ばかり

Particle (Basic ㊦ 84)

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

Equivalent: Only; just; be ready to do something; have just done something; just did something; be just doing something; about

デザートは食べるばかりになっている・います。: The only thing left to do with the dessert is to eat it./The dessert is ready to eat.
友子は遊んでばかりいる・います。: The only thing Tomoko is doing is playing./Tomoko is doing nothing but playing.
私は昼ご飯を食べたばかりだ・です。: I had my lunch and haven't done anything else since then./I have just eaten my lunch.
このレストランは安いばかりだ・です。: The only merit of this restaurant is that the food is inexpensive./This restaurant is just cheap.
デニスはビールばかり飲んでいる・います: Dennis is drinking only beer.
私は一月ばかりパリにいた・いました。: I was in Paris for about a month.
このレポートはあと結論を書くばかりだ。: The only thing left to do with this report is to write a conclusion.
春江は泣いてばかりいて何も話そうとしない。: Harue is just crying and won't talk about anything.
松山さんは今シカゴに着いたばかりです。: Mr. Matsuyama has just arrived in Chicago now.
この仕事は面倒なばかりであまり儲かりません。: This job is troublesome and doesn't bring us big profits.
この寮に住んでいるのは男子学生ばかりだ。: The students who are living in this dorm are all boys.
フィッシャー先生はリサとばかり話している。: Professor Fisher is talking only with Lisa.
十人ばかりの友達が手伝ってくれました。: About ten friends helped me.

Formation

(i) Vinformal nonpast	ばかり
	話すばかり	Be ready to talk
(ii) Vて	ばかり
	話してばかり	Be just talking
	食べてばかり	Be just eating
(iii) Vinformal past	ばかり
	話したばかり	Have just talked
	食べたばかり	Just have eaten
(iv) {Adjective い informal nonpast/Adjectiveな stem}	ばかり
	高いばかり	Just expensive
	静かなばかり	Just quiet
(v) Noun	ばかり
	先生ばかり	Only teachers
(vi) Noun+Particle	ばかり
	学生にばかり	Only to students
(vii) Quantifier	ばかり
	一時間ばかり	About an hour

Notes

1. The basic idea which ばかり expresses is that there is nothing except what is stated. When Verb infornmal nonpast precedes ばかり, the whole expression 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:

彼は笑うばかりで何も説明してくれない。
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 speakers conjecture and this usage is still seen in the "Quantifier ばかり" pattern, where ばかり means 'about'.