てばかりいる

The structure ～てばかりいる expresses that someone does nothing but a certain action, or only does that action repeatedly. It carries a negative or critical nuance – the speaker is often complaining, expressing frustration, or disapproving of the behavior.

Nuance

Unlike ばかり used with nouns (e.g. 肉ばかり食べる), ～てばかりいる specifically emphasizes the ongoing or habitual nature of the action through the 〜～ている construction. It suggests that the person is always doing that one thing, to the exclusion of other things they should be doing.

Common patterns

• ～てばかりいないで is used to tell someone to stop only doing that thing and do something else instead.

  てれびテレビをみて見てばかりいないで、しゅくだい宿題をしなさい。

  Stop just watching TV and do your homework.

• ～てばかりいる can also be used to express self-reflection or regret.

  あまいもの甘いものをたべて食べてばかりいるから、ふとってしまった太ってしまった。

  I've gained weight because I do nothing but eat sweets.

Shortened forms

In casual speech, いる is often shortened to る, giving ～てばかりる or ～てばっかいる / ～てばっかりいる.