[JLPT N4]”Watches TV All the Time” – ばかり, ぐらい, だけ, or しか?
この投稿をInstagramで見る
Konnichiwa, it’s Chika Sensei.
Today, I’m sharing a practice from my exclusive course. This one’s for Upper beginners(JLPT N4)! Can you answer correctly?
[Practice Question]
妹はずっとテレビ(__)見ていて、勉強しようとしない。
いもうとは ずっと テレビ(__)みていて、べんきょうしようとしない。
1 ばかり
2 ぐらい
3 だけ
4 しか
▼
▼
▼
[Answer]
妹はずっとテレビ(1 ばかり)見ていて、勉強しようとしない。
My younger sister watches TV all the time and doesn’t want to study.
ばかり is often used to say someone is doing one thing a lot or too much.
The important point about ばかり is that it doesn’t mean 100% of the time. For example, even if the younger sister watches TV most of the time, she still eats, sleeps, or goes to the bathroom.
This nuance makes ばかり the right choice here.
Other Choices:
ぐらい
Means: “About” or “approximately.”
Example:
箱(はこ)はそのかばんぐらいの大(おお)きさです。
The box is about the size of that bag.
だけ
Means: “Only” (and nothing else).
Example:
朝(あさ)ごはんはパン一枚(いちまい)だけでした。
I had only one piece of bread for breakfast.
しか (〜ない)
Means: “Only,” but must be used with ~ない. It emphasizes there’s nothing else.
Example:
冷蔵庫(れいぞうこ)には卵(たまご)しかない。
There’s nothing in the fridge except eggs.
I hope this explanation helps! 😊