modality N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜どころではない — this is no time for ~ / far from ~ing
〜どころではない ・ どころではない
Meaning
- this is no time for ~ / in no position to ~ / far from being able to ~ — circumstances make the action out of the question
Key sentence
仕事が山積みで、旅行どころではない。
With work piled up, this is no time for a trip.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or Verb (dictionary form) + どころではない | [N / Vる] + どころではない | 勉強どころではない / 笑っているどころではない |
Examples
締め切り前で、のんびりするどころではない。
With the deadline looming, there's no question of taking it easy.
地震の直後で、眠るどころではなかった。
Right after the earthquake, sleeping was out of the question.
Easily confused with
どころか どころか = 'far from A, in fact the opposite B' (reverses an expectation); どころではない = 'circumstances leave no room for ~' (the situation is too pressing). 旅行どころか仕事だ vs 旅行どころではない. ている場合じゃない Both mean 'no time for ~ing'. ている場合じゃない is the casual spoken 'snap out of it' rebuke about a current action; どころではない is broader and a touch more formal — 'the situation rules it out entirely', taking nouns as well as verbs.
Notes
- Polite form 〜どころではありません. It rejects the action as unthinkable given pressing circumstances, unlike どころか, which contrasts two levels of the same scale.
See 〜どころではない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜どころではない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.