Once a verb is in its て-form, a small closed set of auxiliaries can clip onto the end, each adding a fixed layer of aspect — how the action sits in time — or direction. This page is the reference table: every auxiliary, the aspect it contributes, and a worked example, all anchored on 書いて. The heart of the page is the one auxiliary that trips up every learner: ている, which means "is doing" with one kind of verb and "is in a resulting state" with another. That split is not a quirk — it is systematic, and this page shows you how to predict it.
The teaching overview of the whole family, including the orthographic "kana tell," is て + auxiliary verbs. Here we stay in reference mode: the grid, the aspect, and the traps.
The master table
| Auxiliary | Aspect / meaning | On 書く | Casual form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜ている | progressive or resulting state | 書いている | 書いてる |
| 〜てある | resulting state of a deliberate act | 書いてある | — |
| 〜ておく | do in advance / leave prepared | 書いておく | 書いとく |
| 〜てしまう | completion / regret, irreversibility | 書いてしまう | 書いちゃう |
| 〜ていく | change moving away / into the future | 変わっていく | 変わってく |
| 〜てくる | change approaching now / inception | 分かってくる | — |
| 〜てみる | try doing and see | 書いてみる | — |
The casual contractions matter for listening: ている→てる, ておく→とく (and 読んでおく→読んどく), てしまう→ちゃう (and 読んでしまう→読んじゃう), ていく→てく. They are everywhere in speech and rare in formal writing.
ている: the two readings, and how the verb decides
Here is the single most important insight on the page. ている is not ambiguous by accident — the verb's own nature resolves it.
- With a durative / activity verb (書く, 食べる, 読む, 走る, 待つ) — one that unfolds over time — ている is progressive: "is (currently) doing."
- With an instantaneous / change-of-state verb (結婚する, 死ぬ, 知る, 来る, 起きる, 開く, 落ちる) — one that flips from one state to another in an instant — ている marks the resulting state: "has done, and now is in that state."
| Verb type | ている reading | Example | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activity (書く) | progressive | 手紙を書いている | is (in the middle of) writing a letter |
| Change-of-state (結婚する) | resulting state | 結婚している | is married (not "is getting married") |
| Change-of-state (死ぬ) | resulting state | 死んでいる | is dead |
| Change-of-state (開く) | resulting state | ドアが開いている | the door is open |
今、レポートを書いているから、あとでかけ直すね。
ima, repōto o kaite iru kara, ato de kakenaosu ne
I'm writing a report right now, so I'll call you back later. (書く — progressive)
あの二人、去年結婚しているよ。知らなかった？
ano futari, kyonen kekkon shite iru yo. shiranakatta?
Those two got married last year — you know they're married, right? (結婚する — resulting state, NOT 'getting married')
このコンビニ、二十四時間開いているから便利だよ。
kono konbini, nijūyo-jikan aite iru kara benri da yo
This convenience store is open 24 hours, so it's handy. (開く — resulting state)
One honest wrinkle: 知っている. "I know" is 知っている (resulting state — you came to know, and now know), but the negative is 知らない, not ×知っていない. The affirmative and negative sit on different frames, and you simply memorize it. The full account is on ている: two meanings.
その店なら知ってるよ。駅の裏でしょ。
sono mise nara shitteru yo. eki no ura desho
Oh, I know that place — it's behind the station, right? (知っている affirmative)
自動詞 + ている vs 他動詞 + てある: same picture, different agency
Both ている and てある can describe a resulting state, but they encode who — if anyone — did it. This is where the auxiliary table meets the transitivity pairs.
- 自動詞 + ている — the intransitive states a fact with no agent in view. ドアが開いている just reports that the door is open; the wind could have done it.
- 他動詞 + てある — the transitive says someone opened it on purpose and left it that way, for a reason. Crucially, the object of a てある verb is marked が, not を.
| Form | Example | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| 自動詞 + ている | 窓が開いている | the window is open (just a fact, no agent) |
| 他動詞 + てある | 窓が開けてある | the window has been (deliberately) left open, on purpose |
換気のために、窓が開けてある。
kanki no tame ni, mado ga akete aru
The window's been left open for ventilation. (てある — deliberate, purposeful; object marked が)
冷蔵庫にビールが冷やしてあるよ。飲んでいいよ。
reizōko ni bīru ga hiyashite aru yo. nonde ii yo
There's beer chilling in the fridge — help yourself. (てある — someone prepared it)
The contrast is drilled on ている vs てある.
The rest of the family, one aspect each
〜ておく — do in advance, or leave something as it is because it is convenient. Casual とく.
会議の前に、資料を印刷しておくね。
kaigi no mae ni, shiryō o insatsu shite oku ne
I'll print the handouts before the meeting. (ておく — in advance)
〜てしまう — completion, often with regret or a sense of "it's done and can't be undone." Casual ちゃう／じゃう.
大事なメールを間違えて消してしまった。
daiji na mēru o machigaete keshite shimatta
I accidentally deleted an important email (and now it's gone). (てしまう — completion + regret)
〜ていく — a change moving away from now, into the future; or motion away. Casual てく.
これから、少子化はもっと進んでいくだろう。
kore kara, shōshika wa motto susunde iku darō
The declining birthrate will probably keep advancing from here on. (ていく — change into the future)
〜てくる — a change approaching now, the onset of a state or sensation; or motion toward.
日本語の勉強を続けていたら、だんだん分かってきた。
nihongo no benkyō o tsuzukete itara, dandan wakatte kita
As I kept studying Japanese, it gradually started to make sense. (てくる — inception, change reaching now)
急に雨が降ってきたね。傘持ってる？
kyū ni ame ga futte kita ne. kasa motteru?
It's suddenly started raining — do you have an umbrella? (てくる — onset)
〜てみる — try doing something and see how it goes.
気になるなら、一度食べてみたら？
ki ni naru nara, ichido tabete mitara?
If you're curious, why not give it a try (once)? (てみる — try and see)
Common mistakes
1. Reading a change-of-state ている as "is doing." 結婚している is "is married," not "is getting married."
❌ 姉は来月、結婚している。
Wrong — ている on 結婚する is a resulting state ('is married'). For a future event use 結婚する: 来月結婚する.
✅ 姉は来月、結婚する。
ane wa raigetsu, kekkon suru
My older sister is getting married next month.
2. Negating 知っている as ×知っていない. The negative of "know" is the plain 知らない.
❌ その人のことは知っていない。
Wrong — the negative of 知っている is 知らない, not ×知っていない.
✅ その人のことは知らない。
sono hito no koto wa shiranai
I don't know that person.
3. Marking the てある object with を. てある takes が on the thing acted upon.
❌ テーブルにメモを書いてある。
Wrong — てある marks the affected thing with が: メモが書いてある.
✅ テーブルにメモが書いてある。
tēburu ni memo ga kaite aru
There's a note written on the table (someone left it).
4. Attaching the auxiliary to the dictionary form. These helpers ride the て-form, not the plain form.
❌ ちょっとやるみる。
Wrong — needs the て-form: やってみる, not the dictionary やる.
✅ ちょっとやってみる。
chotto yatte miru
I'll give it a try.
Key takeaways
- One slot after the て-form, filled by a closed set of auxiliaries, each adding a fixed aspect: ている・てある・ておく・てしまう・ていく・てくる・てみる.
- ている is progressive with activity verbs (書いている = is writing) but a resulting state with change-of-state verbs (結婚している = is married) — the verb decides.
- 自動詞 + ている states an agentless fact; 他動詞 + てある says someone did it on purpose (and marks the object が).
- Learn the casual contractions — てる・とく・ちゃう・てく — for real-world listening.
Now practice Japanese
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- te/ta Sound-Change (音便) Master ChartN4 — The definitive euphonic-change reference: every verb ending mapped to its te and た form, with the three 音便 types, the voicing rule, and the single 行く exception.
- 自動詞・他動詞 Pairs: Reference TableN3 — The lookup table of paired intransitive/transitive verbs that share a root — 開く／開ける, 出る／出す, 入る／入れる, 上がる／上げる — organized by the recurring -ある／-える and -る／-す patterns, with the two morphological tells that almost never fail.
- All Forms, All Classes: Master ChartN4 — The one-sheet everything reference — every major verb form (dictionary through causative-passive, volitional, conditional, imperative) down the side and 書く・食べる・する・来る across the top, so you can verify any form without hunting across pages.