たまま details
write + (past) + leaving it as is
kaita mama
leaving it as is; still in the state of
眼鏡かけたまま寝ちゃった。
megane kaketa mama nechatta.
I fell asleep with my glasses still on. casual
窓を開けたまま出かけてしまった。
mado o aketa mama dekakete shimatta.
I went out and left the window open. neutral
- colloquial
Examples
with X left as is — a state set up once persists, unchanged, through the main action
眼鏡かけたまま寝ちゃった。
megane kaketa mama nechatta.
I fell asleep with my glasses still on. casual
窓を開けたまま出かけてしまった。
mado o aketa mama dekakete shimatta.
I went out and left the window open. neutral
上着は着たままで結構です。
uwagi wa kita mama de kekkou desu.
You may keep your jacket on. formal
Formation
{V-ta}ままattaches to た-form
Variant notes
- たまんま — speech doubles the m — 服[ふく]、脱[ぬ]いだまんまだよ. Casual conversation only; write まま.
Notes
Related patterns
Similar
Both report a persisting result-state, but ている views it from inside as the current situation (窓が開いている), while たまま marks it as background deliberately-or-negligently left unchanged while something else happens — and たまま alone carries the "should have been undone" flavor.
Lookalikes
Both read as "while/with" — ながら pairs two ongoing ACTIONS; たまま freezes a state that persists unchanged through the main verb (電気をつけたまま).