Lesson 70: ドアが 開く・開けて ある

N4 · Lesson 70 · 18 min — Japanese uses two different verbs for "the door opens" and "someone opens the door." Use ている for what you see now, and てある when someone did it on purpose.

In English, "The door opens" and "I open the door" use the same verb: open. Japanese uses two different verbs, a pair. First you meet these paired verbs. Then you learn two ways to say "is ...ed": ている and てある. Let's start with the comic!

After this lesson, you can:

• Tell が + intransitive verb (it changes by itself) from を + transitive verb (someone does it): ドアが 開あく / ドアを 開あける
• Use intransitive verb + ている to describe what you see now: 店みせが 閉しまって います (The shop is closed.)
• Use transitive verb + てある for "someone did it on purpose and it stays that way": ドアに 紙かみが 貼はって あります (A note is stuck on the door.)

くまや Is Closed

Mr. Kuma hasn't answered messages for days. Rin and Neko-sensei bring jelly to くまや to check on him... (閉しまる = to close; 開あく・開あける = to open; 貼はる = to stick; 消きえる = to go out (light); 伏ふせる = to lay face down; 風邪かぜを 引ひく = to catch a cold; 冷蔵庫れいぞうこ = fridge; 涼すずしい = cool, refreshing)

Use intransitive verb + ている for a state that came about by itself. Use transitive verb + てある when someone set it up on purpose. Next lesson: Rin carries porridge upstairs. Who is in the photo frame?

Words for This Lesson: Paired Verbs

• 閉しまる (shimaru): (a door, a shop) to close [intransitive]
• 閉しめる (shimeru): to close (a door, a window) [transitive]
• 開あく (aku): (a door, a window) to open [intransitive]
• 開あける (akeru): to open [transitive]
• 消きえる (kieru): (a light) to go out [intransitive]
• 消けす (kesu): to turn off (a light) [transitive]
• つく (tsuku): (a light) to come on [intransitive]
• つける (tsukeru): to turn on (a light) [transitive]
• 始はじまる (hajimaru): (a class, an event) to begin [intransitive]
• 始はじめる (hajimeru): to begin (something) [transitive]
• 入はいる (hairu): to enter; (tea) to be made [intransitive]
• 入いれる (ireru): to put in; to make (tea) [transitive]
• 貼はる (haru): to stick, to post [transitive]
• 風邪かぜを 引ひく (kaze o hiku): a cold (illness)
• 伏ふせる (fuseru): to lay (something) face down [transitive]
• 冷蔵庫れいぞうこ (reizōko): fridge
• ゼリー (zerī): jelly
• 涼すずしい (suzushii): cool, refreshing [い-adjective]
• 財布さいふ (saifu): wallet
• 落おちる (ochiru): to fall, to drop [intransitive]
• 落おとす (otosu): to drop, to lose [transitive]
• 止とまる (tomaru): (a vehicle) to stop [intransitive]
• 止とめる (tomeru): to stop (a vehicle) [transitive]
• 壊こわれる (kowareru): to break, to be broken [intransitive]
• 並ならぶ (narabu): to line up, to be in a row [intransitive]
• 並ならべる (naraberu): to line up, to arrange [transitive]
• 決きまる (kimaru): (something) to be decided [intransitive]
• 決きめる (kimeru): to decide (something) [transitive]

Grammar 1 / 3: Intransitive / Transitive

が + intransitive verb = a thing changes by itself; を + transitive verb = someone does something to a thing

• What are intransitive and transitive verbs?: Intransitive verb: a thing moves or changes by itself, and you only say what happened: ドアが 開あく (the door opens). Transitive verb: someone does an action to a thing: ドアを 開あける (open the door).
• Check the particle: Before an intransitive verb comes "thing + が." Before a transitive verb comes "thing + を." The person who does it takes が or は: わたしは ドアを 開あけます.
• They look alike: They often come in pairs with the same kanji but different endings: 開あく/開あける, 閉しまる/閉しめる, 始はじまる/始はじめる. The next step has a table of 12 pairs and the patterns.
• Japanese loves intransitive verbs: A station announcement says 「電車でんしゃが 止とまりました」 and doesn't say who stopped it. For your own mistakes, use a transitive verb: 財布さいふを 落おとしました (I dropped my wallet).

• 電車でんしゃが 止とまりました。 — The train stopped.
• すみません、ここで 止とめて ください。 — (To a taxi driver) Excuse me, please stop here. (止とめる = to stop something [transitive])
• 授業じゅぎょうは 9時じに 始はじまります。 — Class starts at 9.
• 先生せんせいが 授業じゅぎょうを 始はじめます。 — The teacher starts the class.
• 駅えきで 財布さいふを 落おとしました。 — I dropped my wallet at the station.
• 旅行りょこうの 予定よていが 決きまりました。 — The plan for the trip has been decided. (決きまる = to be decided [intr.] / 決きめる = to decide [trans.])

12 Intransitive / Transitive Pairs

Left: が + intransitive (changes by itself). Right: を + transitive (someone does it). Tap to listen, and notice how the two verbs differ.

Grammar 2 / 3: 〜ている (result)

Intransitive verb + ている = the change has happened and the result stays ("is ..."), not "is doing"

• Resulting state: Intransitive verbs like 開あく, 閉しまる, つく, 消きえる, 壊こわれる and 落おちる finish changing in a moment. With ている, the state after the change continues: 店みせが 閉しまって います (The shop is closed).
• Two kinds of ている: You already know ている for "is doing": 雪ゆきが 降ふって います. This lesson's ている means "is ... (a state)": 電気でんきが ついて います (The light is on). Check the verb: if it changes in a moment, ている is usually a state.
• Only what you see: Intransitive verb + ている says only "it is like this now," no matter who did it or why: 冷蔵庫れいぞうこが 開あいて います (The fridge is open). Maybe it wasn't shut well, or maybe someone opened it.
• How to form it: Intransitive verb te-form + います: 開あいて, 閉しまって, ついて, 消きえて, 壊こわれて, 落おちて, 止とまって + います. In casual speech ている is often てる: 開あいてる.

• 店みせが 閉しまって います。 — The shop is closed.
• 部屋へやの 電気でんきが ついて います。 — The light in the room is on.
• この エレベーターは 壊こわれて います。 — This elevator is broken. (It is in a broken state now)
• 道みちに 財布さいふが 落おちて います。 — A wallet is lying on the road.
• 駅えきの 前まえに タクシーが 止とまって います。 — A taxi is parked in front of the station.
• 冷蔵庫れいぞうこが 開あいて いますよ。 — The fridge is open. (A reminder to someone)

Grammar 3 / 3: 〜てある

Transitive verb + てある = someone did it on purpose, and that state stays

• What is てある?: Someone did something on purpose, and the result of it stays. There is often a purpose: so everyone can see it, or because it will be used soon. 紙かみが 貼はって あります (Someone stuck up a note so people can see it).
• How to form it: transitive verb, を becomes が: Transitive verb te-form + あります. The を in 紙かみを 貼はる becomes が: 紙かみが 貼はって あります. The person who did it usually isn't mentioned.
• ている and てある: 窓まどが 開あいて います = the window is open (only a description). 窓まどが 開あけて あります = someone left it open on purpose. One more: 窓まどを 開あけて います = (someone) is opening the window. That is an action, not a state.
• てある and ておく: You already know ておく for "I do it in advance": ジュースを 入いれて おきます (I'll put the juice in ahead of time). てある describes the state of "it's already done": ジュースが 入いれて あります (The juice is already in).

• ドアに 紙かみが 貼はって あります。 — A note is stuck on the door.
• テーブルに お皿さらが 並ならべて あります。 — The plates are set on the table. (テーブル = table, お皿さら = plate)
• ジュースは 冷蔵庫れいぞうこに 入いれて あります。 — The juice is already in the fridge.
• 紙かみに 名前なまえが 書かいて あります。 — A name is written on the paper.
• ホテルの 予約よやくは もう して あります。 — The hotel reservation has already been made. (予約よやく = reservation)
• 寒さむいので、窓まどが 閉しめて あります。 — It's cold, so the window has been closed (by someone).