Lesson notes · ≈ JLPT N4 · Beginner 3
〜ています~te imasu
resulting state still holds
「〜ています」 describes a state that remains after a change, such as a window being open.
How it works
Follow the time arrows: the window opened and is still open now. The focus is on the state left by the change.
The car has stopped and is still there now. Use 「止まっています」 to describe the state you see.
To express this resulting state, add 「います」 to the verb’s て form. Put 「が」 after the thing whose state you describe.
You can say this just by observing the window or car as it is now. You don’t need to know who caused the change.
In the example, 「開いて」 is usually read 「あいて」. Keep this reading in mind when saying that a window is open.
