Explanation
Express a continuing state or negative tendency; 'just', 'only', 'always'.
Formation
Verb-てform + ばかりだ, い-Adjective + ばかりだ, な-Adjective + ばかりだ, Noun + ばかりだ
Detailed explanation
The ～ばかりだ grammar point is used to express a continuing or unchanging state, often emphasizing a negative or undesired tendency. It can be translated as 'just', 'only', or 'always' in English. The formation differs depending on whether it is used with a verb, い-adjective, な-adjective, or noun.
Examples
Kare wa monku wo itte bakari da.
He is always complaining.
Kono eiga wa omoshirokunakute, taikutsu shite bakari da.
This movie isn't interesting, and I'm just bored.
Kanojo wa hima de iru bakari da.
She is always just idling around with nothing to do.
Saikin, shigoto no shippai bakari da.
Lately, it’s just been one failure at work after another.
Practice
Grammar content sourced from hanabira.org.