As if about to: 〜んばかり
動詞ない形 + んばかり（に／の／だ）
ない-form without ない + んばかり(に / の / だ): “all but, as if the action were about to happen”. An intense, literary description of others or of a thing; ん isn't a negative.
In short
〜んばかり describes a state so intense that an action seems about to happen: 泣かんばかりに (almost in tears), あふれんばかりの (fit to overflow), 帰れと言わんばかりの態度 (an attitude all but saying “get out”). The ん is an old auxiliary of will or future (む), not a negative. Written, literary register.
- 彼は泣かんばかりに助けを求めた。かれはなかんばかりにたすけをもとめた。He begged for help, almost in tears.
- 会場はあふれんばかりの観客で埋まった。かいじょうはあふれんばかりのかんきゃくでうまった。The hall was packed to bursting with spectators.
- 店員は、早く帰れと言わんばかりの顔をしていた。てんいんは、はやくかえれといわんばかりのかおをしていた。The shop assistant had a look that all but said, “Hurry up and leave.”
The basics
ん is the contracted form of the classical auxiliary む, which expressed intention or what's about to happen. ばかり means “almost, to the point of”. So 泣かんばかり is “to the point where tears are about to come”: you aren't crying yet, but everything points to it — like English “all but”, “fit to”, “as if about to”.
It's a description seen from outside: a face, an attitude, a crowd, tears. It's used for a third person or a thing, almost never for yourself.
The shop assistant looked as if he were telling us to leave.
- noun
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- 店員は帰れと言わんばかりの顔をしていた。てんいんはかえれといわんばかりのかおをしていた。The shop assistant looked as if he were telling us to leave.
- 犬はちぎれんばかりにしっぽを振っていた。いぬはちぎれんばかりにしっぽをふっていた。The dog was wagging its tail fit to snap it off.
How to form it
Take the verb in the ない-form, drop ない, and add ん. Careful with する, which becomes せん. Then ばかりに before a verb, ばかりの before a noun, ばかりだ at the end of a sentence.
| Verb | ない-form | + んばかり |
|---|---|---|
| 泣く | 泣かない | 泣かんばかりに |
| 言う | 言わない | 言わんばかりの |
| あふれる | あふれない | あふれんばかりの |
| する | しない | せんばかりに（×しんばかり） |
| 土下座する | 土下座しない | 土下座せんばかりに |
- 彼は土下座せんばかりに頭を下げた。かれはどげざせんばかりにあたまをさげた。He bowed so low he all but prostrated himself.
- 優勝が決まった瞬間、球場は割れんばかりの歓声に包まれた。ゆうしょうがきまったしゅんかん、きゅうじょうはわれんばかりのかんせいにつつまれた。The moment victory was sealed, the stadium was engulfed in deafening cheers.
んばかり, そうだ, とばかりに, ほど
〜そうだ (泣きそうだ) simply notes an appearance, without emphasis. 〜んばかり is stronger and more literary: you're right at the edge.
〜とばかりに follows a whole quotation (いまだ！とばかりに): “as if to say”. The form 言わんばかり sits halfway: 帰れと言わんばかり ≈ 帰れとばかりに.
〜ほど (泣きたいほど) indicates a degree, often for one's own feelings; んばかり describes what you see in others.
- 子どもは泣きそうな顔をしていた。こどもはなきそうなかおをしていた。The child looked as if he were about to cry.
- 彼は、もう我慢できないと言わんばかりに席を立った。かれは、もうがまんできないといわんばかりにせきをたった。He stood up, as if to say he couldn't take any more.
Common mistakes
- Reading ん as a negative (“not cry”): it's exactly the opposite; you're on the verge of tears.
- Writing “×しんばかり”: for する, it's せんばかり.
- Describing your own actions with んばかり: for yourself, you'd rather say 泣きそうだった or 泣きたいほどだった.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Jōetsu Line (The land and the environment) of the Shinkansen.