まま
mama
As it is; current state; without changing
Expresses that something remains in a certain state or is done without changing that state.
How to form it
Attach to the た-form of a verb (past tense) or to a noun + の. Also can follow a ない-stem? Actually, common patterns: Verb (た-form) + まま, Noun + の + まま, and also このまま/そのまま as set phrases.
What it means
The word まま describes a situation that continues as it is, without alteration. When you say テレビをつけたまま寝ました, it means you left the TV on and slept, so the state of being on continued. It often implies that you do something while leaving another thing unchanged, or that you leave something in its current state. It can be used with verbs in the past tense to indicate an action was done and its result remains. With nouns, use のまま, like 生のまま means raw (as is). Also, このまま and そのまま are common as adverbs meaning 'as is'.
Example sentences
電気をつけたまま寝てしまいました。
Denki o tsuketa mama nete shimaimashita.
I fell asleep with the lights left on.
野菜は生のまま食べられます。
Yasai wa nama no mama taberaremasu.
Vegetables can be eaten raw.
そのまま待っていてください。
Sono mama matte ite kudasai.
Please wait right there (as you are).
Don’t confuse it with
ながら
ながら describes two simultaneous actions by the same person, while まま describes leaving something in a state while doing another action. For example, テレビを見ながら食べる means 'eat while watching TV', but テレビをつけたまま食べる means 'eat with the TV left on'.
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Neutral; used in both speaking and writing.
Next in the N4 path
18Questions
What does まま mean?
As it is; current state; without changing. Expresses that something remains in a certain state or is done without changing that state.
How do you form まま?
Attach to the た-form of a verb (past tense) or to a noun + の. Also can follow a ない-stem? Actually, common patterns: Verb (た-form) + まま, Noun + の + まま, and also このまま/そのまま as set phrases.
Example of まま in a sentence
電気をつけたまま寝てしまいました。 — I fell asleep with the lights left on.
ながら — what is the difference?
ながら describes two simultaneous actions by the same person, while まま describes leaving something in a state while doing another action. For example, テレビを見ながら食べる means 'eat while watching TV', but テレビをつけたまま食べる means 'eat with the TV left on'.
What JLPT level is まま?
JLPT N4 (upper beginner), number 17 of 131 in Nihoner's learning order for N4.
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