LEARN + JAPANESE / 43 of 186 JLPT N4
Left That Way 〜てある
The shop’s sign is already up before opening day: 看板が出してあります. てある describes the result of someone’s deliberate action, left in place for a reason.
The cake has been made (and is ready).
The curtains have been closed.
Hint · 힌트
The subject takes は or が, never を, even though a verb like 作る is normally transitive and would take を on its object. Once てある is attached, the sentence shifts focus from the action to the resulting state, and the thing affected becomes the topic, not the object.
The restaurant has already been reserved.
I had made plans to meet a friend, but I couldn't meet them.
Hint · 힌트
てある and ている can both describe a resulting state, but てある always implies someone’s intention behind it, while ている with an intransitive verb just describes what’s true, no one’s purpose involved. 窓が開いている just says the window is open, maybe the wind did it. 窓が開けてある says someone opened it on purpose and left it that way.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| to open (something) | |
| to look into, investigate | |
| to prepare | |
| candle | |
| to turn off, extinguish | |
| to wash | |
| to polish, brush | |
| to withdraw (money) | |
| to wrap | |
| to hand over | |
| to turn on, attach | |
| refrigerator | |
| to reserve, book | |
| promise, plans | |
| to stick, paste | |
| to line up, arrange | |
| to hang | |
| to put, place | |
| to set (a table, a device) | |
| to set aside, keep |
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