N3 · Expressions (N3)
ところ: a point in the life of an action
るところ, ているところ, たところ
ところ pins an action to one moment: just before it, in the middle of it, or just after it.
ところ means "place", and after a verb it marks a place in time: a point on the timeline of one action. The verb form in front of it decides which point. The dictionary form means the action is about to start (食べるところ, "just about to eat"); ている means it is under way (食べているところ, "in the middle of eating"); the た-form means it has only just finished (食べたところ, "have just eaten"). だ or です follows.
The pattern answers the question "where are you with it?" and is everywhere in conversation, above all on the telephone: 今、駅に着いたところです is "I have just got to the station". Politeness goes on the です at the end; the verb before ところ stays plain.
ているところ differs from a bare ている in emphasis. 料理を作っている can describe a habit or a general activity; 作っているところ says "right now, and I am not finished", which is why it so often explains why you cannot do something else. たところ is strict about time: the action finished a moment ago. For "only recently" in a looser sense, see たばかり.
English speakers tend to reach for つもり or でしょう to say "I am about to", which is the wrong meaning entirely: those express intention and probability, not timing. The other common mistake is to put the ます-form before ところ.
The form
| about to | 食べるところです |
| in the middle of | 食べているところです |
| have just | 食べたところです |
| plain style | 食べたところだ |
| was just about to | 食べるところでした |
| just as (something happened) | 食べているところに |
The rules one by one
Dictionary form + ところ: the action is about to start.
これから家を出るところです。I am just about to leave the house.
ている + ところ: the action is under way and not yet finished.
今、資料を作っているところです。I am in the middle of preparing the documents.
た-form + ところ: the action has only just been completed.
今、空港に着いたところです。I have just arrived at the airport.
The verb before ところ stays plain; politeness goes on です.
ちょうど連絡しようと思っていたところでした。I was just about to get in touch with you.
Dictionary form + ところだった: something very nearly happened, and did not.
もう少しで電車に乗り遅れるところだった。I very nearly missed the train.
A closer look
ところに, ところへ and ところを
With a particle after it, ところ stops being the end of the sentence and becomes a moment that something else happens in. ところに and ところへ bring in something that arrives or interrupts at that moment: 出かけようとしたところに雨が降ってきた, "just as I was about to go out, it started to rain".
ところを makes the moment itself the object of a verb: 寝ているところを起こされた, "I was woken while asleep", or someone is seen or caught in the act. The same construction gives a polite set phrase: お忙しいところ, "(at this moment) when you are busy", with which a request or a thank-you often opens.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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たところ is followed by a comma and a second clause
it means "when I did X, (it turned out that) Y" — the result of trying something, not "have just done".
店に電話したところ、もう閉まっていた。When I phoned the shop, it had already closed.
ところ marks the point after which the result appeared. This use is common in reports and written Japanese.
How to spot it
- ところです
- ところだ
- これから
- ちょうど
- ところに
- ところだった
- もう少しで
Example sentences
今から晩ご飯を作るところです。I am just about to make dinner.
ちょうど今、その話をしていたところです。We were just talking about that.
会議が終わったところなので、少し休みましょう。The meeting has just finished, so let us take a short break.
今、別の電話で話しているところなので、後でかけ直します。I am on another call right now, so I will ring you back later.
お風呂に入っているところに、荷物が届いた。The parcel arrived while I was in the bath.
危なかった。車にひかれるところだった。That was close. I was nearly hit by a car.
8 more example sentences
映画はちょうど始まったところです。The film has just started.
「もしもし、今どこ？」「電車を降りたところ。」"Hello, where are you?" "I have just got off the train."
今、部屋を片付けているところだから、入らないで。I am tidying my room right now, so do not come in.
寝ているところを電話で起こされた。I was woken by a phone call while I was asleep.
お忙しいところ、ありがとうございます。Thank you for your time when you are so busy.
もう少しで財布を忘れるところでした。I nearly forgot my wallet.
これからちょうど出かけるところだったんです。I was just about to go out.
説明書を読んだところ、使い方は意外に簡単だった。When I read the manual, the thing turned out to be surprisingly easy to use.
Worth knowing (1)
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A place in time, not in space
Learners who know ところ only as "place" sometimes look for a location in 着いたところ. There is none: the word has moved from a point in space to a point in time, much as English "at this point" has.
今、宿題が終わったところです。I have just finished my homework.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
ところ is a noun, and a verb in front of a noun is in the plain form. Politeness belongs to the end of the sentence, on です, so 着きますところ says "polite" twice and in the wrong place.
Dictionary form: about to. ている: in the middle. Past: just done.
Your turn
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