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My question is probably closely related to this one but I wasn`t able to successfully apply the explanation to the grammar of （もう少し/危うく）...ところだった

On this site it is stated that ところだった is formed with 動辞形＋ところだった or 動た形＋ところだった to express the same thing, namely that something almost happened. What I am struggling with is when to use which one and why 動た形 can be used at all since it normally implies that something just ended...

Also the only example sentence they actually use 動た形 is もう少しブレーキを踏むのが遅れていたら死んでいたところだった。

  • Could 死んでいた here be replaced with 死ぬ？
  • Would the meaning stay the same?
  • Is the usage of 動た形 somehow connected to ～たら or could it be also used in a sentence like 目覚まし設定し忘れて、あやうく寝過ごすところだった making it 寝過ごしたところだった?
Eddie Kal
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CaRina
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1 Answers1

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家から出るところで、電話がかかってきた → When I was leaving my home (I was in front of a door), I got a call.

家から出たところで、電話がかかってきた → When I left home (door was behind of me), I got a call.

  • Could 死んでいた here be replaced with 死ぬ？
  • Would the meaning stay the same?

ナイフで刺されて、死んでいたところ → stabbed by knife I was dying (but now all fine, thanks to medicine). that was long process
道路を渡っている時、顔の前に車が走って、もう少しで死ぬところだった → when I crossed the road, a car passed in front of my face. It was close to death. (I was about to die)

Eddie Kal
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rzlvmp
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  • So もう少しブレーキを踏むのが遅れていたら死んでいたところだった。means that I was in concrete danger of dying e.g. because of a life threatening injury while 死ぬところだった expresses that there was a high possibility my life would have been in danger but since I stepped on the brakes just in time I was not or just lightly injured? – CaRina Nov 05 '20 at 14:19
  • している is a long process (or status), so 1. "踏むのが遅れたら" most correct, 2. If you dying little by little when (because) pressing brake pedal slowly, maybe you can use 死んでいる/死んでいた. In usual meaning of the sentence 遅れたら死ぬ most correct in my opinion. – rzlvmp Nov 05 '20 at 14:50