～たなり
While... ~ing, Remaining, Not or ever since, Keep or leave
Structure
Explanation
When attached to the past-tense た-form of a verb, the conjunction particle なり shows that a particular state, which resulted from the verb's action, continues unchanged. This is similar in meaning to まま and can be translated as 'and left it that way' or 'and has been...ever since'.
A clause ending in ～たなり is usually followed by a comma or the conjunctive form of the auxiliary verb だ, which is で. The subsequent clause, (B), then explains what is happening (or not happening) while the state of (A) persists.
～たなり is most often used to express that an undesirable or unexpected situation is ongoing after the initial action (A) took place, though this is not an absolute rule.
- 息子は家を出ていったなり、一度も連絡がない。My son left home and we haven't had a single word from him since.
- 彼はテレビをつけたなりで寝てしまった。He fell asleep with the TV left on.
- 友人に本を貸したなり、まだ返してもらっていない。I lent a book to my friend, and to this day I still haven't gotten it back.
Because ～たなり suggests that the state resulting from action (A) has not changed, it often carries the nuance of 'ever since (A)' in contexts where a significant period of time has passed.
Caution
This なり originates from the hiragana spelling of the noun 形 ('form', 'state'), and is distinct from the なり that functions as a classical copula.
Examples
彼は私から本を借りたなり、返してくれない。
Ever since he borrowed a book from me, he hasn't returned it.
祖父はソファに座ったなり、ぼーっとテレビを見ていた。
My grandfather remained seated on the sofa, just staring blankly at the TV.
弟は「コンビニに行ってくる」と言ったなり、朝まで帰ってこなかった。
Ever since saying "I'm heading to the convenience store," my little brother didn't come back until morning.
彼女は玄関に立ったなり、ずっと外を眺めていた。
While remaining standing at the entrance, she gazed outside for a long time.
夫は昨夜、テレビをつけたなり寝てしまったようだ。
It seems my husband left the TV on after turning it on last night and fell asleep.
赤ちゃんはおもちゃを握ったなり、すやすやと眠っている。
The baby is sleeping soundly while still clenching his toy.
飼い犬は雷の音に驚いて、ベッドの下に隠れたなり出てこない。
Startled by the sound of thunder, our pet dog hid under the bed and hasn't come out since.
彼は悪い知らせを聞き、目を閉じたなり何も話さなかった。
After hearing the bad news, he kept his eyes closed and didn't say anything.
祖母は１０年前に故郷を出たなり、一度も戻っていない。
My grandmother left her hometown 10 years ago and hasn't been back even once since.
泥棒は部屋に入ったなり、微動だにしなかった。
After entering the room, the thief remained completely motionless.
彼はメッセージを読んだなり、何の返事もない。
Ever since he read the message, there has been no reply whatsoever.
彼はうつ伏せになったなり、しばらく動かなかった。
He remained lying face down, and didn't move for a while.