すんでのこと

す

ん

で

の

こ

と

Meanings

adverb

almost; very nearly; on the verge of

usually written using kana alone

Used adverbially, often with ところだった or similar expressions, to describe a situation that almost happened but was narrowly avoided. Typically implies a close call or a near miss.

すんでの事ことで電でん車しゃに乗のり遅おくれるところだった。
I almost missed the train.
すんでの事ことで大だい事じ故こになるところだった。
It was very nearly a major accident.

Kanji

事matter, thing, fact
既previously, already, long ago
已stop, halt, previously

Related words

危あやうく
Also means 'almost' or 'narrowly', but 危うく is more common in everyday speech and can be used in both positive and negative outcomes. すんでの事 is more literary and emphasizes a close call, often with a sense of relief that something was avoided.
もう少すこしで
A more colloquial and versatile expression for 'almost'. すんでの事 is more formal and dramatic, often used in written narratives.

Written forms

すんでの事こと
Most common kanji-kana mixed spelling. The reading すんでのこと is standard.
既の事
- すんでのこと
  Kanji form using 既; also read すってのこと or すでのこと in some contexts, but すんでのこと is the most common reading.
- すでのこと
- すってのこと
已すんでの事こと
Rare kanji variant using 已 instead of 既.
すでのこと
すってのこと

Etymology

すんでの事 developed from the older expression すでの事 through insertion of ん. It denotes a point at which an event came extremely close to occurring.