どころではない
- 1It is no time for X; X is out of the question because of the present situation.Ex. 1
- 2Used with a noun to say an activity is out of the question due to circumstances.Ex. 2
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Used in conversation and writing to say the speaker's situation makes an activity unthinkable for now. It is usually preceded by a reason clause with ので or て that describes the pressing circumstance. The casual form どころじゃない is common in speech. Unlike どころか, it simply rules X out and does not go on to introduce a contrasting or stronger alternative.
Do not use it for plain physical or skill-based inability; it means circumstances make X out of the question.
Learners often confuse it with どころか, which introduces a contrasting or stronger alternative rather than ruling X out.
Note that it usually needs a stated or clear reason, such as a busy schedule or an urgent problem.
- どころかN3「どころか」 cannot end a sentence; it must be followed by another clause that presents a contrary or even more extreme fact (often paired with も・さえ・すら). 「どころではない」, by contrast, can end a sentence on its own and means being unable to afford time for something or that it is far from the case, so the two cannot be directly swapped.
- てはいられないN2「てはいられない」 attaches only to the て-form of verbs and is close in meaning to the 'too busy for' sense of this pattern, e.g. 「遊んではいられない」 ≈ 「遊んでいるどころではない」. However, it focuses on being unable to continue an action or state and carries no sense of degree.
- てばかりはいられないN2「てばかりはいられない」 attaches only to the て-form of verbs and negates 'constantly doing only one thing,' with a nuance that one should pull oneself together and act. 「どころではない」 means one cannot manage to do something at all and adds a sense of degree, so they are generally not interchangeable.
- はおろかN1「はおろか」 is used mid-sentence, as in 「Xはおろか、Yすら…」, meaning 'let alone X, even Y…,' and is rather formal. 「どころではない」 mostly works as a predicate meaning one cannot afford to do something or that things go far beyond it, so the two cannot be swapped.
- はもちろんN3「はもちろん」 attaches to nouns and means 'A goes without saying, and B as well,' with the second item often marked by 「も」 or 「まで」 to add something of the same kind. 「どころではない」 works as a predicate meaning one cannot afford to do something or that things go far beyond it, so the two cannot be interchanged.
どころか, はおろか and はもちろん build a comparison, meaning 'far from X' or 'let alone / not to mention X', whereas どころではない simply says X is out of the question under the circumstances. てはいられない and てばかりはいられない express the speaker's feeling that they cannot keep doing, or keep only doing, an action. どころではない instead says the situation leaves no room for X at all.
