～たばかり

How to form it

• Verb (た-form) + ばかりだ
• Verb (た-form) + ばかりの + noun
• Verb (た-form) + ばかりなので/ばかりで

Register: Neutral; spoken and written

Explanation

Says that something happened only a short time ago, from the speaker's point of view.

The length of time is subjective: what counts as 'just now' depends on how recent the speaker feels it is. It often carries a feeling of 'so I am still new at it' or 'it is still fresh'.

Examples

1. 今、昼ご飯を食べたばかりだ。

   いま、ひるごはんをたべたばかりだ。

   I have only just eaten lunch.

2. 日本に来たばかりなので、まだ友達が少ない。

   にほんにきたばかりなので、まだともだちがすくない。

   I have only just come to Japan, so I do not have many friends yet.

3. 買ったばかりの傘をなくしてしまった。

   かったばかりのかさをなくしてしまった。

   I lost the umbrella I had just bought.

4. 彼女は先月入社したばかりの新人だ。

   かのじょはせんげつにゅうしゃしたばかりのしんじんだ。

   She is a newcomer who joined the company only last month.

Compare with

• ～たところ: たところ reports what you found after doing something; たばかり says the action was recent.
• ～ところだ: た + ところだ describes the moment just after finishing, more exactly than たばかり.

Common mistakes

• Using the dictionary form (食べるばかり). The verb must be in the た-form for the 'just did' meaning.
• Putting a request or command right after it as if it were a time limit; it only reports that something is recent.