JLPT N4
たばかり
Just did ~
Structure
Verb た-form ばかり
How it works
The grammar 'たばかり' indicates that an action was completed just a moment ago or that very little time has passed since the event. While it literally means 'just finished,' the perceived time can vary based on the speaker's subjective feeling (e.g., 'just moved here last month' vs. 'just ate'). It uses the plain past form (た-form) of the verb.
Examples
さっき昼ごはんを食べたばかりなので、お腹がいっぱいです。
I just ate lunch a moment ago, so I am full.
日本に来たばかりの時は、日本語が全然分かりませんでした。
When I had just come to Japan, I didn't understand Japanese at all.
このテレビは先週買ったばかりなのに、もう壊れてしまいました。
Even though I just bought this TV last week, it already broke.
Common mistakes
Do not confuse 'たばかり' with 'たところ'. While both mean 'just finished,' 'たところ' is used for actions that literally finished seconds ago, whereas 'たばかり' can be used for longer periods (weeks/months) if the speaker feels it was recent.
Tip
Think of 'たばかり' as a subjective 'just.' If you feel that not enough time has passed for a change to occur, 'たばかり' is the correct choice.
More JLPT N4 grammar
See たばかり in real Japanese
Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.
Try InputDojo free