Only getting worse: 〜ばかりだ
Verb (dictionary) + ばかりだ
Verb of change (dictionary) + ばかりだ: “only getting worse”, a development going only the wrong way. Distinguish from たばかり (have just done) and てばかりいる (do nothing but).
In short
〜ばかりだ, after a verb of change in the dictionary form, says a situation is only getting worse: 病気は悪くなるばかりだ, “the illness is just getting worse and worse”. It's used for a negative change, with a note of worry or discouragement.
- 父の病気は悪くなるばかりだ。ちちのびょうきはわるくなるばかりだ。My father's illness just keeps getting worse.
- 勉強しないので、テストの点は下がるばかりだ。べんきょうしないので、てすとのてんはさがるばかりだ。He doesn't study, so his test scores just keep dropping.
- 台風が近づき、雨は強くなるばかりだった。たいふうがちかづき、あめはつよくなるばかりだった。The typhoon was approaching, and the rain just kept getting heavier.
The basics
ばかり means “only, nothing but”. After a verb of change, 〜ばかりだ says the situation is going one way only, the wrong way: it's getting worse, falling, rising when you'd like it to fall. The speaker feels powerless — English “just keeps getting worse”, “only gets worse and worse”.
The illness just keeps getting worse.
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- 仕事のストレスはたまるばかりだ。しごとのすとれすはたまるばかりだ。The stress at work just keeps building up.
- 待っても、不安は大きくなるばかりだった。まっても、ふあんはおおきくなるばかりだった。However long I waited, my anxiety only grew.
Three ばかり not to mix up
Everything depends on the form of the preceding verb. Dictionary form + ばかりだ: it's only getting worse (this lesson). た-form + ばかり: I've just done (N4). て-form + ばかりいる: all he does is… (critical).
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary) + ばかりだ | only getting worse | 悪くなるばかりだ |
| Verb in た + ばかりだ | have just done | 来たばかりだ |
| Verb in て + ばかりいる | do nothing but (critical) | 寝てばかりいる |
- さっき食べたばかりなのに、もうおなかがすいた。さっきたべたばかりなのに、もうおなかがすいた。I've only just eaten, and I'm already hungry.
- 休みの日は、寝てばかりいる。やすみのひは、ねてばかりいる。On my days off, all I do is sleep.
ばかりだ or 一方だ?
Both describe a continuing development. 一方だ is broader: it's also used for a neutral or positive development (上手になる一方だ). ばかりだ is only used when things are going badly, and it expresses discouragement more clearly.
| Sentence | Correct? |
|---|---|
| 悪くなるばかりだ | yes |
| 悪くなる一方だ | yes |
| 上手になる一方だ | yes |
| 上手になるばかりだ | clumsy (positive change) |
- 練習を続けて、彼の歌は上手になる一方だ。れんしゅうをつづけて、かれのうたはじょうずになるいっぽうだ。By practising constantly, his singing keeps getting better and better.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a positive change: for “better and better”, say 一方だ or どんどん〜なる, not ばかりだ.
- Mixing it up with たばかり: 来たばかり = “I've just arrived”; 来るばかり doesn't mean that.
- Forgetting that the “only getting worse” meaning needs a verb of change: 食べるばかりだ doesn't say anything is deteriorating. For “all he does is eat”, say 食べてばかりいる.
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 N3 point is on the Randen Line (Nature and climate) of the Kyoto lines.