Explanation
「ところです」 it is used to describe states of action.
1. dictionary form + ところです = be just about to do
something
2. te form + いるところです = be in the middle of doing
something
3. Plain past + ところです = have just done
something/have been doing something.
NOTE: The ているところform focuses on the state or
scene and the exact point in time, whereas ている (without
ところ) focuses on the action and can denote long-term,
ongoing processes. Compare these two examples:
日本語を勉強しているところです。
I am studying Japanese at this moment.
日本語を勉強しています。
I am studying Japanese.
ところは、けん
かするところな
ど予想すること
には使えない。
確実に起こるこ
とに使う。
時間の経過を表
す
例:
Rule Example English
Plain form verb + ところです 私は今出かけるところ
です。
I’m just about to go out
now
te-iru + ところです
面白い本を読んでい
るところです。
I’m (in the middle
of) reading an
interesting book.
Plain past verb + ところです
ご飯を食べ終わったとこ
ろです。
I just finished eating
my meal.
ばかりです
ばかりです express what has been done not long
ago (in speaker’s perception).
It is different from したところです as this shows you
have JUST done something.
Structure
Plain past tense of verbs + ばかりです
When you connect ばかり to other words such as の
に、ので、don’t forget な e.g. ばかりなのに、ばかりな
ので
はず
Saying how you expect things to be or happen
Expectations can be based on a variety of things
including past experiences, common sense and
customs.
In Japanese, when talking about how things are
expected to be or supposed to happen, use はず.
This is the speaker’s certainty or expectation.
There are various ways of translations according
to the situation. Here are some typical
translations – ‘I expect that’, ‘it is likely that’, ‘it is
expected that’, ‘should’, ‘ought to’, ‘can’t be’, ‘it is
natural that’, ‘it is fairy certain that’, ‘no wonder’,
‘it is supposed to be’
結果に自信があるとき
。
テストはよくできたは
ずだ
NEGATIVE FORM
You normally attach です after はず but you can
also make this into negatives by…
Make verbs into negatives
食べないはずです。 It is unlikely that you eat
Make です into negatives
食べるはずはありません(はずはない) wouldn’t eat,
don’t expect to eat
食べるはずがありません(はずがない) there’s no
way that he eats, he can’t be eating
First way of negative is speaker’s certainty or
expectation but second way of negative often
has the feeling of ‘discovery, report, surprise’
PAST TENSE
By changing です in past tense, you can
express the action that happened in the
past.
食べたはずです
He should have eaten
食べるはずでした。
I was expecting to eat
食べるはずではありませんでした。
I wasn’t expecting to eat
食べるはずがありませんでした。
There was no way that I ate
1
たろう:Hanako, you don’t look well. What’s the matter?
花子:I’ve just woken up not long ago. So I am not fully waken up yet.
たろう:Are you? Where were going, Hanako?
花子: I am just going to the post office. The goods I ordered should be
delivered.
たろう:What did you order?
花子: It’s Japanese manga.
たろう:Sounds good! I want to read that too.
2
花子: Hey, Taro. Have you just finished your lesson?
たろう:Yes. We discussed about experiment result which we just got the
other day.
花子:It sounds difficult topic.
たろう: A little bit. But it is interesting. My prediction should have been
right but the result was opposite so it was a bit shame.
花子:Experiments maybe so as well but it is hard to say if your own
prediction becomes true or not, isn’t it?
たろう: yes, it is….