Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 5: 1/21

ままに (As Is)

As is, While remaining, Left in a state

Occasionally written as まんま

Structure

Verb[た](1) + まま
[い]Adjective + まま
[な]Adjective + + まま
Noun + + まま

(1) Verb[ない]

Details

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    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

Rare Kanji

儘・侭

About まま(に)

まま, coming from the kanji (まま), which means 'as it is', is a noun in Japanese that is used for describing the 'unchanged state' of something. This expression may be translated as 'while remaining (A)', 'as (A) is', or 'left in the state of (A)'. It can be used after any word in its attributive form. However, when used with verbs, it has a tendency to be used with the た (past) form most frequently.
  • うぁ〜、マジかよ。電気(でんき)ガス()けたままだった
    Whaaat. Are you serious? I left my gas and electricity on.
  • 部屋(へや)(きたな)ままにていたらゴキブリが沢山(たくさん)()てきた
    So many cockroaches appeared because I left my room dirty.
  • いつまでも元気(げんき)ままでいてね。
    Please always stay healthy, okay?
  • (いま)まま一生(いっしょう)結婚(けっこん)できない(おも)よ。
    If you are the way you are now, I don't think you'll ever be able to marry.
まま often expresses that something should be left alone, or undisturbed. This is generally seen with verbs in the ない form.
  • 許可(きょか)()らないまま(えき)撮影(さつえい)ていたら、警察(けいさつ)()た。
    While I was filming without getting a permit, the police were called.
  • 夕食(ゆうしょく)()べないまま()たら、お(なか)()いて3()ぐらいに()てしまった。
    Because I slept without eating dinner, I woke up at 3 am from hunger.
Caution
While まま may be followed by the case marking particle , it is very often omitted. When it appears, however, it will place extra emphasis on the next verb in the sentence.
  • エンジン()けたままにしておいてください
    Please keep your engine on.
  • 扇風機(せんぷうき)()けたままにして(いえ)()る。
    I leave my house with my fan turned on. (Often)

Examples

  • 昨日(きのう)(まど)()けたまま()た。

    Last night I slept with the windows left open.

  • およそ千人(せんにん)()ったまま講演(こうえん)()いた。

    About 1000 people listened to the lecture while standing (the whole time).

  • 生徒(せいと)(こた)られなくて、(だま)ったままでした。

    The student couldn't answer and stayed quiet.

  • このまま()図書館(としょかん)()えます。

    If you stay on this course, you will be able to see the library.

  • ありのまま(きみ)()だ。

    I like you, just as you are.

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まま(に) – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • Eironeous

    Eironeous

    About 3 years ago

    I personally don’t feel like it’s necessary, especially if the current translation carries over the intended meaning better. The literal translation in English makes the intended meaning sound a little more like a たら conditional, doesn’t it? What tripped me up was actually not seeing a まま + だと combination before, and the three grammar sources I used (Tae Kim, Maggie’s explanation and even Dictionary of Japanese Grammar) did not give a まま + だと example. And of course, since asking this question I’ve seen it pop up elsewhere, too.

    If I voted for any change, it’d be to maybe add a note regarding what it is commonly combined with, such as で, に and だと. As in, add it as a comment in orange letters below, where it currently says [The state of something remains unchanged]. Again though, I didn’t think it too confusing, and when studying grammar such questions are inevitable anyway.

    Thanks for the response!

  • Neko

    Neko

    About 2 years ago

    I always confuse this with てある
    do we use まま when there is already a sentence ending verb or are there more differences?

  • Daru

    Daru

    About 1 year ago

    One basic difference I can think of is that while both てある and まま mean that something was left in that state, the “something that must be left alone/undisturbed” nuance is unique to まま.

    てある is just stating the fact.

    Hope this helps!

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