This grammar shows that one thing caused a bad result. It means "because of" or "only because of." You use it when you feel regret about what happened.
Verb [た-form] + ばかりにPrimary
い-Adjective + ばかりに
な-Adjective + な / である + ばかりに
Noun + である + ばかりに
This grammar shows that one thing caused a bad result. It means "because of" or "only because of." You use it when you feel regret about what happened.
ちょっと油断したばかりに、大怪我をしてしまった。
Just because I let my guard down for a moment, I ended up getting seriously injured.
お金がないばかりに、好きな子とデートもできないんだ。
Simply because I have no money, I can't even go on a date with the person I like.
正直に意見を述べたばかりに、上司に睨まれてしまいました。
Just because I stated my opinion honestly, I ended up on my boss's bad side.
あの電車に乗り遅れたばかりに、命が助かった。
Simply because I missed that train, my life was saved. (Note: This is a rare, ironic usage where a negative cause leads to a positive result, but the structure still implies the event was unexpected and tied to a single cause.)
彼は首相の息子であるばかりに、常に世間の注目を浴びている。
Just because he is the prime minister's son, he is constantly in the public eye.
Imagine a tiny pebble causing a big rockslide. This grammar points to that one small thing. It shows that one cause led to a bad, unexpected result.
Both "~bakari ni" and "~sei de" show a bad result. But "~bakari ni" shows strong regret. It means one small thing caused a very big, bad problem. "~sei de" just states a negative cause. It does not show strong feelings. For good results, you use "~okage de" instead.
Don't use this when something good happens. For example, you cannot say, "Because I studied hard, I passed the test." This grammar is only for bad things.
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