～所(ところ)にAt the time, When, While, Timing

ところに will be used to highlight the time of (A), and can be interpreted as 'at the time of (A)', 'while (A)', or 'with the timing of (A)'. As it is a structure that makes use of the noun ところ 'place' or 'spot', it puts more emphasis on the scene or situation, rather than the action itself.

This pattern follows verbs in their ている or ていた forms. Also, rather than appearing with に, へ is sometimes used instead. Depending on the form of the verb, ところに may indicate being 'on the verge of (A)', 'partway through (A)', or having 'just finished (A)'.

Compared to other ところ based structures, the addition of に or へ will often precede a (B) statement indicating that 'at the precise moment of (A), (B) happened'. This may either be positive or negative.

Caution

In many cases, ところに will be used when (A) is either a 'situation' or an 'emotion', and will not often be used in relation to unimportant or trivial actions, unless expressing the 'precise moment' where something unexpected happened during that trivial action.

Caution

When appearing with nouns, な-Adjectives, or い-Adjectives, ところに, へ, で, and を simply highlight that 'state of (A)'.