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JLPT N4Time Expressions

ているところ— In the Middle of Doing

Expresses that an action is in progress at this very moment. It emphasizes the exact stage of an ongoing action more sharply than ている alone.

Grammar path · 練習

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A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 70 · TIME EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Verb te-form] + いるところ(だ)

Examples · 例文

  • 今、ご飯を食べているところです。

    Ima, gohan o tabete iru tokoro desu.

    I'm in the middle of eating right now.

    食べている + ところ = right in the middle of the action

  • 今レポートを書いているところです。

    Ima repooto o kaite iru tokoro desu.

    I'm currently in the middle of writing the report.

    書いている + ところ = mid-writing

  • 今、出かける準備をしているところです。

    Ima, dekakeru junbi o shite iru tokoro desu.

    I'm in the middle of getting ready to go out right now.

    準備をしている + ところ = right in the middle of getting ready

Usage notes · 注意

  • ところ timing set: 〜するところ (about to), 〜ているところ (in the middle of), 〜たところ (just finished).
  • 〜ているところに = right while I was doing X, something (else) happened.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ているところ is tested against.

vsている

Plain ている can mean ongoing action OR a resulting state; ているところ pins it to an action happening at this precise moment.

vsたところ

たところ = the action JUST finished a moment ago; ているところ = it is still going on.

More time expressions

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