まま

まま says a state stays as it is while something else happens: the shoes stay on, the TV stays on, nothing gets eaten. After a verb, it takes the た-form for a state an action has left behind.

The verb is in the た-form even when the sentence is about the future: you put the shoes on before you come in.

• × 靴を履くまま → 靴を履いたまま

Something left undone

After the ない-form, まま means the thing never got done, and the state of not having done it carries on.

After a noun or an adjective

A noun takes の, a な-adjective takes な, and an い-adjective goes straight on.

Usage notes

These go beyond a state that stays the same while something else happens.

このまま and そのまま

With こ・そ・あ words, まま means "as things are" or "as it is". This is the form you will hear most.

ままになっている and ままにする

ままになっている says something has been left in a state, usually one that should have been put right. ままにする is leaving it that way on purpose.