〜ところだ tokoro da
〜ところだ（tokoro da）means “be just about to / in the middle of / have just done”. Marks the exact phase of an action on a time line. Formation: V-る + ところだ（正要）／ V-ている + ところだ（正在）／ V-た + ところだ（刚刚）
be just about to / in the middle of / have just done
N4Formation
V-る + ところだ（正要）／ V-ている + ところだ（正在）／ V-た + ところだ（刚刚）
Explanation
Marks the exact phase of an action on a time line. Dictionary form + ところだ = right before doing it. て-form いる + ところだ = right in the middle of doing it. た-form + ところだ = just finished doing it. The verb form chooses the phase.
Examples
Note
た-form + ところだ stresses 'just finished, only a moment ago', narrower than 〜たばかり.
FAQ
〜ところだ — what does it mean and how is it used?
be just about to / in the middle of / have just done. Marks the exact phase of an action on a time line. Dictionary form + ところだ = right before doing it. て-form いる + ところだ = right in the middle of doing it. た-form + ところだ = just finished doing it. The verb form chooses the phase.
〜ところだ — how do you form it?
V-る + ところだ（正要）／ V-ている + ところだ（正在）／ V-た + ところだ（刚刚）
〜ところだ — any usage notes?
た-form + ところだ stresses 'just finished, only a moment ago', narrower than 〜たばかり.