Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 9: 4/16

~た(ところ)

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 Legend

Structure

Verb[た](1) + ところ +

(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.
  • (いま)先生(せんせい)()たところ
    I just asked the teacher.
  • 仕事(しごと)(いま)()わったところ。もうすぐ(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)'.
  • (やす)(たの)しんでいたところ上司(じょうし)から電話(でんわ)()
    I got a call from my boss just as I was enjoying my day off.
Caution
When the kanji form of (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

  • (いま)()()わったところです

    I just finished eating.

  • (ふく)()いでいたところ(はは)部屋(へや)(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)():「(きみ)()いたい(いま)(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!'

  • 改札(かいさつ)(はい)たところ電車(でんしゃ)(とびら)()った

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

  • いつも勉強(べんきょう)(はじ)たところ(なに)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

    About 2 years ago

    @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

    About 2 years ago

    Thank you for the detailed explanation!

  • pasi

    pasi

    About 8 months ago

    Is 服()()いでいたところ に、()部屋()()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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