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Lesson 46 — ところ · たばかり · はず

BOOK II · 初級 II みんなの日本語 · Mini no Nihongo

L46 · ところ · ばかり · はず

Name Date

REFところ · たばかり · はず

1. 〜ところです — the three timings

FormMeaningExample
about to do
right in the middle of
just finished

Often paired with これから · 今いま · ちょうど · たった今いま.

2. 〜たばかりです — just did

〜たところ〜たばかり
objectively a moment agothe speaker feels it's recent
minutescan be days, weeks, even months

3. 〜はずです — should be / ought to be

A logical expectation drawn from evidence.

TypeFormExample
verbplain
い-adj
な-adj
noun

Note the な-adj/noun split here: な / の. Compare のに (L45), where nouns also take な.

4. 〜はずがありません — couldn't possibly

5. はず vs でしょう vs かもしれません

FormBasis
logic / known evidence
general expectation
mere possibility

はず expresses confidence grounded in a reason. When reality contradicts it: 「おかしいですね、来くるはずなんですが。」

Set expressions会話かいわ

Key vocabulary

始はじめます終おわります届とどきます届とどけます動うごきます直なおします修理しゅうりします出発しゅっぱつします到着とうちゃくします戻もどります寄よります今いまたった今いまこれからちょうどさっき予定よてい荷物にもつ係かかりの人ひと原因げんいん

詳説 In depth — grammar notes

1. 〜ところです — the three timings

ところ is literally "place", but with a verb in front it marks the point on the timeline you are standing at.

FormTimingExample
just about to
in the middle of it
just finished
JapaneseEnglish
The meeting is just about to start.
We're looking into the cause right now.
He left just this minute.

ところ pins the moment, so it pairs with , , , . Without one of those the sentence usually sounds unfinished.

is about the clock, not about relevance. ✕ — three years is not "just now"; say .

2. 〜たばかりです — only just did it

Also "just did", but ばかり measures how the speaker feels about the gap, not the clock. A month can still be ばかり if it feels recent.

JapaneseEnglish
I've only just come to Japan.
I only just joined this company, so I don't know anything yet.
The computer I'd only just bought broke.
〜たところ〜たばかり
gapseconds or minutes, objectivelyany length that feels short
goes with
before a noun✕
example

3. 〜はずです — it should be, by my reasoning

はず is a deduction: given what I know, this must be the case. It follows a noun modifier — plain form, な-adjective + な, noun + の.

TypeBefore はず
verb
い-adj
な-adj+ な:
noun+ の:
JapaneseEnglish
He caught the three o'clock bullet train, so he should arrive at five.
It's Sunday, so the bank should be closed.
Mr Yamada is Japanese, so he ought to be able to read kanji.

Every はず sentence has a *because* behind it, spoken or not. If you cannot name the evidence, you want でしょう or かもしれません instead.

When reality disagrees

JapaneseEnglish
Odd — it should be here…
He was supposed to come, but he didn't.

4. 〜はずがありません — that can't be

JapaneseEnglish
There's no way he'd say a thing like that.
The shop can't possibly be open at this hour.
FormMeaning
I reckon it isn't so
it is impossible — stronger

5. はず vs でしょう vs かもしれません

FormBasisStrength
a reason you can statehigh, reasoned
general expectationmedium
bare possibilitylow
evidence in front of youmedium-high, observed

Error table

✕○Why
た-form for "just finished"
pick one of the two patterns
な-adjective takes な
noun takes の
fixed negative shape

Try translating

EnglishJapanese
I'm just about to leave.
I'm in the middle of eating lunch.
He arrived just a moment ago.
I only just started this job.
The bank should be closed today.
There's no way he'd forget.

練習 Practice — 8 questions

  1. Q1 dict + ところ

    'I'm just about to eat now.'

    と
    こ
    ろ
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B dict form + ところ = about to
  2. Q2 ている + ところ

    'I'm in the middle of eating.'

    と
    こ
    ろ
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B ている + ところ = mid-action
  3. Q3 た + ところ

    'I just finished eating.'

    と
    こ
    ろ
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    C た-form + ところ = just finished
  4. Q4 たばかり

    'I only just came to Japan last month.'

    た
    ば
    か
    り
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B た-form + ばかり = feels recent (can be weeks/months)。〜たところです is 'this very second', so it cannot take 先月.
  5. Q5 key contrast

    たところ vs たばかり — which can cover 'last month'?

    対比 たいひ
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B たところ = objectively a moment ago; たばかり = subjectively recent
  6. Q6 verb + はず

    'He should be coming.' (logical expectation)

    は
    ず
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    A plain + はずです = ought to be, based on evidence
  7. Q7 noun + はず

    'The meeting should be at 3.' (会議かいぎは3時じ…)

    は
    ず
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B noun + の + はず
  8. Q8 な-adj + はず

    'It should be easy.' (簡単かんたん= な-adj)

    は
    ず
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    B な-adj + な + はず

解答 Answer key

  1. Q1 B dict form + ところ = about to
  2. Q2 B ている + ところ = mid-action
  3. Q3 C た-form + ところ = just finished
  4. Q4 B た-form + ばかり = feels recent (can be weeks/months)。〜たところです is 'this very second', so it cannot take 先月.
  5. Q5 B たところ = objectively a moment ago; たばかり = subjectively recent
  6. Q6 A plain + はずです = ought to be, based on evidence
  7. Q7 B noun + の + はず
  8. Q8 B な-adj + な + はず