Structure Legend
Structure
Verb[て]+ ばかり
Noun + ばかり
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一般
Rare Kanji
許り
About ばかり
When used after verbs followed by the conjunction particle て, or nouns, the adverbial particle ばかり highlights that 'nothing but (A) is being done', or 'only (A) exists'. In relation to verbs, てばかり is often followed by いる, as a modified version of the standard ている. However, adding いる is not a requirement, and the same nuance may be conveyed without it.
- 先生はいつも怒ってばかりいる。Our teacher does nothing but yell.
- 最近はお菓子ばかり食べているから、お腹がでてきた。Recently, I've been eating nothing but junk, so my stomach is bulging out.
- 先月生まれた息子がずっと泣いてばかりいて、全然寝れない。My son who was born last month does nothing but cry, so I can't sleep.
- 彼は毎日残業してばかりで、全然家の事を手伝ってくれない。All he does is work overtime everyday, and he won't help me with house chores.
- 彼は口を開けると文句ばかりで、一緒にいるだけで疲れる。When he opens his mouth, all he can do is complain, so just being with him is exhausting.
Fun Fact
ばかり is rarely seen using kanji, but it originally comes from 許り (sometimes 計る). This kanji means 'to let off', or 'to let through', and implies that (A) is the only thing that is being 'permitted' in a specific situation.Synonyms
だけでなく(て)~も
Not only ~ but ~ also, Not just ~ but ~ also
Not studied yet
だけしか
To emphasize '~only', Nothing but
Not studied yet
だけ
Only, Just
Not studied yet
しか~ない
There's only, Nothing but
Not studied yet
ばかりだ
(Only) continue to, Keep on -ing, More and more
Not studied yet
ばかりに
Simply because, Only because, Just because, Simply on account of
Not studied yet
Antonyms
Examples
彼はいつも嘘ばかり言っている。
He does nothing but tell lies.
私の弟はゲームをしてばかりですよ。
My little brother does nothing but play video games.
甘い物を食べてばかりいると、虫歯が増える。
If you eat sweets only, you will have more cavities.
人生つらいことばかりではない。いい日もあるよ。
Life is not always hard. There are good days too.
いつももらってばかりですみません。
It seems that I do nothing but receive (gifts) from you. Sorry about that.
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ばかり – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (14 in total)
Megumin
About 2 years ago
Probably I posted this on the wrong grammar point, I tried to avoid creating a new one. Quoting from this website:
gyroninja
About 2 years ago
Well I just checked a single sentence for the たばかり grammar point and it gave a warning / hint when attempting to use たところ.
Megumin
About 2 years ago
You are right, I guess I just either hit one that doesn’t have it (highly unlikely) or I used it the wrong way (more likely).
Just tried it the other way around and it also gave me the warning/hint.
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