33682
I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) that _da_ is a short casual form of
_desu_. But what does it mean in this phrase? or why it is used?

> _Tabeta bakari da._
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-20T14:01:41.080
33678
2016-08-04T16:17:59.997
2016-08-04T16:17:59.997
9878
9878
question
grammar particles copula particle-ばかり
What does "da" mean in "tabeta bakari da"?
ばかり【bakari】 is a 副助詞 (adverbial particle), which is derived from the 連用形
(-masu stem) of the verb はかる. But the particle (and 連用形 in general) behaves
much like a noun. (Join to other noun-like words with の, make into a predicate
by adding だ, etc.)

Now you essentially have a noun phrase 食べたばかり. To make a sentence out of this,
you have to add だ・です (or だった・でした in the past tense).

This is the same as in

> 本だ。  
>  _hon da._  
>  [This] is [a] book.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-20T14:20:02.433
33679
2016-04-20T14:27:24.567
2016-04-20T14:27:24.567
1628
1628
33678
answer
>   1. [食]{た}べたばかりだ。(Tabeta bakari da)  
>  I have just eaten.
>
>   2. 食べたばかりなの？(Tabeta bakari nano?)  
>  Have you just eaten?
>
>   3. 食べたばかりではない。(Tabeta bakari dewa nai)  
>  I have not just eaten.
>
>

There is a writing style named 論文調 that is for an essay in Japanese, and the
end of sentence is 'da/dearu' meaning the assertion. It seems that any
examples of the language textbooks use this style usually. That is a
mechanical style at the opposite end of the polite style of expressions such a
honorific language, and it is a kind of literary style.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-20T16:01:31.933
33682
2016-05-14T14:00:48.567
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
13598
33678
answer
As you said, “だ” is a colloquial form of “です,” a predicate meaning “is, am,”
and "食べたばかりだ” means “I’ve finished meal just now.”

“だ” here functions as I am in the state of having finished meal just now.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-22T01:19:50.193
33714
2016-04-22T01:19:50.193
12056
33678
answer