EasyJapaneseE@gmail.com

~たところ

~たところ

Today’s Question

実家じっかかえったところ留守るすでした implies

a. I thought my parents would be home.
b. I thought my parents wouldn’t be home.
c. I didn’t have any anticipation.
d. none of the above.

Today’s Grammar Point:  ~たところ

The word ところ can be used in a number of different ways and today’s ~たところ (i.e. used with a past tense verb) is an expression used to specify a time/occasion in the past when the speaker discovered something unexpected or contradictory to their anticipation. As it is an expression for an unexpected result, this ところ is often used with ~してみたところ (When I tried ~ing).

Connections

  • [たform verb] + つもり
    たform verb is the past plain form of a verb

Examples

実家じっかかえったところ留守るすでした。
I went to my parents’ home but they were not home.

かかりわせたところ事実じじつではないとのことだった。
When I asked the person in charge I learned that it wasn’t true.

よろこぶだろうとおもってっていったところ見向みむきもされずがっかりした。
I took it along thinking they’d be pleased to see it, but they hardly gave it a glance and I was disappointed.

ダメもとで申請しんせいしたところ三か月後さんかげつご永住権えいじゅうけんりた。
When I applied for it thinking I won’t get it, my permanent residence was granted three months later.

おそおそ電話でんわをしたところうんよくジョンさんが電話でんわにでた。
When I called hesitantly, I was lucky enough to answer John.

くじきのアイスクリームをったところたった。
When I bought an ice cream with a lottery, I won.

やってみたところ案外あんがい簡単かんたんだった。
When I tried doing it, I found it unexpectedly easy.

いちばちかやってみたところ、うまくいった。
When I tried my luck, it worked.

間違まちがっているとおもいつつこたえをいてみたところ正解せいかいでした。
When I wrote the answer while thinking that it was wrong, it was the correct answer.

ブログをはじめてみたところ、たくさんのひとんでくれています。
When I started blogging, many people read it.

Answer to Today’s Question: a.

For the actual meaning of the sentence, see above. The word ところ suggests the latter part was contradictory to the anticipation, so the anticipation was for the parents to be home.

When ところ should be avoided

If the latter half of the sentence is something predictable, ところ sounds odd.

(?) ダメもとで申請しんせいしたところ、やっぱり駄目だめだった。
(✓) ダメもとで申請しんせいした、やっぱり駄目だめだった。
I applied even though I didn’t think it would be successful and surely it wasn’t.

Related Post

ところ

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends using the social media buttons below. Also, your clicks on ads on this page help covering the cost of running this website. Your support will be much appreciated.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: