〜まま: 'As It Is' / Leaving a State Unchanged (N3 Grammar)
Freezing a situation in place
まま takes one situation and holds it still while a second action happens on top. You started a state (or it already exists), you never undid it, and life goes on around that frozen condition — "as it is," "still," "with X left that way."
The workhorse form is verb (た-form) + まま: you did something, and the resulting state lingers:
ヤッタンは電気をつけたまま寝てしまった。
ヤッタンは でんきを つけたまま ねて しまった。
Yattan fell asleep with the light left on.
つけた (turned on) + まま = the on-state was never undone.
モチは立ったままご飯を食べている。
モチは たったまま ごはんを たべて いる。
Mochi is eating while standing.
立った (stood up) + まま = stays in a standing state the whole time.
窓を開けたまま出かけてしまった。
まどを あけたまま でかけて しまった。
I went out with the window left open.
The た is not decoration. つけたまま is not "I turned on the light," it's "the light, left on" — the action happened earlier, and まま reports that nobody changed it back.
What clips on in front of まま
The whole trick is picking the right connector for whatever sits directly before まま:
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb (た-form) | 〜た + まま | つけたまま | left turned on |
| Verb (ない-form) | 〜ない + まま | 食べないまま | without having eaten |
| Noun | Noun + の + まま | 昔のまま | the same as long ago |
| い-adjective | い-adj + まま | 若いまま | while still young |
| な-adjective | な-adj + な + まま | きれいなまま | while still clean/pretty |
| Demonstrative | その + まま | そのまま | as it is / leave it |
A noun + の + まま says something sits in the same state it was in before — unchanged from how it was:
この町は昔のままで、何も変わっていない。
この まちは むかしのままで、なにも かわって いない。
This town is just as it was long ago; nothing has changed.
With adjectives the split is simple: い-adjectives attach bare, な-adjectives need な:
先生はいつまでも若いままですね。
せんせいは いつまでも わかいまま ですね。
Sensei stays young forever, doesn't she?
い-adjective 若い attaches with no extra word.
ないまま: a needed step that got skipped
The ない + まま form means an expected action never happened before the next one — and that gap lingers. It overlaps with 〜ずに, but does more work: ずに just describes how the next action is done, while ないまま stresses that a needed prior step was left undone and the lack persists:
弟は朝ごはんを食べないまま学校へ行った。
おとうとは あさごはんを たべないまま がっこうへ いった。
My little brother went to school without eating breakfast.
ない + まま = the eating never happened.
そのまま and 〜ままに: two forms worth pocketing
そのまま is a fixed, everyday expression — "as it is," "leave it like that," "stay where you are":
どうぞ、そのまま座っていてください。
どうぞ、そのまま すわって いて ください。
Please, stay seated just as you are.
〜ままに is the more literary cousin: doing something the way another force dictates — following a wish or going along with the flow:
モチは心のままに絵を描いた。
モチは こころのままに えを かいた。
Mochi painted as her heart led her.
心のままに = following one's heart, freely.
You will also meet set phrases like 言われるままに ("just as one is told") and 気の向くままに ("as the mood takes one"). At N3, recognizing 〜ままに is enough; 〜たまま is the form you should be able to produce confidently.
Where learners trip
- Using the dictionary form before まま for a finished action. A state created by a completed action needs た: つける → つけたまま (✓), not つけるまま. The た is what tells us the action already happened and the state persists.
- Forgetting の after a noun. It is 昔のまま, 制服のまま — never 昔まま. Nouns always need の.
- Dropping な on な-adjectives. Say きれいなまま, 元気なまま. Only い-adjectives (若いまま) attach bare.
- Confusing ないまま with 〜ずに / 〜ないで. All three can mean "without doing," but ないまま stresses that a needed prior action was skipped and that lack persists; 〜ずに and 〜ないで simply describe the manner of the next action.
The short version
- 〜まま = a state stays unchanged while another action happens ("as it is," "still," "with X left that way").
- Verb た + まま for a lingering result (つけたまま); verb ない + まま for a skipped action (食べないまま).
- Noun + の + まま; い-adj + まま; な-adj + な + まま.
- そのまま = "as it is / leave it"; 〜ままに = "as one pleases / as directed" (more literary).
Practice it
Choose the correct まま form (た / ない / の / な).
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
さきは電気をつけた＿＿＿寝てしまった。
Frequently asked questions
Why is it つけたまま and not つけるまま?
まま reports a state created by a completed action, so you need the た-form. つけた = 'turned on (and it stayed on)'. The dictionary form つける would wrongly suggest the action is still in progress or about to happen.
What's the difference between ないまま and ずに?
Both can translate as 'without doing.' ないまま emphasizes that an expected prior step was skipped and that gap continues (食べないまま出かけた = left while still not having eaten). ずに just describes how the next action is done (歩かずに行った = went without walking).
Do I always need の after a noun before まま?
Yes. Nouns connect with の: 昔のまま, 生のまま ('raw, as it is'), 制服のまま ('still in uniform'). Leaving out の is a common mistake.
What does そのまま mean on its own?
そのまま is a set phrase meaning 'as it is,' 'leave it like that,' or 'stay as you are': そのままにしておいて ('leave it the way it is').
Where 〜まま fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ずに · N3 — 〜ずに means doing one thing without doing another: 食べずに ('without eating'). Learn the formation, the irregular せずに, and how it differs from 〜ないで and 〜なくて.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜ている · N5 — 〜ている has two big jobs: an ongoing action ('is doing') and a continuing state ('is in a state'). Learn when it means which, how to form it, and see clear examples.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ながら（も） — The concessive 〜ながら（も） means 'although / even though,' pointing out a contradiction between two facts about the same subject: 彼は忙しいながら、健康に気をつけない. Not to be confused with the 'while doing' ながら.
- 〜によると/によれば — によると and によれば both mean 'according to,' citing the source of information a sentence is based on (天気予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ). The sentence almost always ends in a hearsay form like そうだ or らしい.
- 〜たらいい — 〜たらいい attaches to the た-form of a verb to mean 'it would be good/nice if,' 'I wish,' or (as a question) 'what should I do' — もっと時間があったらいいのに ('I wish there were more time'). It softly expresses a hope or asks for advice.
- 〜てもかまわない — 〜てもかまわない attaches to the て-form to grant permission or express indifference — ここで吸ってもかまいません ('it's fine to smoke here'). Slightly more formal than 〜てもいい, and literally says 'even if..., it doesn't bother me.'
- 〜としたら — 〜としたら means 'if we suppose/assume that...' — it sets up a hypothetical premise and asks what follows from it. Common with もし and questions about what you'd do in that case.
- なぜなら — なぜなら(ば) and なぜかというと state the reason for a previous sentence in a fresh sentence that closes with 〜からだ. Learn the pattern, register, and how it differs from から/ので.