〜ところだった tokoro datta

〜ところだった（tokoro datta）means “was about to / almost happened (but didn't)”. Expresses that something was on the verge of happening but ultimately did not. Formation: V-る／V-ない + ところだった

was about to / almost happened (but didn't)

N2

Formation

V-る／V-ない + ところだった

Explanation

Expresses that something was on the verge of happening but ultimately did not. Often used with もう少しで or あぶなく to convey relief or a near-miss. With the negative form (V-ないところだった), it means 'almost ended up not doing'.

Examples

もう少しで電車に遅れるところだった。
もうすこしででんしゃにおくれるところだった。
I almost missed the train.
君が教えてくれなかったら、大事な会議を忘れるところだった。
きみがおしえてくれなかったら、だいじなかいぎをわすれるところだった。
If you hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten the important meeting.

Note

Distinct from 〜ところだ (about to do, present). The past form 〜ところだった emphasizes the event did NOT actually occur.

FAQ

〜ところだった — what does it mean and how is it used?

was about to / almost happened (but didn't). Expresses that something was on the verge of happening but ultimately did not. Often used with もう少しで or あぶなく to convey relief or a near-miss. With the negative form (V-ないところだった), it means 'almost ended up not doing'.

〜ところだった — how do you form it?

V-る／V-ない + ところだった

〜ところだった — any usage notes?

Distinct from 〜ところだ (about to do, present). The past form 〜ところだった emphasizes the event did NOT actually occur.

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