ところが starts a second sentence that turned out against what the first one led you to expect: "but", "however", "but then". It carries surprise, and the second sentence reports what actually happened.
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I took the medicine. However, I didn't get better at all.
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I thought it would be a difficult exam. But surprisingly, it was easy.
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I went out with an umbrella. But as it turned out, it was sunny all day.
Don't mix it up with , "by the way", which drops the story and moves to a new topic.
ところが, しかし and でも
and
set two facts against each other. ところが adds that you had an expectation, or had prepared for something, and events went the other way.
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This place is expensive. But the food is good.
。、。
I'd heard it was a cheap place. But it turned out to be very expensive.
The first pair is just two facts, so ところが does not fit there.
No requests or intentions after it
What follows ところが is an outcome outside your control. A request, a suggestion or your own decision cannot come after it. takes those.
。、。
Your fever has gone down. But please keep resting.
- × 熱は下がった。ところが、まだ休んでください → 熱は下がった。でも、まだ休んでください
Lingaku