GRAMMAR DETAIL
〜てばかりいる
Critically describes someone as excessively repeating only one action.
Examples
休日だからといって家で寝てばかりいるのはよくない。
It is not good to do nothing but sleep at home just because it is a day off.
Words used
彼は休日も動画を見てばかりいる。
He does nothing but watch videos even on his days off.
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: Add
ばかりいるto a verb's te-form to describe excessive repetition of, or time spent on, one action. - Basic usage:
彼は休日も動画を見てばかりいる。critically describes someone as spending even their days off doing little but watching videos.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- An evaluation of imbalance
寝ているstates that someone is sleeping, while寝てばかりいるadds an evaluation or complaint about doing little else.
- Different from recent completion
見てばかりいるdescribes an imbalance toward watching, whereas見たばかりだmeans that the viewing happened recently. The difference betweenてandたseparates repetition from recent completion.