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 |
| Just eaten. |
| The film has just started. |
| I’ve just returned home from work so I’ll make dinner have I’ve changed. |
| Despite having only just got his driving license he seems to think he’s Schumacher. |
| When the war had just finished, everyday life was difficult. |
| 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 |
| The test finished just now. |