At a glance
～ばかり means "nothing but", "always (doing)", or "just (did)". After a noun or a て-form it shows that something happens too much or all the time. After a た-form it shows that an action happened only a short time ago.
Noun + ばかり
Verb て-form + ばかりいる
Verb た-form + ばかりだ
弟はゲームばかりしています。 My younger brother does nothing but play games.
How to form it
| Attaches to | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun + ばかり | 肉ばかり食べる | eat nothing but meat |
| Verb て-form | Vて + ばかりいる | 寝てばかりいる | be always sleeping |
| Verb た-form | Vた + ばかりだ | 着いたばかりだ | have just arrived |
The た-form for "just did" by verb group:
| Verb group | Dictionary form | + ばかり |
|---|---|---|
| う-verb | 買う | 買ったばかり |
| る-verb | 食べる | 食べたばかり |
| する | する | したばかり |
| 来る | 来る | 来たばかり |
- After a noun, を and が are usually dropped: 肉ばかり食べる.
- Vた + ばかり works like a noun: たばかりです, たばかりの + noun, たばかりなので, たばかりなのに.
- ばかり fits both polite and casual speech. ばっかり is casual.