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JLPT N3Expressions

～ばかりだ— Just Keeps Going (One Way)

Attached to a verb's dictionary form, ～ばかりだ means a situation keeps changing in one direction only — usually getting worse, with no sign of stopping. It stresses a one-way trend. (Note that ～ばかり in other patterns can also mean 'only/just' with nouns, but the ～ばかりだ trend usage is the key N3 point here.)

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Pro lessonUNIT 84 · EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Verb dictionary form] + ばかりだ

Examples · 例文

  • 景気は悪くなるばかりだ。

    Keiki wa waruku naru bakari da.

    The economy just keeps getting worse.

    悪くなる + ばかりだ shows a one-way downward trend

  • 彼の病気はひどくなるばかりで、良くなる気配がない。

    Kare no byouki wa hidoku naru bakari de, yoku naru kehai ga nai.

    His illness only keeps worsening, with no sign of improvement.

    ひどくなるばかり emphasizes continuous decline in one direction

  • 円安が進み、物価は上がるばかりだ。

    En'yasu ga susumi, bukka wa agaru bakari da.

    With the weak yen, prices just keep rising.

    上がるばかりだ marks an unstoppable one-way increase

Usage notes · 注意

  • Uses the verb DICTIONARY form + ばかりだ for the 'one-way trend' meaning.
  • The trend is usually negative, but can be any single-direction change.
  • Different from ～たばかり (just did) and ～ばかり (only), which use other forms.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～ばかりだ is tested against.

vs～一方だ

一方だ also means 'keeps changing one way' and is nearly synonymous; ～ばかりだ leans slightly more emotional/negative and colloquial.

vs～たばかり

～たばかり (past form + ばかり) means 'just finished doing'; ～ばかりだ (dictionary form) means 'keeps trending one way'.

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