Usages of dake
見た だけ だ。mita dake da.
(I) only saw (him).
Here the speaker is emphasizing that they merely saw the person, implying no further interaction.
とても 疲れて います よ。 三時間 だけ 寝ました。totemo tsukarete imasu yo. sanjikan dake nemashita.
I'm really tired. I only slept for three hours.
魚 だけ 食べます。sakana dake tabemasu.
I only eat fish.
いいえ、 見て いる だけ です。iie, mite iru dake desu.
No, I'm just looking.
「飲み物 は 何 が ある か。」 「これ だけ が ある。」「nomimono wa nani ga aru ka.」 「kore dake ga aru.」
A: What have we got to drink? B: There's just this.
一回 だけ 会いました。ikkai dake aimashita.
I've only met him once.
だけで は なくdakede wa naku
not limited to; not only
だけで なくdakede naku
not limited to; not only
その レストラン は 高い だけで、 食べ物 は 良く ない。sono resutoran wa takai dakede, tabemono wa yoku nai.
That restaurant is just expensive; the food isn't good.
彼 は 優しい だけで、 頭 が 良く ない。kare wa yasashii dakede, atama ga yoku nai.
He is just kind, not smart.
彼女 は 静かな だけ だ。kanojo wa shizukana dake da.
She is just quiet.
This sentence suggests that the only prominent characteristic of the woman is her quietness.
できる だけ 早く 日本語 を 学びたい です。dekiru dake hayaku nihongo o manabitai desu.
(I) want to learn Japanese as quickly as possible.
食べられる だけ 食べて いました。taberareru dake tabete imashita.
(I) was eating as much as I could.
走れる だけ 走った。hashireru dake hashitta.
(I) ran as far as I could.
飲める だけ の 水 を 飲んだ。nomeru dake no mizu o nonda.
(I) drank as much water as I could.
手伝える だけ 手伝いました。tetsudaeru dake tetsudaimashita.
(She) helped as much as she could.
一つ だけ も 答えられません でした。hitotsu dake mo kotaeraremasen deshita.
(He) couldn't even answer one.
一歩 だけ も 動けない。ippo dake mo ugokenai.
I can't even move a single step.
一言 だけ も 話さなかった。hitokoto dake mo hanasanakatta.
(He) didn't say even a single word.
私 は 一度 だけ その 映画 を 見たこと が あります。watashi wa ichido dake sono eiga o mitakoto ga arimasu.
I have watched that movie only once.
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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