The Meaning of ばかり
ばかり is a Japanese particle which has a wide range of usages. It translates from Japanese to English as only, just, or about depending on the situation.
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The Meaning of ばかり
① ばかり expresses a limit for a thing or action. It expresses a sense that something is being done in excess
② An approximation when used with numbers;
一時間ばかり待っていた
(I) waited for about an hour
③ When used after a verb in the past tense ばかり means that something was just done.
ちょうど起きたばかりだ
I just woke up
④When used in the non-past tense (present or future) it means the phrase before is the only thing left to do
ごはんができた。あと食べるばかりだ.
The meal is ready. The only thing left is to eat
⑤ばかり also is used to say that something is desirable in one trait and has nothing else
この商品は安いばかりだ
this product is only cheap (it is not particularly good quality)
Translating ばかり from Japanese to English
ばかり can be used after nouns, verbs and adjectives. Specifically, with verbs, it can be used with various verb forms. Since ばかり is so versatile it can mean a lot of things.
■ only
■ just did or finished
■ about (approximately)
■ doing nothing but
■ about to do, or nothing else left to do but
Specific Situations when to use ばかり
ばかり with Nouns
When ばかり comes after nouns it means only. There is a similar particle だけ which also means only. These two are different though. ばかり emphasizes a large amount of something. Often it has a negative nuance to it meaning. だけ does not have the same meaning.
最近、コーヒーだけ飲んでいる
Recently I am only drinking coffee, and nothing else
最近、コーヒーばかり飲んでいる
Recently I am only drinking coffee (and it is too much, or I want something else)
You can read more about the difference between these two particles below:
The Difference between ばかり and だけ
～てばかり
This is a common usage of ばかり. When you use ばかり with verbs this way it means that something is being done in excess, or doing nothing else.
最近寝てばかりいる
recently (someone) is doing nothing but sleeping
