Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 2: 16/17

～る所(ところ)だAbout to, On the verge of

In this use, ところ means stage/level/situation

Structure

Verb［る］ + ところ + だ

Details

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About るところだ

The noun ところ (sometimes shortened to とこ) is often used to describe the 'place' or 'situation' in which something happens. The primary determining factor for the nuance of ところ, is the tense of the verb it follows. When it is in the non-past form, ところ means 'about to (A)', or 'on the verge of (A)'.

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.

  • いまの所(ところ)...
    This current place…
  • いまのところ...
    This current situation…

Examples

--:--

    今(いま)から帰(かえ)るところです。

    I am just about to go home.

    ちょうど出かけるところだ。

    I am about to leave right now.

    髪(かみ)の毛(け)を切(き)るところでした。

    I was on the verge of cutting my hair. (just about to)

    出(で)かけるところなので洗(あら)い物(もの)ができない。

    I am just about to go out, so I cannot do the dishes.

    宿題(しゅくだい)をするところで、友達(ともだち)から電話(でんわ)が入(はい)った。

    Just when I was about to do my homework I got a call from a friend.

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るところだ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (14 in total)

  • MikkaT

    MikkaT

    Hi,
    in the explanation there is no hint that it can stand before で or なので

    So in which cases だ or だから is not needed and what are the differences in meaning?

  • valid13

    valid13

    Same thing as MikkaT

    ...
  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    There is a hint that implies that it can come before で or なので:

    It’s a noun; a phrase ending in ところ can be used in the same way as any other noun phrase. It can come before で, it needs a な before ので, etc.

    On the other hand, だ can’t come before で or なので.
    だから can work before で purely on a grammatical level but why insert it? The question isn’t asking for a “reason” or anything and I don’t think it would make much sense here either.

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