It's no time for: 〜どころではない
N / Verb (dictionary) + どころではない／どころじゃない
N / Verb + どころではない（どころじゃない）: “it's no time for…, out of the question”, because the situation is too serious or too busy.
In short
〜どころではない means you're in no state to do X, because the situation is too serious, too busy or too urgent: “it's no time for…, out of the question”. In speech: どころじゃない. Neutral register.
- 来週は試験なので、遊ぶどころではない。らいしゅうはしけんなので、あそぶどころではない。I've got an exam next week, so it's no time to be having fun.
- 仕事が忙しくて、旅行どころじゃないよ。しごとがいそがしくて、りょこうどころじゃないよ。I've got so much work that a trip is out of the question.
- 花見に行ったが、人が多すぎて、花見どころではなかった。はなみにいったが、ひとがおおすぎて、はなみどころではなかった。I went to see the cherry blossom, but there were so many people I couldn't enjoy it at all.
The basics
Literally, “we're not at the point of X”. The speaker explains that a pressing circumstance (an exam, an illness, a crisis, a crowd) stops them from even thinking about X. They aren't turning X down out of preference: the situation just doesn't allow it.
With the exam coming up, it's no time to be having fun.
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- 工場のラインが止まって、昼ごはんどころではなかった。こうじょうのらいんがとまって、ひるごはんどころではなかった。The factory line stopped: lunch was out of the question.
How to form it
It follows a noun or a verb in the dictionary form. それどころではない picks up what's just been mentioned: “I've got other things to worry about”. In speech, どころじゃない; politely, どころではありません.
| Form | Example | Register |
|---|---|---|
| N + どころではない | 旅行どころではない | neutral |
| Verb + どころではない | 遊ぶどころではない | neutral |
| どころじゃない | それどころじゃない | spoken |
| どころではありません | 勉強どころではありません | polite |
- 母が入院して、勉強どころではありません。ははがにゅういんして、べんきょうどころではありません。My mother's in hospital, so I'm in no state to study.
- 「今度、飲みに行かない？」「ごめん、今それどころじゃないんだ。」「こんど、のみにいかない？」「ごめん、いまそれどころじゃないんだ。」“Fancy going for a drink some time?” “Sorry, I've got other things on my mind right now.”
An emphatic use
In speech, どころじゃない is also used to correct upwards: “not just…, far more than that”. The context makes it clear: you answer a question by going one better.
- 「寒い？」「寒いどころじゃないよ。凍りそうだ。」「さむい？」「さむいどころじゃないよ。こおりそうだ。」“Is it cold?” “Cold? It's much worse than that — I'm freezing.”
Compare: どころか, わけにはいかない
どころか links two clauses and announces a reversal; どころではない ends the sentence and is about a situation that prevents something. わけにはいかない (N3) is about a moral or social reason: you can't allow yourself to.
| Sentence | Why you don't do it |
|---|---|
| 忙しくて、旅行どころではない | the situation is too busy |
| 約束したから、休むわけにはいかない | it would be morally unacceptable |
- 約束したので、今さらやめるわけにはいかない。やくそくしたので、いまさらやめるわけにはいかない。I promised, so I can't give up now.
Common mistakes
- Translating どころ (from ところ) as “place”: どころではない has nothing spatial about it.
- Using it for a simple lack of interest: “×興味がないので、映画どころではない”. You need a pressing situation.
- Confusing it with どころか, which links two clauses and reverses an expectation.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Linimo Line (The environment) of the Nagoya lines.