In Git, files can exist in three main states.
1. Working Directory: the files you're currently seeing and editing.
2. Staging Area (Index): a snapshot of the changes you've marked to go into your next commit (using git add).
3. Repository (.git directory): where Git permanently stores your project. When you commit, the snapshot in the staging area gets saved into the repository for good.
You should see
(Workflow: Modify files in Working Directory -> Stage changes with 'git add' -> Commit staged changes with 'git commit')