theresachan wrote:I can't figure out the difference between ている and てある.
例文1: 窓が開いています。
例文2: 部屋にはきれいな絵が飾ってあります。
How do I determine when to use ている or てある?
It's easy to understand wat they mean but it's different when it comes to choosing the correct one to use.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Simplify your question:
例文1: 窓が開いています。
例文2: 窓が開けてあります。
#1 = "The window is open."
#2 = "The window has been opened [and is still open]."
例文: 部屋にはきれいな絵が飾ってあります。
Literally: "In my room, a beautiful picture has been [and continues to be] adorned."
-te iru indicates present condition, nothing more. ("is ~~")
-te aru indicates past action, the result/effect of which has continued until the present time. ("has been [and continues to be] ~~ed"). Because it (usually) follows only transitive verbs, it is used to refer to a change in state brought about by some agent.
Therefore, if you want to imply that "someone has opened my window", then you use -te aru. If you just simply want to state "my window is open", then you use -te iru. Basically, they have the same meaning, but there's a significant difference in nuance.