Simply because I forgot my passport at home, I couldn't board the flight.
📖 Explanation & Nuance
The grammar pattern "～ばかりに" (bakari ni) emphasizes that a certain action or situation, often a trivial one, led to an undesirable or unfortunate outcome. It means "simply because" or "precisely because," highlighting the direct and often unexpected negative consequence of a specific cause. It often implies regret or surprise regarding the result.
ある原因のせいで、予想外の悪い結果になってしまったことを強調します。後悔や残念な気持ちを表すことが多いです。意外な結果の原因を述べます。
📝 Example Sentence
パスポートを家に忘れた「ばかりに」、飛行機に乗れなかった。
Simply because I forgot my passport at home, I couldn't board the flight.
Practice Quiz
Verify your grammar strength for "〜ばかりに"
Explanation (EN): The grammar pattern \"～ばかりに\" (bakari ni) emphasizes that a certain action or situation, often a trivial one, led to an undesirable or unfortunate outcome. It means \"simply because\" or \"precisely because,\" highlighting the direct and often unexpected negative consequence of a specific cause. It often implies regret or surprise regarding the result.\n\nCommon Mistakes:\n❌ おかげで: Missing your flight because you forgot your passport is a huge emergency! 'おかげで' is used for positive results (like being lucky), so it's inappropriate here.\n❌ からには: If you use this, it sounds like a weird determination: 'Since I forgot it, I'm never flying again!' haha. Remember to use '〜ばかりに' when expressing strong regret!\n❌ ことだから: This is used when guessing based on someone else's personality ('Knowing him...'). For your own mistakes, '〜ばかりに' perfectly captures that feeling of regret!
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