Japanese grammar is an essential part of learning the Japanese language.
It is the set of rules that govern the way words are combined to form sentences in the Japanese language. Japanese grammar is known for its complex system of particles, which are small words that are added to the end of nouns or verbs to indicate the grammatical function of the word in the sentence.
In this post, We will talk about JLPT N4 Grammar: ばかり
JLPT N4 Grammar: ばかり (bakari)
ばかり (bakari) is a grammatical structure in Japanese that is used to indicate that something is continuing or has been happening for a certain period of time. It is often translated as “just,” “only,” or “nothing but.”
Form
Noun ばかり
Verb (た form)
Example：
- 私も最近田舎から東京に来たばかりで。 I’ve just come to Tokyo from the countryside recently too.
- 私は、つい昨日、日本に来たばかりです。 I just came to Japan yesterday.
- 空港で、桜は冗談ばかり言ってただろう？
At the airport, all you were doing was telling jokes, remember?
- さっきあなたの妹さんと話したばかりです。 I’ve just spoken to your sister.
- このアパートには、引っ越してきたばかりだ。 I had just moved to this apartment.
- 兄は家に引きこもってゲームばかりしている。
My older brother shuts himself up indoors and does nothing but play computer games.
- 慣れない事ばかりで、バタバタの毎日だった。
With nothing but new things (“the things I was not accustomed to”), it was a hectic daily life.
- 買ったばかりのシャツを汚してしまいました。 I got the shirt I just bought dirty.
- 先生に怒られてばかりいた彼が、今や大企業の社長だ。
The one who often made teachers angry is now the president of a big company.
- 大学を卒業し、この四月から働き始めたばかりだった。
I had just started to work this April after graduating college