-아/어 있다
a/eo itda
The move is over, the picture stays: -아/어 있다
The picture Something frozen in the shape it was left in once the action finished. -아/어 있다 is one frame that has stopped; -고 있다 is the reel still running.
Where the picture shows up in -아/어 있다
-
came, and stayed
지금 사무실에 와 있어요.
ji-geum sa-mu-si-re wa i-sseo-yo
I'm at the office right now.
The trip here is already erased; only you, seated in an office chair, is left
-
seated, and time passes
손님이 아까부터 저기 앉아 있어요.
son-ni-mi a-kka-bu-teo jeo-gi an-ja i-sseo-yo
That customer has been sitting there for a while.
The moment the customer sat down is long gone, and that same seated shape has held for an hour
-
standing, and holding
밖에서 삼십 분이나 서 있었어요.
ba-kke-seo sam-sip bu-ni-na seo i-sseo-sseo-yo
I stood outside for thirty minutes.
Your feet stuck to one spot in front of the shop while only your shadow gets longer
-
left over, still there
자리가 아직 남아 있어요.
ja-ri-ga a-jik na-ma i-sseo-yo
There are still seats left.
A booking sheet with a few blanks still sitting there, white and unfilled
-
switched on, still on
사무실 불이 켜져 있어요.
sa-mu-sil bu-ri kyeo-jyeo i-sseo-yo
The office light is on.
An empty office with the ceiling light left burning
불을 켜고 있어요 = turning it on; 켜져 있어요 = it is on. Swapping them changes the meaning.
All of it in one picture
-아/어 있다 is the single frame left where the action stopped. Finish coming and what remains is you being here; finish sitting and the seated shape holds for an hour. Finish standing and you are left with a thirty-minute shadow; let seats be left over and the blanks stay white; let someone flip the switch and only the glow remains. So with -아/어 있다 you do not see the movement — you see what the movement left.