Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 9: 4/16

～た所(ところ)だ

Just finished doing, Was just doing

ところ can be contracted to とこ in casual conversations. In this use ところ means "stage/level/situation"

Structure

Verb［た］(1) + ところ + だ

(1) Verb［ていた］

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About たところだ

In a similar way to how ところ (sometimes shortened to とこ) means 'about to (A)', or 'on the verge of (A)', when following the non-past form of a verb, when following the auxiliary verb た, ところ will mean 'just did (A)'.
To use this structure, make the past tense of any verb, and then add ところ.
  • 今(いま)、先生(せんせい)に聞(き)いたところ。
    I just asked the teacher.
  • 仕事(しごと)は今(いま)終(お)わったところ。もうすぐ帰(かえ)る。
    I just finished work. So I'll head home soon.
While this expresses 'just did (A)', ていた may be used when you would like to express that you were 'just doing (A)'.
  • 休(やす)みを楽(たの)しんでいたところで上司(じょうし)から電話(でんわ)が来(き)た。
    I got a call from my boss just as I was enjoying my day off.
Caution
When the kanji form of 所(ところ) is used, it is often referring to an actual physical location, rather than a situation/standpoint. However, this is something that native speakers will sometimes mistake. Therefore, seeing the kanji form and the hiragana form are both relatively common.

Examples

  • 今(いま)食(た)べ終(お)わったところです。

    I just finished eating.

    • 服(ふく)を脱(ぬ)いでいたところに、母(はは)が部屋(へや)に入(はい)ってきた。

      My mom came into the room just as I was taking my clothes off.

      • 友達(ともだち)はたまたま友達(ともだち)に会(あ)う：「君(きみ)に会(あ)いたいと今(いま)思(おも)っていたところだわ！」

        Friend meets a friend by accident: 'I was just thinking that I want to see you!'

        • 改札(かいさつ)に入(はい)ったところで電車(でんしゃ)の扉(とびら)が閉(し)まった。

          Just as I went through the ticket gate, the train doors closed.

          • いつも勉強(べんきょう)し始(はじ)めたところで何(なに)かが邪魔(じゃま)してくる。

            Whenever I have just started studying, something gets in the way.

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            たところだ – Grammar Discussion

            Most Recent Replies (26 in total)

            • mrnoone

              mrnoone

              @Munzu @Manab

              Hey! (Will add examples soon)

              Think of ところ as “stage” in which action is. You can liken it to a frame of a movie, for example,
              食べるところだ is a frame where you are about to eat, 食べているところだ is a frame when you are eating (have the meal in your mouth for example) and finally, 食べたところだ is a frame when you are finished (and the food is in the belly).

              When we have ところ covered we can think about the particles.

              When we have a sentence of Verb［ている］ところ PARTICLE + B type, which is usually used to say that something (B) happened when we were doing Verb［ている］the particle we choose will depend on the main verb in (B).

            • Munzu

              Munzu

              Thank you for the detailed explanation!

            • pasi

              pasi

              Is 服()を脱()いでいたところ に、母()が部屋()に入()ってきた intentionally listed under this grammar point rather than ているところだ (JLPT N4) | Bunpro – Japanese Grammar Explained this one?

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