Talk:ばかり

An explanation of the particle ばかり

Meaning/Function: A particle which indicates that something is the only thing or state which exists, or the only action someone will take, takes, is taking or took.

English equivalents: only; just; be ready to do something; have just done something; just did something; be just doing something; about

Related expressions: ほど; くらい; しか; だけ; ところだ(2)

Key sentences:

1. デザートは食(た)べるばかりになっている/います。 ― dezāto wa taberu bakari ni natte iru/imasu. ― The dessert is ready to eat. (literally, “The only thing left to do with the dessert is to eat it.”)
2. 友子(ともこ)は遊(あそ)んでばかりいる/います。 ― tomoko wa asonde bakari iru/imasu. ― Tomoko is doing nothing but playing. (literally, “The only thing Tomoko is doing is playing.”)
3. 私(わたし)は昼(ひる)ご飯(はん)を食(た)べたばかりだ/です。 ― watashi wa hirugohan o tabeta bakari da/desu. ― I have just eaten my lunch. (literally, “I had my lunch and haven’t done anything else since then.”)
4. このレストランは安(やす)いばかりだ/です。 ― kono resutoran wa yasui bakari da/desu. ― This restaurant is just cheap. (literally, “The only merit of this restaurant is that the food is inexpensive.”)
5. デニスはビールばかり飲(の)んでいる/います。 ― denisu wa bīru bakari nonde iru/imasu. ― Dennis is only drinking beer.
6. 私(わたし)はひと月(つき)ばかりパリにいた/いました。 ― watashi wa hitotsuki bakari pari ni ita/imashita. ― I was in Paris for about a month.

Formation:

1. Verb informal nonpast ばかり
   

   話(はな)すばかり ― hanasu bakari ― be ready to talk
   

   食(た)べるばかり ― taberu bakari ― be ready to eat
2. Verb te-form ばかり
   話(はな)してばかり ― hanashite bakari ― be just talking
   食(た)べてばかり ― tabete bakari ― be just eating
3. Verb informal past ばかり
   話(はな)したばかり ― hanashita bakari ― have just talked
   食(た)べたばかり ― tabeta bakari ― have just eaten
4. (I-adjective informal nonpast / Na-adjective stem な) ばかり
   高(たか)いばかり ― takai bakari ― just expensive
   静(しず)かなばかり ― shizukana bakari ― just quiet
5. Noun ばかり
   先生(せんせい)ばかり ― sensei bakari ― only teachers
6. Noun Particle ばかり
   学生(がくせい)にばかり ― gakusei ni bakari ― only to students
7. Quantifier ばかり
   一時間(いちじかん)ばかり ― ichijikan bakari ― about an hour

Examples:

1. このレポートはあと結論(けつろん)を書(か)くばかりだ。 ― kono repōto wa ato ketsuron o kaku bakari da. ― The only thing left to do with this report is to write a conclusion.
2. 春江(はるえ)は泣(な)いてばかりいて何(なに)も話(はな)そうとしない。 ― harue wa naite bakari ite nanimo hanasō to shinai. ― Harue is just crying and won’t talk about anything.
3. 松山(まつやま)さんは今(いま)シカゴに着(つ)いたばかりです。 ― matsuyama-san wa ima shikago ni tsuita bakari desu. ― Mr. Matsuyama has just arrived in Chicago now.
4. この仕事(しごと)はめんどうなばかりであまりもうかりません。 ― kono shigoto wa mendōna bakari de amari mōkarimasen. ― This job is just troublesome and doesn’t bring us big profits.
5. この寮(りょう)に住(す)んでいるのは男子学生(だんしがくせい)ばかりだ。 ― kono ryō ni sunde iru no wa danshi gakusei bakari da. ― The students who are living in this dorm are all boys.
6. フィッシャー先生(せんせい)はリサとばかり話(はな)している。 ― fisshā-sensei wa risa to bakari hanashite iru. ― Professor Fisher is talking only with Lisa.
7. 十人(じゅうにん)ばかりの友達(ともだち)が手伝(てつだ)ってくれました。 ― jūnin bakari no tomodachi ga tetsudatte kuremashita. ― About ten friends helped me.

Notes:

1. The basic idea which ばかり expresses is that there is nothing except what is stated. When Verb informal nonpast precedes ばかり, the whole expressions means there is nothing left to do (to complete something) but what is stated by the verb. In some contexts, Verb informal nonpast ばかり means that someone does nothing but what is stated. Example:
   (1) 彼(かれ)は笑(わら)うばかりで何(なに)も説明(せつめい)してくれない。 ― kare wa warau bakari de nanimo setsumeishite kurenai. ― He just laughs and doesn’t explain anything to me.
2. When Verb informal past precedes ばかり, the whole expression means that there has been almost no time for anything to happen since what is stated took place. That is, something has just happened, or someone has just done something.
3. When ばかり follows “Noun が” or “Noun を”, が or を drops. The directional へ and に may be either deleted or retained. Other case particles do not drop when they are followed by ばかり.
4. ばかり in Classical Japanese expressed the speaker’s conjecture and this usage is still seen in the “Quantifier ばかり” pattern, where ばかり means ‘about’.

Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1994, pp. 84-87.

Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 17:33, 7 September 2024 (UTC)