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Formation: V-dictionary / V-ている / V-た + ところを; い-adj + ところを; な-adj + な + ところを; N + の + ところを

〜ところを has three main uses. In polite set phrases such as お忙しいところを or お休みのところを, it acknowledges that you are troubling someone at a bad moment, and the main clause gives thanks, an apology or a request. This use is formal and common in business speech, letters and speeches, and を is often dropped (お忙しいところ). With verbs like 見る, 見つかる, 捕まえる or 助ける, it marks the scene in which someone is seen or caught: 'in the act of'. It can also mean 'whereas it would normally be X', with the main clause giving a different, often more lenient, outcome. Compare 〜ところに／ところへ, where something new arrives or interrupts at that moment, and 〜たところで, which means 'even if one does X, it's no use'.

Variants: ところ (を omitted in polite phrases)、お忙しいところ、お休みのところ

Examples

• お忙しいところを、お集まりいただきありがとうございます。
  Thank you for coming when you are all so busy.
• 万引きしているところを店員に見つかった。
  He was caught by a clerk in the act of shoplifting.
• 本来なら二万円かかるところを、半額にしてもらえた。
  It would normally cost 20,000 yen, but they let me have it for half price.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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