When I did, it turned out: 〜たところ
Verb in た + ところ、〜
Verb in た + ところ、〜: “I did X, and it turned out Y”. Polite, written tone; not to be confused with たところだ (have just done).
In short
〜たところ、〜 tells how you did something and discovered a result: 問い合わせたところ、すぐ返事が来た, “I made an enquiry, and got a reply straight away”. It's a polite, slightly written phrasing, common in reports, letters and narratives.
- 店に問い合わせたところ、すぐに返事が来た。みせにといあわせたところ、すぐにへんじがきた。I contacted the shop and got a reply right away.
- 先生に相談したところ、いいアドバイスをもらえた。せんせいにそうだんしたところ、いいあどばいすをもらえた。I talked it over with my teacher, and got some good advice.
- 辞書で調べたところ、二つの意味があることがわかった。じしょでしらべたところ、ふたつのいみがあることがわかった。When I looked it up in the dictionary, I found it has two meanings.
The basics
〜たところ links a deliberate action (asking, trying, looking up, consulting) and what you found afterwards. The second part is a discovered fact, in the past, that you don't control. English says “when I did X, it turned out that…”, “I did X, and found that…”, “on enquiry…”.
I contacted the shop and got a reply right away.
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- 鍵を探したところ、かばんの中にあった。かぎをさがしたところ、かばんのなかにあった。I looked for my keys: they were in my bag.
- 朝早く行ってみたところ、もう長い列ができていた。あさはやくいってみたところ、もうながいれつができていた。I went early in the morning, and there was already a long queue.
How to form it
Verb in た + ところ、then the result in the past. The first action is deliberate; the second is an observation, often a surprise, good or bad.
| Action | + たところ | Result discovered |
|---|---|---|
| 聞く | 聞いたところ | 〜そうだ・〜とわかった |
| 試す | 試したところ | よくなった |
| 行ってみる | 行ってみたところ | 店は休みだった |
- 行ってみたところ、店は休みだった。いってみたところ、みせはやすみだった。I went there, but the shop was closed.
- 母に話したところ、意外にも賛成してくれた。ははにはなしたところ、いがいにもさんせいしてくれた。I told my mother, and to my surprise she agreed.
たところ, たら, たところだ
〜たら can also express a discovery (窓を開けたら、雪が降っていた): it's the everyday spoken version. 〜たところ is more polite and more written. Watch out for 〜たところだ, which ends the sentence and means “have just”: 今、着いたところだ.
| Form | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| 〜たら、〜た | I did X and found Y | spoken, everyday |
| 〜たところ、〜た | I did X and it turned out Y | polite, written |
| 〜たところだ | I've just done X | everyday |
- 窓を開けたら、雪が降っていた。まどをあけたら、ゆきがふっていた。I opened the window, and it was snowing.
Common mistakes
- Mixing it up with たところだ: 着いたところだ = “I've just arrived”; 着いたところ、〜 = “when I arrived, I found that…”.
- Putting an intention in the second part: 「聞いたところ、行こう」 is wrong; it describes an observed result.
- Starting with an involuntary action: 「雨が降ったところ」 sounds wrong; you start from something you did yourself.
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 N3 point is on the Sagano Line (Travel) of the Kyoto lines.