Lesson 16
ばかり Family & Strong Negatives
- 1 〜ばかり ~bakari only / keeps on The same thing, the same action, the same direction — three ways of "nothing but".
- 2 〜一方だ ~ippou da keeps on -ing Going one way without stopping — usually a worry.
- 3 決して〜ない kesshite ~nai never "Never, ever" — the strongest no, and a vow.
- 4 めったに〜ない metta ni ~nai rarely "Hardly ever" — low frequency.
- 5 少しも・ちっとも・全く〜ない sukoshi mo / chittomo / mattaku ~nai not at all "Not even a little" — a denial taken down to zero.
- 6 たいして・別に〜ない taishite / betsu ni ~nai not particularly "Not really, not especially" — the soft, middling no.
Lesson check
All 6 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「弟は勉強しないで、ゲームをして＿いる。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:"Does nothing but that" — a complaint.
Vて + ばかりいる = "does nothing but". 一方 needs the dictionary form (〜一方だ); 決して and めったに go with a negative.
Which sentence says "prices just keep rising"?
💡 Hint:Moving one way without stopping.
Dictionary form + 一方だ = "just keeps -ing". The other three are negatives — never, rarely, not much.
「先輩に助けてもらったことは、＿忘れません。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A firm vow — "never!"
決して + 〜ない = "never" (a vow). めったに means "rarely" and たいして "not much" — neither makes a vow.
「忙しくて、国には＿帰れない。2年に1回くらいだ。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:"Once every two years" — how often?
めったに + 〜ない = "rarely". 決して would mean "never", but the speaker does get home once every two years.
「その話は＿知らなかった。今日初めて聞いた。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:"Heard it for the first time today" — zero.
全く + 〜ない = "not at all". たいして means "not much", implying you knew a little; めったに is about frequency.
「A：この店、高い？ B：ううん、＿高くないよ。ほかの店よりちょっと高いくらいかな。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:"Only a little pricier than other shops" — a soft no.
たいして + 〜ない = "not particularly" (middling). ちっとも and 全く mean "not at all", which clashes with "a little pricier"; めったに is about frequency.
「毎日コンビニの弁当＿食べていると、体に悪いよ。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:"Nothing but" — the same thing every time.
N + ばかり = "nothing but". めったに needs a negative; さえ means "even".
Which sentence is unnatural?
💡 Hint:What must follow めったに?
めったに always takes a negative: 父はめったに怒らない.
Your score: /8