🐶「お腹すいた…」
= おなかすいた…
= Onaka suita…
= I’m hungry…
😌「さっき、食べたばかりじゃない。」
= さっき、たべたばかりじゃない。
= Sakki tabeta bakarijanai.
= But you just ate, you know.
Hi everyone!
I posted a lesson on ～たて ( =tate) = just did something, freshly made, just recently. In that lesson, I explained
the verbs you can use 〜 たて ( = tate) are limited and if it doesn’t work, use ～ばかり ( = bakari).
So today’s lesson is how to use ばかり ( = bakari) and I will teach you something extra for those who already know how to use
⭐️ ~たばかり ( = tabakari)
Here we go!!
1) Just did something / Just finished doing something
⭐️ How to form :
●verb (past tense ) + ばかり ( = bakari) = just did something
*食べる = たべる = taberu = to eat
(past tense) 食べた = たべた = tabeta = ate + ばかり ( = bakari)
食べたばかり = たべたばかり( = tabeta bakari) = just ate
Ex. A : 「これどうぞ」
= Kore douzo
= (Serving food) Here you are.
B : 「いえ、結構です。今、食べたばかりなので」
= いえ、けっこうです。いま、たべたばかりなので。
= Ie kekkou desu. Ima tabeta bakari nanode.
= No thank you. I just ate so…
Ex. 試験が終わったばかりです。
= しけんがおわったばかりです。
= Shiken ga owatta bakari desu.
=I just finished an exam.
Ex. マギーは別れたばかりだ。
= マギーはわかれたばかりだ。
= Maggie wa wakareta bakari da.
= Maggie just broke up.
Ex. 彼は今、起きたばかりだから機嫌が悪い。
= かれはいま、おきたばかりだからきげんがわるい。
= Kare wa ima okita bakari dakara kigen ga warui.
= He just woke up so he is in a bad mood.
Ex. 日本に来たばかりの頃は日本語が全く話せなかった。
= にほんにきたばかりのころはにほんごがまったくはなせなかった。
= Nihon ni kita bakari no koro wa nihongo ga mattaku hanasenakatta.
= When I just came to Japan, I didn’t speak Japanese at all.
******
2) only /just (something)
⭐️How to form :
●noun + ばかり = only ~, just ~
Ex. あのクラスにはかわいい女の子ばかりいる。
= あのクラスにはかわいいおんなのこばかりいる。
= Ano kurasu ni wa kawaii onnanoko bakari iru.
= There are only cute girls in that class.
Ex. 文句ばかり言っていないで働いたら？
= もんくばかりいっていないではたらいたら？
= Monku bakari itte inai de hataraitara?
= Quit complaining and start working!
Ex. お金ばかりがすべてではない。
= おかねばかりがすべてではない。
= Okane bakari ga subete dewa nai.
= Money is not everything.
Ex. 甘いものばかり食べると太ります。
= あまいものばかりたべるとふとりますよ。
= Amai mono bakari taberu to futorimasu.
= If you only eat sweets, you will gain weight.
Ex. 同じ間違いばかりしている。
= おなじまちがいばかりしている。
= Onaji machigai bakari shiteiru.
= I’m making the same mistakes over and over.
Ex. 時間ばかりかかる仕事
= じかんばかりかかるしごと
= Jikan bakari kakaru shigoto
= Time consuming work
Note 1) There is a colloquial way to say ばかり ( = bakari)
ばっか ( = bakka) or ばっかり ( = bakkari)
Ex. １週間前に会ったばっか (or ばっかり）で彼にデートに誘われた。
= いっしゅうかんまえにあったばっか (or ばっかり）でかれにデートにさそわれた。
= Ishuukan mae ni atta bakka (or bakkari) de kare ni deito ni sasowareta.
= We just met a week ago and he asked me out on a date.
Ex.かわいい子ばっかに優しいね。
= かわいいこばっかにやさしいね。
= Kawaii ko bakka ni yasashiine.
= You are nice to only cute girls, aren’t you?
Note 2) Not only but also :〜ばかりではなく = bakari dewa naku / 〜ばかりか ( = bakarika)
Ex. 私は犬ばかりではなく猫も好きです。
= わたしはいぬばかりではなくねこもすきです。
= Watashi wa inu bakari dewa naku neko mo suki desu.
= Not only do I like dogs, but I also like cats.
Ex. 彼は日本語が話せるばかりではなく漢字もたくさん知っている。
= かれはにほんごがはなせるばかりではなくかんじもたくさんしっている。
= Kare wa nihongo ga hanaseru bakari dewa naku kanji mo takusan shitteiru.
= Not only does he know how to speak Japanese but also knows many kanji.
Ex. マギー先生は犬語ばかりか日本語も話せる。
= マギーせんせいはいぬごばかりかにほんごもはなせる。
= Maggie sensei wa inugo bakari ka nihongo mo hanaseru.
= Not only does Maggie Sensei speak dog language but she also speaks Japanese.
3) approximately, about, roughly, …or so
● time unit/ counter unit + ばかり ( = bakari)
Ex.１００万円ばかり儲けた。
= １００まんえんばかりもうけた。
= Hyakuman en bakari mouketa.
= I made about one million yen.
Ex. ２時間ばかりで着くと思います。
= にじかんばかりでつくとおもいます。
= Nijikan bakari de tsuku to omoimasu .
= I think we will be arriving in two hours or so.
Ex. 千人ばかりの人が集まった。
= せんにんばかりのひとがあつまった。
= Sennin bakari no hito ga atsumatta.
= About one thousand people gathered.
4)only do/does/doing something / always do/does/doing something
●verb て(=te) (で( ~de)) form + ばかり ( = bakari)
Ex. マギーは寝てばかりいる。
= マギーはねてばかりいる。
= Maggie wa nete bakari iru.
= Maggie is always sleeping.
Ex. 遊んでばかりいてはいけません。
= あそんでばかりいてはいけません。
= Asonde bakari ite wa ikemasen.
= You can’t just play all the time.
Ex. いつもマギーに御馳走になってばかりいます。
= いつもマギーにごちそうになってばかりいます。
= Itsumo Maggie ni gochisou ni natte bakari imasu.
= (I am always treated by Maggie)
= Maggie always treats me.
Note: This form is usually used to describe one’s habitual behavior/actions.
●verb plain form + ばかり ( = bakari),
(1) do nothing but…, all you do is ~
Ex. 人に頼るばかりの人生ではいけない。
= ひとにたよるばかりのじんせいではいけない。
= Hito ni tayoru bakari no jinsei dewa ikenai.
= We shouldn’t just depend on someone in life.
Ex. 彼女は、何を言っても泣くばかりだ。
= かのじょは、なにをいってもなくばかりだ。
= Kanojo wa nani wo itte mo naku bakarida.
= Whatever I said, she was just crying.
Ex. 彼は自分の自慢話をするばかりで人の話は何も聞かない。
= かれはじぶんのじまんばなしをするばかりでひとのはなしはなにもきかない。
= Kare wa jibun no jimanbanashi wo surubakari de hito no hanashi wa nani mo kikanai.
= He always brags about himself and never listens to others.
Ex. 物事はこれからよくなるばかりだと思いたい。
= ものごとはこれからよくなるばかりだとおもいたい。
= Monogoto wa kore kara yoku naru bakari dato omoitai.
= I want to believe that things can only get better.
Ex. 娘の幸せを願うばかりだ。
= むすめのしあわせをねがうばかりだ。
= Musume no shiawase wo negau bakarida.
= I just hope for my daughter’s happiness. (That’s all.)
/ All I wish for is my daughter’s happiness.
(2) You did everything and all you need to do is to do ~ / to be ready to do something
Ex. あとは壁にペンキを塗るばかりだ。
= あとはかべにペンキをぬるばかりだ。
= Ato wa kabe ni penki wo nuru bakari da.
= All we need to do now is to paint the wall.
Ex. やっと全ての料理ができた。あとは招待客が来るのを待つばかりだ。
= やっとすべてのりょうりができたあとはしょうたいきゃくがくるのをまつばかりだ。
= Yatto subete no ryouri ga dekita. Ato wa shoutaikyaku ga kuru no wo matsu bakarida.
= I just finished all the cooking now. All we need to do is just wait for the guests.
So far so good?
Let’s see if you can tell the difference between the following sentences.
1) マギーはおやつを食べたばかりだ。
= マギーはおやつをたべたばかりだ。
= Maggie wa oyatsu wo tabeta bakari da.]
= Maggie just had a snack.
2) マギーはおやつばかり食べている。
= マギーはおやつばかりたべている。
= Maggie wa oyatsu bakari tabete iru.
= Maggie only eats a snack.
3) マギーはおやつを食べてばかりいる。
= マギーはおやつをたべてばかりいる。
= Maggie wa okashi wo tabete bakari iru.
= All Maggie does is eat a snack.
So you have to pay attention to what word comes before ばかり ( = bakari)
●adjective + ばかり =just (negative meaning)
Ex. あのホテルは高いばかりでサービスは、最低だった。
= あのホテルはたかいばかりでサービスは、さいていだった。
= Ano hoteru wa takai bakari de sabisu wa saitei datta.
= Although the hotel was expensive the service was horrible.
Ex. 外見がきれいなばかりで中身がない
= がいけんがきれいなばかりでなかみがない。
= Gaiken ga kireina bakari de nakami ga nai
= beautiful on the outside but no substance
*******
OK, now this part is for the advanced level :
⬇️
5) to give a reason, just because someone did something+ unpleasant thing happened.
（showing your regrets)
● (verb) past tense + ばかりに ( = bakarini) :
You did something and it leads to a negative consequence.
Ex. 私が余計なことを言ってしまったばかりにこんなことになっちゃって…
= わたしがよけいなことをいってしまったばかりにこんなことになっちゃって…
= Watashi ga yokeina koto wo itte shimatta bakari ni konna koto ni nacchatte…
= (I am sorry) I said something I shouldn’t have and it turned out this way…
Ex. 彼の言うことを聞いたばかりにひどい目に遭った。
= かれのいうことをいいたばかりにひどいめにあった。
= Kare no iu koto wo kiita bakari ni hidoi me ni atta.
= I got in big trouble just because I listened to him.
Ex. パーティーに行ったばかりに会いたくなかった人に会ってしまった。
= パーティにいったばかりにあいたくなかったひとにあってしまった。
= Paatei ni itta bakari ni aitaku nakatta hito ni atte shimatta.
= Because I went to the party, I saw (I ended up seeing) someone I’d been avoiding.
●adjective + ばかりに ( = bakarini) : just because
Ex.背が低いばかりにモデルになれない。
= せがひくいばかりにモデルになれない。
= Se ga hikui bakari ni moderu ni narenai.
= Just because I am short, I can’t be a model.
Ex. 私がきれいなばかりにたくさんの男の人を苦しめてきました。🐶
= わたしがきれいなばかりにたくさんのおとこのひとをくるしめてきました。
=Watashiga kireina bakari ni takusan no otokono hito wo kurushimete kimashita.
= Since I am too beautiful, I made many men suffer.
6) almost, ready to ~, you did everything and the only thing you have to do now is ~
● verb plain form + ばかり ( = bakari)
Ex. もう料理は温めるばかりだ。
= もうりょうりはあたためるばかりだ。
= Mou ryouri wa atatameru bakarida.
= (The food is ready. The only thing we have to do is just to heat it up.)
= The food just needs to be heated up.
Ex. あとはマギーの帰りを待つばかりです。
= あとはマギーのかえりをまつばかりです。
= Ato wa Maggie no kaeri wo matsu bakari desu.
= (I have done everything and the only thing I should do is to wait for Maggie to come back home.)
= I just wait for Maggie to come home now.
７）firmly thought/ believed something (but it was not what I had thought.)
●verb, noun, adjective + (もの（だ）)とばかり ( = (mono(da)) to bakari) just + 思っていた =おもっていた( = omotte ita)
Ex.マギー先生は人間だとばかり思っていた。
= マギーせんせいはにんげんだとばかりおもっていた。
= Maggie sensei wa ningen dato bakari omotte ita.
= I just thought Maggie Sensei was a human. (But she is not.)
Ex. 日本語はもっと難しいものだとばかり思っていた。
= にほんごはもっとむずかしいものだとばかりおもっていた。
= Nihongo wa motto muzukashii mono da to bakari omotteita.
= I just thought Japanese was more difficult. (But it’s not.)
Ex. ただでもらえるものだとばかり思っていたのに…
= ただでもらえるものだとばかりおもっていたのに…
= Tada de moraeru mono dato bakari omotte itanoni….
= I thought they would give me free (but they charged money after all.)
8) as if to ~ (emphasizing)
●noun/ quote + とばかりに ( = tobakari)
Ex. 彼女はこの時とばかりに不満をぶちまけた。
= かのじょはこのときとばかりにふまんをぶちまけた。
= Kanojo wa kono toki to bakari ni fuman wo buchimaketa.
= She took advantage of the opportunity to vent her frustration.
Ex. ここぞとばかりに写真を一杯撮った。
= ここぞとばかりにしゃしんをいっぱいとった。
= kokozo to bakari ni shashin wo ippai totta.
= I took a lot of pictures taking advantage of the opportunity.
Ex. 彼はもうこの件はおしまいだとばかりに話題を変えた。
= かれはもうこのけんはおしまいだとばかりにわだいをかえた。
= Kare wa mou kono ken wa oshimaida to bakari ni wadai wo kaeta.
= He changed the subject as if to say the case was over.
9) on the verge of doing something/ almost doing something
●verb + んばかり ( = n bakari)
⭐️ How to form : と ＋
1) verb plain form 言う = いう = iu = to say
2) make a negative form of a verb
言わない = いわない = iwanai = not to say
3) delete ない and add ん
言わ = いわ( = iwa) + ん ( = n)
言わん = いわん ( = iwan)
４) add ばかり ( = bakari)
〜と言わんばかり
= といわんばかり
= to iwan bakari
= as much as to say
🔸 Irregular : する ( = suru) →せん ( = sen)
Note: Basic pattern：
*〜と言わんばかり = といわんばかり =( = to iwan bakari) + の ( = no) + noun = 〜 as much as to say/ as if to say 〜
*〜と言わんばかり = といわんばかり( = to iwan bakari) + に ( = ni) + verb = to do something as if to say, as much as to say
Describing someone’s action assuming their feeling or what they are trying to say.
Ex. 彼は全て知っていると言わんばかりに私を見た。
= かれはすべてしっているといわんばかりにわたしをみた。
= Kare wa subete wo shitteiru to iwanbakari ni watashi wo mita.
= He looked at me as if to say he knew everything.
Ex. ごめんなさいと言わんばかりの悲しい顔
= ごめんなさいといわんばかりのかなしいかお
= Gomennasai to iwan bakari no kanashii kao.
= A sad face as if to say “I am sorry!”
****************
Here are more examples with other verbs.
Ex. 今にも泣かんばかりの顔
= いまにもなかんばかりのかお
= Ima ni mo nakanbakari no kao.
= Almost crying face. (the face on the verge of crying)
Ex. 溢れんばかりの涙
= あふれんばかりのなみだ
= Afuren bakari no namida
= one’s eyes filled with tears (the literal meaning is “tears almost welling up in one’s eyes.”)
Note : It is similar to 〜そう ( = sou) almost
(泣きそう = なきそう = nakisou / 溢れそう = あふれそう = afuresou ）
＊Related lesson : ~ そう(=sou)
🔸 ~そう ( = sou) is conversational and んばかり ( = nbakari) is more literal.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
ドッグフードばかりではなくたまには美味しい唐揚げも食べさせて！
= Doggufuudo bakari dewa naku tamaniwa oishii karaage mo tabesasete.
= I hope you don’t just give me dog food but let me have some delicious fried chicken once in a while!
Special Note for French Speakers.
Your friend, Marianne translated this lesson into French. I posted on my Facebook page.
Click here.
***
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89 Comments
こんにちはMaggie先生、
はじめまして、私はキルタナと申します。
Could you please explain the below expressions related to ~ばかりに
1)ちょっと大工の経験があるばかりに,いろいろな仕事を頼まれてしまう。
2)山頂から一目日の出を見たいばかりに、暗いうちに山小屋を出て2時間も走いたのだ。
宜しくお願い致します。_(_^_)_
Hi Keerthu
These ばかりに is the same usage of 5) giving a reason (the following sentence is something unfavorable or something one doesn’t want to do)
1)ちょっと大工の経験があるばかりに,いろいろな仕事を頼まれてしまう。
Just because I have some experience of being a carpenter (reason) I get asked to do many things (probably fixing something or building something)
Since this sentence has しまう, the speaker doesn’t want to do that kind of work.
2) This ばかりに also gives a reason but also expressing one’s strong desires to see the sunrise.
Just because I wanted to see the sunrise ~~~→I ended up doing ~ (I think 走いた is a typo. Maybe 歩いた？ Ended up walking for two hours.)
Hi Maggie Sensei
Thank you so much for your explanation. I am able to get it now.
And Sorry, in the second sentence its “歩いた” I typed wrongly.
Thank you once again. _(_^_)_
You’re very welcome, Keerthu!
歩いた→Good! It makes more sense now. ☺️
Hi, Maggie-sensei! I always follow your lessons, they are very useful. But this time there is a phrase that I don’t know how to translate, so I was wondering if you could help me. This is the verse of the song:
愛されたいよ
周りの異性が
全て消え去れ
とか思うよ
被害妄想ばっかして
また心臓痛くてさ
How would you translate “被害妄想ばっかして”?
Greetings! And thank you very much for the help.
Hi Juliana
Glad to hear my lessons are useful. :)
被害妄想ばっかして = 被害妄想ばかりして = being always paranoid
Thank you very much, Maggie-sensei :D
どういたしまして、Juliana :)
I came across both カップラーメンを食べてばかりです and カップラーメンを食べてばかりいます. What’s the difference between ～てばかりいる and ～てばかりだ?
Hi Michelle,
They mean the same.
Vてばかりです
Vてばかりいます
Hi Maggie Sensei!!
If I wanted to say:
When we (me and my friend) are together, nothing is boring.
can i say: isshouni shitara, nanimo tsumaranai.
Would that be correct? Would there be a better way to say it?
Would it be easier to change the ending to “everything is fun”?
Thank you!
Hello 高校三年生！
nothing is boring
The literal translation is つまらないものはなにもない = tsumaranai mono wa nani mo nai
But it will be more natural to say
なんでもたのしい = nandemo tanoshii = everything is fun.
Just a little something I found ;)
Nihongo wa motto muzuashii mono da to bakari omotteita.
muzukashii?
Arigatou for spotting the typo, Nick.
I fixed it. ☺️
Hi maggie sensei .
My question might be stupid; I’m still upper beginner 😅.
I read your lesson on ばかりlast week. Yesterday i was trying to make a dialogue in Japanese.
I said (おばあさんを迎えに行くばかりだ). I have prepared everything for the trip and the only thing left is to pick up my grandmother.
Is this correct?
Hello Aya,
Good question!
Yes, your sentence is correct.And if it is writing, there is no problem.
If you actually want to say that, the listener know that you finish preparing something.
You did this and that so the only thing left is to pick up your grandma.
あとは、おばあさんを迎えに行くばかりですね。
In conversation, you hear more あとは、おばあさんを行くだけだね
That pattern is slightly formal so in conversation, あとはおばあさんを
It’s true I hear あとはa lot in conversational Japanese. Actually I wanted to use 後で. Anyways, thank you maggiesensei. ☺
Hi Aya,
Yes, you use あと（は） a lot in conversation.
Also, And…
If you say あとで, it means “to do something later”
Learn more about 後 in this lesson.
先生, why in this sentence
“彼の言うことを聞いたばかりにひどい目に遭った。” is used 言うこと instead of 言ったこと？
Hi Yutaka,
You can say 言ったこと as well.
言うこと what he says/said (You use this form when this person is always saying, said in past, or will say in future) It will be easier to think 言うこと as a noun. (the things he says)
言ったこと what he said (in the particular time)
Hello again sensei,
What is the difference between
(1) 子供は泣いているばかりです。
and
(2) 子供は泣いてばかりいる。
And
(3) 彼女の幸せを祈るばかりです
and
(4) 彼女の幸せを祈ってばかりいる。
Thanks Maggie sensei so much!
(1) 子供は泣いているばかりです。 talking about the particular time when the child keeps crying.
(2) 子供は泣いてばかりいる。 The child always cries.
(3) 彼女の幸せを祈るばかりです
I just wish her happiness.
(4) 彼女の幸せを祈ってばかりいる。
The only thing I do is praying for her happiness. / I have been constantly praying for her happiness.
どうかな。わかる？
Hello! What does the ているばかり form mean? Does it still mean “only nothing but” like てばかり？ For example, what is the meaning of this sentence?:
道の雪の上に落ちているばかりでした
Thank you!
Hi Katie,
Are you reading the little fox’s tale, “手袋を買いに”？
This ばかり means “just ~ / nothing else”
Hello Maggie sensei,
Is it possible to combine 2 meanings of ばかり
(1) てばかりいる and 2)ばかりでなく to say、 for example this sentence.
Not only does Maggie sensei just always sleeping but also she teaches Japanese.
By
Maggie先生は寝てばかりいるばかりではなく、日本語を教えている
Hello,
It is not natural to combine two ばかり in one sentence.
From your 寝てばかりいる先生 😴 zzz
Good day, Maggie sensei.
Is there a difference between た+ところ and
た+ ばかり ?
isn’t that both are translated to “Just did something” ?
Hi lemon,
They are interchangeable when you talking about the action which someone just did.
I just came back home now/a little while ago.
今、／さっき + 帰ったところです。
今、／さっき + 帰ったばかりです。
But when you use ところ with time related word which describes the past
I just went to Japan last year.
日本には昨年行ったばかりです。
X 日本には昨年行ったところです。
Also when you describe something you just did something, you can’t use ところ
The word that you just learned/memorized
覚えたばかりの言葉
X 覚えたところの言葉
Thank you, Maggie sensei :D
Your site is always helpful for my studies.
More Power :D
Hi maggie sensei. This may be out of the context but, why is “de” used after bakari?
あのホテルは高いばかりでサービスは、最低だった
Hi Leo,
That で means “and”
Thank you so much for explaining every way of using bakari as I’m always confusing myself on how to use T_T Japanese has so much nuances that can’t really differentiate with English!
The examples are also very useful, thank you so much!
Hello Anne
If you get confused, just come back again. And feel free to ask me questions here.
がんばって！ 💕
… I don’t understand how can bakari mean only/just if most of the translated sentences don’t include the word only or just???? Explain?? Like these sentences make no sense to me :
同じ間違いばかりしている。
= Onaji machigai bakari shiteiru.
= I’m making the same mistakes over and over.
Ex. 時間ばかりかかる仕事
= Jikan bakari kakaru shigoto
= Time consuming work
Hi Anon,
Though my English translation does’t have the word, just/only, the sentence emphasize the meaning.
Let me add “just” in the translation for you.
同じ間違いばかりしている。
Just making the same mistake over and over.
(emphasizing the repetition of making the same mistakes)
* 時間ばかりかかる仕事 = The work which just taking a lot of time.
Compare to 時間がかかる仕事, ばかり add the emphasis of 時間
甘いものを食べるばかりのなら太ります。
先生､この文はいかがですか？
例文とこれ同じですか？
ちょっと直しますね。
↓
甘いものを食べてばかりいると*太ります。If you just eat sweets, you will gain weight.
甘いものばかり食べると*太ります。 If you eat just sweets, you will gain weight.
*You can also say 食べたら
お返事ありがとうございます。
日本語に両方の文章は同じ意味ですか？
‘甘いものを食べてばかりいると太ります’
このは事実ですね。もしその’と’が’食べれば’に変えたらよろしいですか？
1) 甘いものを食べてばかりいると太ります。
2) 甘いものばかり食べると太ります
二つの文章の違いは、ばかりが何にかかるかの(What ばかり modifies) 違いです。
1) action: 甘いものを食べる just “eating sweets”
2) noun: 甘いものばかり食べる eating just “sweets”
と／たら／ば the translation could be the same If you ~, you will but
食べると Just eating sweets makes you fat. (と naturally, automatically →That the way your body system works)
You can replace と with たら but it sounds a little more hypothetical
食べたら If you eat just sweets, you will gain weight.
食べたら is hypothetical
食べれば is also possible.
Just you tend to use ば for something more positive
Ex. 食べれば病気が治る。
よかったら「ば」のレッスンを読んでくださいね。
→How to use ば
先生、ご説明を教えてくれてありがとうございました。
どういたしまして！
Hi, Maggie-sensei! I came here to understand why bakari was being used with de and though I noticed that in all the example os the section named below use bakari accompanying de, I became confused when I noticed it appears in other sections as well. Why and when is de used? De is always giving me a headache.
●adjective + ばかり =just (negative meaning)
Hi Azul
First as you can see in the lesson you don’t always use で with ばかり
〜ばかりの
〜ばかりに
As for the usage in the example sentences for
●adjective + ばかり =just (negative meaning)
~ばかりで
This で is a conjunctive form of an auxiliary verb だ
Let’s forget about ばかりで now.
When you connect two sentences, instead of saying そして ( = and) you can connect them by changing the first verb into this form.
Ex. これは私の本です ＋ あれはマギーの本です。
= Kore wa watashi no hon desu + Are wa Maggie no hon desu.
= This is my book. + That is Maggie’s book.
→これは私の本であれはマギーの本です。
= Kore wa watashi no hon de are wa Maggie no hon desu.
= This is my book and that is Maggie’s book.
Now, you can connect two sentences ばかり＋だ・です(polite form) by changing だ・です into で
→あのホテルは高いばかりだ。そしてサービスは最低だった。
→あのホテルは高いばかりでサービスは、最低だった。
外見がきれいなばかりだ・そして中身がない
→外見がきれいなばかりで中身がない
Hello Maggie Sensai!
I learned a lot from this lesson. It’s wonderfully detailed and helpful. どうもありがとうございました！
Regrettably, I still can’t figure out the following:
そればかり、繰り返していっています。
Just before this sentence, it is about something that he regretted.
Can I translate it to “He keeps/is always talking about/repeating this (something he regretted).” ??
@Presto
Hi, Presto,
It means He just talking about that.
Let me break it down.
そればかり繰り返し言っています。
そればかり = just that matter
繰り返し repeatedly
言っています is saying/ has been saying
From just that sentence, I can’t see the “regret” part.
ありがとうございます, Maggie Sensai❣
The sentence of regrets comes right before this, so that’s why I assumed the person keeps talking about his regrets.
So based on your analysis, I believe it means “He has repeated saying about this (which is likely his regrets)”, correct?
感謝しています❢
@Presto
OK, them right, it means,
“He keeps talking about the same thing over and over.”
Hi Maggie Sensei, I am confused with this two. What is the difference? look similar to me except one uses て while the other use plain form.
verb て(=te)(で(~de)) form +ばかり(=bakari)
4) only do/does / doing something / always do/does/doing something
遊んでばかりいてはいけません。
You can’t just play all the time.
verb plain form + ばかり(=bakari)
(1) do nothing but…, all you do is ~
人に頼るばかりの人生ではいけない。
We shouldn’t just depend on someone in life.
＠Max
Hi Max
In the following pattens you can use them in the same way.
a) verb plain form + ばかり＋だ／です／だった／でした。
b) verb て form + ばかり＋だ／です／だった／でした。
彼は、泣くばかりだった。
彼は、泣いてばかりだった。
He does nothing but crying.
As for my examples,
て／でばかり
You can’t say V dictionary form ばかりいてはいけない。
X 遊ぶばかりいてはいけません。
You have to use て form.
The second example can be replaced.
頼る（Verb plain form) ばかり+ の+ 人生 modifies a noun, in this case 人生
You can say 頼んでばかりの人生 as well.
Hello! :) Thank you so much for your lessons! They’re always so detailed and I learn a lot.
Although I’ve read this one as well, I came across a sentence which I can’t totally get the meaning of ばっかり. The sentence is ‘将来、デビューしたいけど、もしできなくても悲観ばっかりはしないです’. Does it mean something like ‘I want to debut in the future but, if I’m not able to, I won’t be disappointed.’?
Thank you so much! ^^
@Aida
Hi Aida,
We don’t usually say 悲観ばっかりする・しない
I think he meant “悲観的（な気持ちばかり）になる・ならない”
So basically he is saying “将来、デビューしたいけど、もしできなくても(Though he would love to make a debut in future) もしできなくても(=even if he can’t)
悲観的（な気持ちばかり）にならない He won’t just stay pessimistic
Hello Maggie!
Even after your lesson I still couldn’t figure out this sentence:
好きなことばっかり書いているブログですが、私のブログブログもよろしくお願いします。
Even though this lesson was really helpfull! :k:
@Nana
Hi Nana
So 好きなことばかり書く= sukina koto bakari kaku = to write only what you like
ばっかり is a casual way to say ばかり
So the person says he/she just writes what he/she likes on his/her blog.
But he/she wants you to visit.
やっほマギー＾ ＾ お久しぶりですね！
Maggie, I found in my grammar book (ばかりに lesson) an idiom and I don’t know, if I translate it correctly.
男の風上にも置けない奴 （in: 出世したいばかりに、恋人を裏切り、社長令嬢と結婚するなんて男の風上にも置けない奴だ。）
I think 男の風上にも置けない奴 = He doesn’t desire to be called a man / It’s a shame to called him a man / He is not to be treated as a man / He is just a disgrace to the man.
Which translation fits here (in this sentence) the best, in your opinion?
「…の風上にも置けない…」の２～３文を作ってくださいませんか。
ヨロシク!
＠天人
やっほ〜〜2u2!
Your translation of 風上にも置けない is correct.
Usually 男の〜、人の〜 and it describes a despicable person who takes advantage of others.
Ex. 盗んだカードで旅行に行くなんて人の風上にも置けない。
Ex. 女性に暴力をふるうなんて男の風上にも置けない。
了解です！ありがとう、先生！
I really appreciate that I can always count on you!
@天人
どういたしまして！ boucingheart!
sensei I heard te/de+bakari is used to express a complaint usually is that true?
@hoshi
Yes, it’s true.
te/de bakari / noun bakari tend to express complaint because when a person only does something, other people may get annoyed, right?
Ex. 彼女は文句を言ってばかりいる。She is always complaining.
Ex. 彼はおしゃべりばかりしていて何も仕事をしていない。All he does is chatting and he doesn’t do any work.
But it is not always used to express complaints.
For example when you feel guilt,
Ex いつも頂いてばかりですみません。= I am sorry I am always getting something from you.
お久しぶり、マギー先生！ I have a few questions.
1. I’m a little bit confused about the difference between ばかり and ばかりで…
あのホテルは高いばかりでサービスは、最低だった。
外見がきれいなばかりで中身がない
Why did you use で instead of なのに in these sentences?
2. How would you translate this sentence (from the comments)?
このレストランは安いばかりです。 “This restaurant is just cheap”? Isn’t that a good thing, though? It sounds odd, as if the sentence was incomplete.
3. I found this example sentence somewhere:
今にも雨が降り出さんばかりの空模様だ。
Why is it 降り出さんばかり, and not 降りだせんばかり?
@Marianne
こんにちは、Marianne!
1. ばかり and ばかりで ：で has a function of giving a reason so ばかりで is used when you continue the sentence.
→something is too ~ “so”/ “and” + ~~~
(な)のに means “although/though/even if/even though” and you have to give the contradicted result.
If you want to use (な)のに in those sentence,
あのホテルは高いのにサービスは最低だった。
外見がきれいなのに中身がない
2. Isn’t that a good thing, though?→Not necessary. Even if the restaurant serves cheap food, what is the quality of food is bad, the service is horrible or dirty?
3. It is a literal expression but 降り出さないばかり→ない contracted to ん→ 降りださんばかり
あのホテルは高いばかりでサービスは、最低だった。= The hotel is just to
外見がきれいなばかりで中身がない
説明を全部分かった。ありがとう、先生！
@Marianne
どういたしまして、Marianne!
(説明を全部分かった。→説明してくれたこと全部分かりました。）
おはようございます！
I really love your site. There are tons of useful examples. Thank you so much ^^
I’m studying Japanese by Soumatome N3, but the problem is that there’s no explanations, not so many examples. Thus it’s quite difficult for me to master new grammar ><
Could you please give me some examples based on this:
Noun/Verb(te form)+ ばかり/ばかりだ/ばかりのNoun/ばかりで
Thank you :)
@Masami
こんばんは、Masami!
I’m very happy to hear you like our site. :)
As for your request,
Noun/Verb(te form)+ ばかり/ばかりだ/ばかりのNoun/ばかりで
You mean
Noun/Verb(te form)+ ばかり/ばかりだ/ばかりのNoun＋ばかりで
two ばかり in one sentence???
こんばんは、
Sorry I must have made myself clearer. I meant:
Noun ばかり
Verb(te form) + ばかりだ
ばかりのNoun
ばかりで
@Masami
So you want more examples with these patterns? Sure.
＊Noun ばかり
Ex.私のクラスは面白い生徒ばかりだ・いる。
= All the students in my class are funny.
＊ばかりのNoun
Ex.女性ばかりのチーム
= A team just with women
＊Verb(te form) + ばかりだ
Ex.彼はいつも寝てばかりだ。
= He does nothing but sleeping.
＊ばかりで
Ex.今、家に帰ったばかりで何も夕食の準備が出来ていない。
= I just came back home and I haven’t prepared dinner at all.
ありがとうございました。^^
@Masami
どういたしまして、Masami! :)
こんにちは、マギー先生！
ちょっと質問があるんですが、本で「言わんばかり」という表現が出てきて、もし良ければ、意味と使い方説明していただきませんか？
@Lava
おはよう、Lava!
言わんばかり means “as if to say” “as much as to say””as though” (Someone(something) is not actually saying so but you can tell they want to say/do certain things by their behavior/condition )
It is often used with まるで(=marude = as if)
Basic pattern :
（まるで）〜〜〜と言わんばかりのnounで or 言わんばかりに+ main verb
= Someone does/did something (main verb) as if to say ~~~~~~
Ex.母はまるで私のやっていることは全て知っていると言わんばかりの顔で私を見た。
= My mother looked at me as if she knew everything.
Ex. マギー先生は「大丈夫だよ」と言わんばかりにうなずいた。
= Maggie Sensei nodded as if to say “Everything is all right”.
Ex.そのダイヤは「私を買って下さい。」と言わんばかりに輝いていた。
= That diamond was shining as if to say “Buy me!”
Hello, I found a sentence with some sort of interesting(at least for me) ばかり usage -「 あたしは、形とばかり並べられた陶器のティーセットに手を伸ばす。」, I understand that the meaning would be something like “the teacups was lined up just for show”, but what is the point of putting と before ばかり in this case, can you please explain this part to me? Thank you very much!
@Darkakira
Hello Darkakira,
Yes the meaning is correct. I found it is a bit strange to use と. We usually don’t put と and say ~とばかりに並べられた。I’d just say 形ばかりに並べられた
I guess the writer used と just to emphasize the meaning.
先生、こんにちは。
Excellent lesson.
Thank you very much.
@Rodrigo
こんにちは、ロドリーゴ！
どういたしまして！またきてね！
Sensei, I just want to confirm:
Verb plain form + bakari has two nuances:
●do nothing but…, all you do is ~
Ex. 彼女は、何を言っても泣くばかりだ.
●almost, ready to ~, you did everything and the only thing you have to do now is ~
Ex. もう料理は温めるばかりだ。
@Rodrigo
Thank you!! I thought about adding the information the other day and totally forgot about it.
Will add it sometime soon.
ありがとう！
thank you for the lesson maggie sensei!
somehow i wonder is there any relation between ばかり and ばっかり?
Is it the same or like, the former one is more formal while the latter is just the speaking accent?
@cyphoncofe
Hello cyphoncofe!
Ah good one!
It is another colloquial way to say ばかり(=bakari) besides ばっか(=bakka)
I will add that information. :)
Sensei, this was a sweet follow up lesson to “~tate”. :D After the “tate” lesson I thought about looking up a previous lesson from sensei in which she touched the usage of “bakari” to review the usage of the word a little, but with this comprehensive lesson that is not necessary anymore, this one is great. XD
I liked the part in the lesson for “to bakari ni”, this pattern may come in handy in the future. :D Hopefully I can use it soon. XD
One question sensei. Is the “n + bakari” pattern colloquial or can it be used in any circumstances without getting a superior stirred up? XD
Thank you sensei. :)
@NecroMadMat
I am very happy to hear that.
Yes, you have to practice a lot to get familiar with ばかり.
Ah good point. Usually ん is used for a casual contraction but n+bakari is a literal expression. You may not hear often in everyday conversation but you will see in the writing form more.
Oh so it is more likely to see “n+bakari” used in writing, more so than in conversations.
I bet if I use this pattern around in conversation I would give the impression I learned Japanese from books. XD
@NecroMadMat
You can impress Japanese people for sure!
Really! sensei? I better get this pattern down asap, seems it may come in handy. XD
Also, in an Anki deck I found the form “i-adjective + ばかり”:
このレストランは安いばかりです。
I guess that it looks more or less like the category 2.
@Fabimaru
こんにちは、Fabimaru!
Good! I added adjective + ばかり.
********
As for your question, although they are not exactly the same, they could be interchangeable if you change a little.
マギーは寝てばかりいる。
=マギーは寝るばかりだ。
遊んでばかりいてはいけません。
=遊ぶばかりではいけません。
いつもマギーに御馳走になってばかりいます。
=マギーに御馳走になるばかりです。
人に頼るばかりの人生ではいけない。
=人に頼ってばかりの人生ではいけない
彼女は、何を言っても泣くばかりだ。
= 彼女は何を言っても泣いてばかりいる。
彼は自分の自慢話をするばかりで人の話は何も聞かない。
=彼は自分の自慢話をしてばかりで人の話は何も聞かない。
物事はこれからよくなるばかりだと思いたい。
→Can’t replace it with て form
娘の幸せを願うばかりだ。
→Can’t replace it with て form
Sensei, one thing about these examples you provided:
彼女は、何を言っても泣くばかりだ。
= 彼女は何を言っても泣いてばかりいた。
Shouldn’t the second sentence end in: “bakari iru”?
@NecroMadMat
Ah good point!
Thank you! I fixed it.
Do the 2 verbal form you explain in section 4 (verb in て form and plain form) can be used interchangeably?