mise ha atarasii zyuudenki wo toriyoseta tokoro da to renrakusite kita.

Questions & Answers about mise ha atarasii zyuudenki wo toriyoseta tokoro da to renrakusite kita.

Why is followed by instead of ?

marks as the topic: as for the store...

So the sentence is framed from the store’s side:

  • 店は = the store, as for it
  • then the sentence says what the store did: it contacted someone

If you used , it would sound more like you are specifically identifying the store as the subject, possibly in contrast to something else. With , it feels more like established information or the main topic of the sentence.


What does 取り寄せた mean exactly?

取り寄せる is a verb meaning to order in, to get sent from elsewhere, or to specially obtain from another location/supplier.

So:

  • 新しい充電器を取り寄せた = (they) ordered in a new charger

This often implies the item was not already in stock and had to be brought in from somewhere else.


Why is 充電器 marked with ?

Because 充電器 is the direct object of 取り寄せた.

  • 何を取り寄せた? = What did they order in?
  • 新しい充電器を = a new charger

So marks the thing that was ordered.


What does 取り寄せたところだ mean? Why not just 取り寄せた?

ところだ adds the nuance of being at that point in time.

With a past verb before it, Vたところだ usually means:

  • have just done
  • did it very recently
  • are right at the stage where it has just been done

So:

  • 取り寄せた = ordered it
  • 取り寄せたところだ = have just ordered it / are at the point of having just ordered it

This is more specific than a plain past tense.

A useful comparison:

  • 食べるところだ = about to eat
  • 食べているところだ = in the middle of eating
  • 食べたところだ = just ate

Is 取り寄せたところだ the same as 取り寄せたばかりだ?

They are similar, and both can often be translated as have just ordered it, but there is a nuance difference.

  • Vたところだ focuses on the timing/stage: it has just happened
  • Vたばかりだ emphasizes recency: it happened only a short time ago

In many everyday situations, they are close enough to overlap.
Here, ところだ fits well because the store is reporting its current status: we’re at the point where we’ve just ordered it.


Why is there a before ?

Because is quoting the content of what was said or communicated, and completes the quoted statement.

The quoted part is:

  • 新しい充電器を取り寄せたところだ

This ends with the noun-like expression ところ plus the copula .

Then marks that whole clause as the content of the contact:

  • 〜ところだ と 連絡してきた
  • contacted (me/us) saying, “we’ve just ordered it”

In more polite speech, this could become:

  • 取り寄せたところですと連絡してきた
  • or more naturally 取り寄せたところだと連絡してきた in casual/plain style

What is the role of in this sentence?

marks a quotation or stated content.

Here it means something like:

So:

  • 新しい充電器を取り寄せたところだと連絡してきた = contacted (me/us) saying that they had just ordered in a new charger

This is the same used in reported speech:

  • 来ると言った = said that (someone) would come
  • 大丈夫だと思う = think that it’s okay

Why does the sentence use 連絡してきた instead of just 連絡した?

The 〜てくる form often shows movement or action toward the speaker or into the speaker’s sphere.

So:

  • 連絡した = contacted
  • 連絡してきた = got in touch / contacted me(us), with a sense that the contact came to the speaker

In this sentence, してきた makes it feel natural that the store reached out to the speaker.

This use of てくる is common with communication verbs:

  • 電話してきた = called me/us
  • 聞いてきた = asked me/us
  • 送ってきた = sent (it) to me/us

Who is the person being contacted? Why isn’t it stated?

It is omitted because Japanese often leaves out information that is clear from context.

Here, the unstated recipient is probably me, us, or the customer.

So the sentence naturally means something like:

  • The store contacted me/us to say they had just ordered in a new charger.

Japanese frequently omits:

  • the subject
  • the object
  • the recipient
  • even possessive relationships

if they are understood from the situation.


Does literally mean the building, or the staff at the store?

In a sentence like this, usually refers to the store as an organization, which in practice means the staff / the shop.

So it does not usually mean the building itself made contact. It means:

  • the shop
  • the store staff
  • the seller/business

This kind of personification is very normal in Japanese, just like in English:

  • The bank called me.
  • The restaurant said they were full.

Can 連絡してきた mean the store contacted someone else, not me?

Usually, with 〜てきた in this context, the default interpretation is that the contact came toward the speaker or the speaker’s side.

So the most natural reading is:

  • the store contacted me/us

If you wanted to focus on contact with some other person, Japanese would often make that clearer from context or wording.


Why is the sentence in plain style, with , instead of polite style like です?

This sentence is being told by the speaker in plain style, probably in casual narration or neutral written explanation.

That does not necessarily mean the store itself spoke casually. The speaker is simply summarizing the content in plain form.

Japanese often reports someone’s message in a style that matches the overall sentence, not necessarily the exact original wording.

For example, even if the store actually said something polite like:

  • 新しい充電器を取り寄せたところです。

the speaker might report it as:

  • 新しい充電器を取り寄せたところだと連絡してきた。

That is a normal shift from polite original speech into plain reported speech.


Could this sentence mean the new charger has already arrived at the store?

No. 取り寄せた here means they ordered it in or arranged for it to be sent, not necessarily that it has already arrived.

So the sequence is more like:

  1. the store did not have the charger
  2. they ordered it from somewhere else
  3. they contacted the customer to say they had just done that

If you wanted to say the charger had arrived, you would use different wording, such as something involving 届く or 入荷する.


How is the sentence structured overall?

A useful breakdown is:

  • 店は = as for the store
  • 新しい充電器を = a new charger
  • 取り寄せたところだ = had just ordered in
  • = that / saying that
  • 連絡してきた = contacted me/us

So the overall structure is:

  • [The store] [contacted me/us] [saying that they had just ordered in a new charger].

Or more literally:

  • As for the store, it contacted me/us saying, “We’ve just ordered in a new charger.”
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

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