ばかり has a number of grammatical usages in Japanese, but one of the most common is with the simple past tense to express that an action has just taken place.
【Verb: Simple Past】ばかり
| 食べたばかり。 |
| Just eaten. |
| 映画が始まったばかり。 |
| The film has just started. |
| 仕事から帰ってきたばかりだから着替えてからご飯を作るね。 |
| I’ve just returned home from work so I’ll make dinner after I’ve changed. |
| 彼は運転免許を取ったばかりなのに自分がシューマッハだと思っているみたいだよ。 |
| Despite having only just got his driving license he seems to think he’s Schumacher. |
Note: We will meet the “seems like” grammar later.
| 戦争が終わったばかりの頃には毎日の生活が苦しかった。 |
| When the war had just finished, everyday life was difficult. |
| 先週知り合ったばかりなのに昔からの友達のような感じがする。 |
| To feel like old friends despite having only just met last week. |
The structure is typically used in conversation rather than formal writing where very often a bridging っ will be inserted in the pronunciation to put emphasis on the か.
| ばかり → ばっかり |
| テストが終わったばっかりだよ。 |
| The test finished just now. |