儘Time and change
Left as it is
まま says something stays exactly as it is, often when it should have changed.
Forms
What goes before まま
| Before it | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Past verb | 開けたまま | with it left open |
| Negative verb | 知らないまま | still not knowing |
| い adjective | 若いまま | staying young |
| な adjective | きれいなまま | staying clean |
| Noun | 子供のまま | still a child |
| この, その | このまま | just like this |
In use
Left unchanged
I went to sleep with the window open.
Please don't come in with your shoes on.
I went out and left the air conditioner on.
It's fine just as it is.
It's just as it used to be.
Without doing
Three ways to say it
I left without eating breakfast, and stayed that way.
まま stresses the unchanged state.
I left without eating breakfast.
~ないで simply stresses not doing it.
Grammar notes
Past form, and optional で
A verb before まま is usually past, because something's already happened and stayed that way. A negative stays in its present form. When まま comes before another verb, で is optional: 座ったまま(で)話しました. For leaving something as it is, use まま(に)する: そのままにしてください, “Please leave it as it is.”
Check yourself
What stayed the same?
Your turn
Which form goes before まま?
I went out with the window open.
Say it yourself
Whoops
You just got to the office and realized you left the air conditioner on and didn't lock the door.
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