GrammarJLPT N5
→ as (it is)
As It Is / Remaining in a State
JLPT N5SuffixNeutral
〜まま expresses that something remains in a particular state without change, or that an action is performed while a certain condition persists unchanged. It conveys the idea of 'as it is,' 'leaving something as is,' or 'while still in the state of.' For example, if you fall asleep with the TV on and it stays on, you would describe that unchanged state with 〜まま. This grammar point is versatile and can attach to verbs in the た-form (to indicate a completed action whose resulting state persists), to nouns with の, or to な-adjectives with な. It differs from 〜ながら, which describes two simultaneous actions performed by the same person, whereas 〜まま focuses on a state that remains unchanged during or after another event. It is also distinct from 〜っぱなし, which carries a stronger nuance of negligence or carelessness about leaving something in a state, while 〜まま is more neutral and simply describes the unchanged condition.
Functions
#1 Leaving something in an unchanged state
Structure
Verb (た-form) + まま
電気を つけたまま 寝てしまいました。
Here まま attaches to the た-form of つける (to turn on), indicating that the lights were turned on and remained in that state — they were not turned off — when the speaker fell asleep. The resulting state of the lights being on persisted unchanged throughout the act of sleeping. This is one of the most common uses of まま.I fell asleep with the lights left on.
Structures
- Verb (た-form)
- Verb (た-form) + まま
- Verb (ない-form)
- Verb (ない-form) + まま
- Noun
- Noun + の + まま
- な-Adjective
- な-Adjective + な + まま
- い-Adjective
- い-Adjective + まま
Common mistakes
A common mistake is confusing 〜まま with 〜ながら. While 〜ながら describes doing two actions simultaneously (e.g., listening to music while studying), 〜まま describes a state that remains unchanged during or before another action. Another frequent error is using the dictionary form of a verb directly before まま instead of the た-form; for example, saying 「開くまま」 instead of the correct 「開いたまま」 when meaning 'left open.' Learners also sometimes forget to insert の between a noun and まま, writing 「昔まま」 instead of 「昔のまま」. Finally, some learners confuse 〜まま with 〜っぱなし; while both describe leaving something in a state, 〜っぱなし carries a stronger tone of criticism or negligence, whereas 〜まま is more neutral and descriptive.
Related
〜ながら〜っぱなし〜たまま〜ようにする〜ている