other N4 common casualpolitewritten
まま — as it is
まま
Meaning
① while left in a state: with ~ left (undone/as it is) — a second action happens while the first state persists
② as it is (unchanged): as it is / just as ~ — a state preserved without alteration
Key sentence
① while left in a state
立ったまま、ご飯を食べた。
I ate while standing.
② as it is (unchanged)
昔のままの町並みが残っている。
The townscape remains just as it was long ago.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past-tense or ない verb, noun + の, or この/その/あの | V(た) / V(ない) / N の / この・その + まま | 座ったまま / 昔のまま / そのまま |
Examples
① while left in a state
窓を開けたまま、出かけてしまった。
I went out with the window left open.
テレビをつけたまま、寝てしまった。
I fell asleep with the TV left on.
② as it is (unchanged)
どうぞ、そのままお待ちください。
Please wait just as you are.
自然のままの姿が一番美しい。
Its natural, untouched form is the most beautiful.
When you can't use it
- For the 'while' sense the verb must be in the た-form, not the dictionary form (✗ 立つまま → ◯ 立ったまま) — it describes a state already entered and now held.
Easily confused with
〜ている ている describes an action in progress or a plain resulting state. 〜たまま stresses that a state is left UNCHANGED while another action occurs, often with a nuance of neglect (つけたまま寝た = left it on and slept). 〜ないで ないで links 'without doing X' straight to a following action. 〜ないまま keeps the focus on the lingering undone state itself (宿題をしないまま = with the homework still left undone).
See まま in real sentences
Jengo shows まま the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.