Structure
Verb［た］(1) + ところ + だ
(1) Verb［ていた］
Details
Register
Standard
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.
While this expresses 'just did (A)', ていた may be used when you would like to express that you were 'just doing (A)'.
Caution
When the kanji form of 所 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.
Related
Examples
--:--
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
今食べ終わったところです。
I just finished eating.
服を脱いでいたところに、母が部屋に入ってきた。
My mom came into the room just as I was taking my clothes off.
新しいおもちゃを渡したところで壊れた。
Just after I gave the new toy (to someone), it broke.
友達はたまたま友達に会う：「君に会いたいと今思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!'
改札に入ったところで電車の扉が閉まった。
Just as I (had) entered the ticket gate, the train doors closed.
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
「たところ」
日本語の森
How to use Verb + ところ
MaggieSensei
ところ vs. ばかり
Nihongo Learner
Offline
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 14
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 496
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 237
みんなの日本語 II
Page 132 [CH 46]
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
たところだ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (28 in total)
Nicole
just finished doing
was just doingStructure
- Verb[ た ] + ところ
- Verb[ ていた ] + ところ
View on Bunpro
Nicole
This grammar point contains the sentence
seanblue
It’s using this grammar in combination with ようとする. Frankly I’ve also been confused by this combination multiple times, and I still have trouble breaking it down.
Also, ようとする is N3, so I think it’s inappropriate to use with this N4 grammar for an example sentence.
Nicole
So, does that mean that したところ is in past tense because the trying-but-failing part (that is expressed via ようとする iirc) is already over when the person noticed the lack of teabags?
Wow, that sounds really convoluted.
Nicole
Even if it were N4 as well, its usage in this sentence makes it unnecessarily hard for people who study grammar in non-Bunpro order…
seanblue
One of the other meanings of ようとする is to be about to do something. So in combination with the "trying and failing " part you mentioned, I think that’s how you break down the meaning.
mrnoone
@Nicole @seanblue
Hey!
Exactly.This example will be (finally) changed since it uses higher level grammar.
お茶を飲もうとしたところ(に)ティーバッグがないと分かった。
（飲もうとしたところ can be rephrased to 飲もうとしたら・飲もうとしたとき）I was about to make a tea, I realized that I didn’t have tea bags.
In this case, there is already a nuance of it being disrupted in some way, and being displeased at it.It means the same things as:
お茶を飲むところティーバッグがないと分かった。
But in this case, in 飲むところ there is no implied feeling of displeasure, being troubled. Plus, a Japanese speaker is more likely to use the first one.飲もうとするところに is not really used
Nicole
Thank you to both of you for breaking down the grammar for me! Now I can understand how this sentence comes about.
Juppy
Can someone explain to me how the で fits in the sentence below as a particle?
I have spotted some other sentences which used it this way but I am not sure how it fits exactly.Nicole
According to Dictionary of Japanese Grammar, で can be used to indicate the time when s.t. terminates or the amount of time a period of activity has taken, which seems to fit well here.
Pep95
Heya, I was wondering about the following sentence:
image.png695×229 10.6 KB
Pushindawood
@Pep95 Hey! 食べ終わったところ is close to the English “I just finished eating,” while 食べたところ is “I just ate.” It is just a matter of what you would like to express. They both mean essentially the same thing here. Cheers!
deltacat3
I think this review sentence is using grammar ahead of its lesson: [～てしまう]
旅行に行ったところに、台風が来てしまった。
Just as I had gone on a trip, a typhoon unfortunately came.And as usual my 英和辞典 was more confusing than help full haha! xD
mrnoone
Hey
Thank you for the feedback!
I have replaced all sentences that were using grammar points that appear later than たところ！Cheers,
Innov8d
mrnoone
Hey
It was a bug and has been fixed thanks to your feedback.
Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience!
mrthuvi
I found this sentence in a JLPT N3 book and たとことdoesn’t seem to mean “just finished doing” in this case. What’s the meaning of this:
先輩に仕事をお願いしたとこと、気持ちよく引き受けてくれました。
mrnoone
@mrthuvi
Hey,In this case (when AところB is used without any particle and B is generally in past form), it means “when/then” (the result of A is B/B has been triggered by A, but B happened by chance, not due to the will of the speaker). と and ったら can be used this way too.
Another example:
アプリを試したところ、エラーが出ました。
When I tried the app, I got an error.B happened as a result of A, but was beyond the will of the speaker. Notice that actions of others are also beyond the will of the speaker.
larrydeluca
I’m having trouble with differentiating ていたところ and ながら。 In the example sentence:
服を脱いでいたところに、母が部屋に入ってきた is translated as:
My mom came into the room just as I was taking my clothes off.
This seems to indicate the action is ongoing, rather than just completed. Why can’t I use ながら here?
Thanks!!
Larry
ljoekelsoey
EDIT: corrected grammatical mistake regarding ながら
Your example sentence means explicitly at the moment you got undressed your mum entered (lol). It does not mean that at some point during the time it took you to get undressed she entered.
服を脱 いでいたところ に、母が部屋に入ってきた
M...
Got questions about たところだ? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion