-어 있다
-eo itda
to be in a state of
Attaches to certain verb stems to show that the result of an action continues as an ongoing state—'be -ed,' as in 'be seated,' 'be open,' 'be written.'
Form
- Attaches to
- Verb, Auxiliary
- Other shapes
- -아 있다 · -여 있다
Meanings
- 1
An expression used to indicate that the state mentioned in the preceding statement is continued.
앞말이 나타내는 상태가 계속됨을 나타내는 표현.
Examples
아기가 새근새근 잠들어 있다.
The baby is sleeping soundly.
아침에 내린 비로 땅은 아직도 젖어 있었다.
The ground was still wet from the rain that fell in the morning.
어제 새로 산 옷에는 아직 가격표가 붙어 있었다.
The price tag was still attached to the clothes I bought new yesterday.
승규의 필통에는 연필, 볼펜 등 필기구가 잔뜩 들어 있어 잘 닫히지도 않는다.
Seunggyu's pencil case is so packed with pencils, pens, and other writing tools that it barely closes.
칠판에 쓰여 있는 게 잘 안 보여. 너 눈이 나쁘구나. 내 공책을 보여 줄 테니 이걸 보고 적어.
I can't see what's written on the board well. Your eyesight is bad. I'll show you my notebook, so copy from this.
봄이 되자 어느새 나뭇가지에 새순이 돋아 있다.
As spring arrived, new buds had already sprouted on the branches before anyone noticed.
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘-어 있다’ mean?
2. Which form means “to be in a state of”?