GRAMMAR DETAIL

たばかり

have just done; have only recently done

Follows the past form of a verb to show that not much time has passed since an action was completed.

Examples

昼ご飯を食べたばかりなので、まだおなかがいっぱいだ。

I just ate lunch, so I am still full.

さっき駅に着いたばかりです。

I just arrived at the station a moment ago.

Structure: Add ばかり to a verb's た form to present the action as only recently completed.
Basic usage: さっき駅に着いたばかりです。 means that arriving at the station was very recent.

What counts as recent
- It can cover a period the speaker considers short, as in 先月入社したばかりだ. This differs from たところだ, which focuses on the moment immediately after completion.
The same word with a different connection
- 食べたばかり means having eaten recently, while 食べてばかりいる means doing nothing but eating. Distinguish the positions after the た and て forms.