How to say right now, right over there etc

Question

I was wondering how you could say right now or right over there.

Say you haven't done any of your assignments and you want to say something along the lines of "If my boss walked in right now (right this second), I'd be done for."

I usually just used ちょうど今 in these situations, but I came to doubt whether this is actually correct, and I thought there has to be a better way of phrasing this.

Same goes for right over there. Say someone was asking where a certain thing is, and it's extremely close or in plain sight and I want to emphasize it being close.

Answer 1

I believe that your first "right" (in "right this second") and second "right" (in "right over there") are different things. The first one indicates the very moment when you're uttering the words (sorry if I'm wrong), but the second one is "extremely close" but not the very place where you stand, or refer to.

I usually just used ちょうど今 in these situations

Time expressions are a bit delicate. ちょうど今 is rather "just (before) now", or the "infinitesimal past" from the current moment. It's not what we use for the exact current moment, but could be understood.

• just now (infinitesimal past): たった今, ちょうど今
• right now (the current moment): 今この時, 今この瞬間
• right now (infinitesimal future): すぐ, 今すぐ

Likewise,

• right here (under your feet): ちょうどここ, まさにここ／この場所
• right there (almost no distance): すぐそこ, すぐあそこ (if something is in your way there)

So I'd say:

If my boss walked in right now (right this second), I'd be done for.
もし今この瞬間上司が入ってきたら、一巻の終わりだ。
もし今ここで上司が入ってきたら、一巻の終わりだ。 (an advanced idiom, isn't it :)

[It's] right over there.
すぐそこです。

---

PS

Calling out "right over here" doesn't need any "right" in Japanese. We just say ここ or こっち.

Answer 2

The relevant word choice for 'right' would be すぐ.

Using 'right' to describe event:

If my boss walked [into the office] right now (right this second), I'd be done for.

今すぐにでも 上司{じょうし}が 事{じ}務{む}所に入ってきたら、 お終{しま}いだ。

Using 'right' to give direction:

[...] right over there.

すぐそこにあります。

In practice, the phrase "right over there" might include useful pointer or even brief direction to tell how close it is from the current location.

セブンイレブンなら、 この通{とお}りの突{つ}き当りまで進{すす}んで すぐそこにあります。

If [you mean] 7-Eleven, it is right there when you go towards the end of this street.