Grammar Info
N4 Lesson 9: 4/15

~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
Casual
Polite
Verb[た](1) + ところ +

(1) Verb[ていた]
Verb[た](1) + ところ + です

(1) Verb[ていた]
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
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 助動詞(じょどうし) (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)今(いま)終(お)わったところ。もうすぐ帰(かえ)
    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)み楽(たの)しんでいたところ上司(じょうし)から電話(でんわ)来(き)
    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.
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今(いま)食(た)べ終(お)わったところです
I just finished eating.
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服(ふく)脱(ぬ)いでいたところ母(はは)部屋(へや)入(はい)ってきた
My mom came into the room just as I was taking my clothes off.
Play  
友達(ともだち)はたまたま友達(ともだち)会(あ)う:「君(きみ)会(あ)いたい今(いま)思(おも)っていたところわ!」
Friend meets a friend by accident: "I was just thinking that I want to see you!"
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Books
みんなの日本語 II
Page 132 [CH 46]
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 496
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 237
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 14