てばかりいる (te bakari iru)
～てばかりいる — “do nothing but ～”
Pattern
-
動詞て形 ＋ ばかりいるte-form + ばかりいる (遊んでばかりいる, 泣いてばかりいる) -
動詞て形 ＋ ばかりいると、〜…ばかりいると = if you keep doing nothing but ～, then ～
Meaning and connection
ばかり means “only, nothing but.” After a te-form it says that one action fills the person's time. Whether the action is ongoing or habitual depends on the sentence: 一日中遊んでばかりいる.
Feeling
It usually shows disapproval, worry, or a complaint, such as about a child who only plays or only cries. For a neutral statement, 遊んでいる is enough.
Variations
いる can change to the past (泣いてばかりいた) or the conditional (ばかりいると). With nouns, ばかり works as in ゲームばかりしている. The meaning is about the same.
Examples
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弟（おとうと）は一日中（いちにちじゅう）遊（あそ）んでばかりいる。
Otōto wa ichinichijū asonde bakari iru.
My little brother does nothing but play all day.
-
妹（いもうと）は朝（あさ）から泣（な）いてばかりいる。
Imōto wa asa kara naite bakari iru.
My little sister has done nothing but cry since morning.
-
ゲームをしてばかりいると、目（め）が悪（わる）くなるよ。
Gēmu o shite bakari iru to, me ga waruku naru yo.
If you do nothing but play games, your eyesight will get worse.
Common mistakes
- It is te-form + ばかりいる, with the ばかり right after て. Do not add に: 遊んでばかりに is wrong.
- Use it for repeated actions. A single, one-time action does not fit.
More grammar points
- ばよかった ～ばよかった — I should have ～, if only I had ～
- ばかりで ～ばかりで — only ～ (and nothing else, with a negative feeling)
- ばかりでなく ～ばかりでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけでなく ～だけでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけど だけど — but, however (casual)
- ふりをする ～ふりをする — pretending to ～
- 一方（いっぽう）だ ～一方だ — keeps ～ing in one direction
- 一体（いったい） 一体 — what on earth ～ (emphasizing a question)
- じゃない ～じゃない — isn't it ～! (surprise or confirmation)
- か何（なに）か ～か何か — ～ or something
- 代（か）わりに ～代わりに — instead of ～, in return for ～
- 結局（けっきょく） 結局 — in the end, after all
- きり ～きり — only ～; ever since ～
- っけ ～っけ — was it ～? (recalling)
- ことになっている ～ことになっている — it is the rule or plan that ～
- ことは～が ～ことは～が — it is true that ～, but ～
- くせに ～くせに — even though ～ (with reproach)
- も～ば～も A も ～ば B も ～ — both A and B
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