GRAMMAR DETAIL

～てある

to have been done

Indicates that the result of someone's intentional action remains in its present state.

Examples

黒板に今日の日付が書いてある。

Today's date is written on the blackboard.

会議室の机には、資料が人数分並べてあります。

Materials have been laid out on the conference room table for everyone attending.

Structure: Add ある, usually to a transitive verb's て form, to describe a state left by an intentional action.
Basic usage: 黒板に今日の日付が書いてある。 describes the date remaining on the board after someone wrote it there.

The verb and its affected object
- In 日付を書く, the date is an object marked by を; in 日付が書いてある, が presents what bears the resulting state. Thus が can occur even with the transitive verb.
Preparing and being prepared
- 資料を並べておく describes arranging materials in preparation, while 資料が並べてある describes their prepared state. てある focuses on the result rather than who produced it.