implies ‘someone did it in advance for some purpose' (often with 「〜のために」 for purpose). ⚠️ Important restriction: てある only attaches to transitive verbs (書く, 開ける, 買う, 貼る, 置く), and the original object takes が (ドアが開けてある). ⚠️ Core contrast with 「ている」: 「transitive てある」 = a humanly-caused state (deliberately done: 窓が開けてある = someone opened the window, stressing intention); 「intransitive ている」 = a natural/plain state (窓が開いている = the window is open, not stressing who opened it)! てある has human intention, ている is an objective state. ⚠️ And 「ておく」: ておく = do in advance (an action); てある = the resulting state of doing in advance. An important N4 pattern for completed preparation.
📌 How to Connect
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| transitive verb te-form ＋ ある | a state (done by someone) | 書いてある |
| object ＋ が ＋ transitive てある | 〜 is (kept) done | ドアが開けてある |
| (contrast) intransitive ＋ ている | natural state | ドアが開いている |
💬 Example Sentences
- 黒板に明日の宿題が書いてある。(Tomorrow's homework is written on the board (by someone).) — humanly-caused state
- 明日のパーティーのために、料理が作ってある。(For tomorrow's party, the food is already made.) — completed preparation
- 壁にポスターが貼ってある。(A poster is posted on the wall (by someone).) — transitive state
- 大丈夫、もう予約してあります。(No problem, it's already reserved.) — already arranged
- 窓が開けてあるから、誰かが開けたのだろう。(The window's been left open, so someone must have opened it.) — human action (contrast with ている)
🔄 Compare: てある vs ている vs ておく vs てしまう
| Expression | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| transitive てある | a state (done by someone) (human intention) | 書いてある |
| intransitive ている | a natural/plain state | 開いている |
| 〜ておく | do in advance (an action, for preparation) | 買っておく |
| 〜てしまう | finish/do by accident | 食べてしまう |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Only transitive verbs: てある only attaches to transitive verbs (書く, 開ける, 買う); ✗ intransitive (✗ 開いてある → 開けてある or 開いている).
- てある vs ている: transitive てある = a humanly-caused state (someone did it); intransitive ている = a natural state — don't confuse!
- Object takes が: てある's original object takes が (ドアが開けてある).
- And ておく: ておく = do in advance (an action); てある = the result of doing in advance (a state).
💡 Nuance & When to Use
「てある」 means “(someone has deliberately done it, and as a result) it's …, it's already been …,” stressing the state left by a deliberate, intentional human action (someone did it, prepared for some purpose: 書いてある, 買ってある, 準備してある). ⚠️ Only attaches to transitive verbs, the object takes が. ⚠️ Contrast with the intransitive 「ている (a natural state)」 — てある has human intention, ている is an objective state. Distinguish from the ‘do in advance (an action)' ておく. A must for N4 completed preparation.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- N4 core: transitive verb te-form ＋ ある = a state (done by someone, prepared for some purpose); only transitive verbs, object takes が.
- Core distinction: transitive てある (a humanly-intentional state) vs intransitive ている (a natural/objective state).
- Extension: ておく (do in advance, an action) vs てある (the result of doing in advance, a state).
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. 「黒板に宿題が___。」(the homework is written on the board — someone wrote it)
(A) 書いている (B) 書いてある (C) 書いておく (D) 書いてしまった
Q2. 「〜てある」 only attaches to what kind of verb?
(A) intransitive (B) transitive (C) either (D) irregular
Q3. What's the difference between 「窓が開いている」 and 「窓が開けてある」?
(A) exactly the same
(B) 開いている: a natural state; 開けてある: someone deliberately left it open
(C) 開いている: past; 開けてある: present
(D) 開けてある is more polite
Q4. 「明日のために食材が___。」(the ingredients have been bought for tomorrow)
(A) 買っておいた (B) 買ってある (C) 買っている (D) 買おう
Q5. 「大丈夫、もう手配し___。」(no problem, it's already arranged)
(A) てしまいました (B) てあります (C) ています (D) ておきます
Answer Key
1. (B) 書いてある ── 宿題が書いてある = the homework has been written (someone wrote it, and that state exists) → てある.
2. (B) transitive ── 〜てある attaches to transitive verbs (someone's deliberate action).
3. (B) ── 開いている = a natural state; 開けてある = someone deliberately left it open.
4. (B) 買ってある ── 食材が買ってある = the ingredients have been bought (deliberate, with the state remaining).
5. (B) てあります ── 手配してあります = it's already been arranged (a prepared state).