ところを見ると
Judging from, Seeing that
Structure
Explanation
The phrase ところを見ると is a fixed expression that draws attention to a particular action or situation (A), from which the speaker makes a personal judgment. This nuance is often translated as 'judging from (A)' or 'seeing that (A)'. A more literal interpretation would be 'looking at the state of (A)', which is then followed by the speaker's conclusion.
This grammar structure is attached to the end of a verb, which can be in any of its plain forms.
- あの人があくびをしているところを見ると、昨日はあまり寝ていないに違いない。Judging from the way that person is yawning, they must not have gotten much sleep yesterday.
- たくさん買い物の袋を持っているところを見ると、何かいい物があったのかもしれない。Seeing as they're carrying so many shopping bags, they might have found some good deals.
- まだ部屋の電気がついているところを見ると、誰かが中にいるんだろう。Given that the lights are still on in the room, someone is probably still inside.
Since ところを見ると is used to express personal opinions based on observations, the latter half of the sentence (B) often contains words that indicate speculation, such as だろう, かも, でしょう, ね, etc., to clarify that the speaker is not stating a fact.
Examples
顔色が悪いところを見ると、体調が良くないのかもしれない。
Seeing how pale you look, you might not be feeling well.
部屋がこんなにきれいなところを見ると、誰かが掃除したに違いない。
Judging from how clean the room is, someone must have cleaned it.
あくびばかりしているところを見ると、昨日あまり寝ていないのだろう。
Seeing that you keep yawning, you probably didn't get much sleep last night.
たくさん食材を買ってきたところを見ると、今夜はパーティーでもするのかな。
Seeing that you bought so many groceries, I wonder if you're having a party tonight.
子供が野菜を食べないところを見ると、嫌いなんだろう。
Seeing that the child isn't eating their vegetables, they probably dislike them.
彼女の目が赤いところを見ると、泣いていたのかもしれない。
Seeing that her eyes are red, she might have been crying.
毎日お弁当を持ってくるところを見ると、節約しているのだろう。
Judging from the fact that he brings a packed lunch every day, he's probably trying to save money.
地面が濡れているところを見ると、昨夜雨が降ったらしい。
Seeing that the ground is wet, it seems like it rained last night.
みんなが笑っているところを見ると、この映画はかなり面白いようだ。
Judging from the fact that everyone is laughing, this movie must be pretty funny.
彼が高級なスーツを着ているところを見ると、重要な会議があるのかもしれない。
Seeing that he's wearing an expensive suit, he might have an important meeting.
あんなに慌てているところを見ると、何か緊急の用事ができたのだろう。
Judging from how rushed he looks, something urgent must have come up.
パソコンに詳しいところを見ると、IT関係の仕事をしているのかもしれないね。
Seeing how knowledgeable you are about computers, you might work in IT, huh?