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Particle
| A particle which expresses a limit imposed upon something that is growing and expanding. | Only; just; alone; merely; that's all |
| 【Related Expression: しか (ばかり)】 |
(ksa). スミスさんだけ(が)来た・来ました。
Only Mr. Smith came.
(ksb). 私は日本へ一度だけ行った・行きました。
I went to Japan only once.
(ksc). 雪子さんとはデートしただけだ・です。
I just dated Yukiko, that's all.
(ksd). この家は大きいだけだ・です。
This house is big, that's all.
(kse). このお菓子は色が奇麗なだけだ・です。
This cake has pretty colours, that's all.
| (i)Noun | だけ {がを} | |
| 先生だけ{がを} | The teacher alone {subject/direct object} | |
| (ii)N {Prt だけ/Prt だけ} | (where Prt=particles other than が, を and は) | |
| 先生 {だけににだけ} | Only to the teacher/to the teacher alone | |
| (iii){V/Adjective い} informal | だけ{だです} | |
| {話す/話した}だけ{だです} | Someone talks/talked, that's all | |
| {高い/ 高かった}だけ{だです} | Something is/was expensive, that's all | |
| (iv)Adjective な stem | {なだった} だけ {だです} | |
| {静かな/静かだった} だけ {だです} | Something is/was quiet, that's all |
(a). 佐藤さんだけ(が)会議に出ました。
Only Mr. Sato attended the conference.
(b). 小さい和英辞典だけ(を)買いました。
I bought only a small Japanese-English dictionary.
(c). 僕にだけ・だけに話して下さい。
Please tell it only to me/to me alone.
(d). この車はアルコールでだけ・だけで動きます。
This car runs only on alcohol (and nothing else)/on alcohol alone (so it needs nothing else).
(e). あの先生には一度だけ会いました。
I met that professor only once.
(f). 朝はコーヒーを一杯飲むだけです。
In the morning I just drink a cup of coffee, that's all.
(g). この本は高いだけで面白くない。
This book is just expensive and is not interesting.
(h). テニスは好きなだけで上手じゃない。
I just like tennis, and I'm not good at it.
(i). それは学生だけのパーティーだった。
It was a party for students only.
(j). 出来るだけゆっくり話して下さい。
Please speak slowly as possible.
1. When だけ modifies a preceding noun, as in Examples (a), (b), (c), and (d), the particle that is used with the noun can be positioned before or after だけ, except for the particles が, を and は, which can be optionally used only after だけ.
2. The optional positioning of the particles other than が, を and は create a subtle semantic difference. Distinctive emphasis is placed on the particle, yielding a meaning of exclusiveness in the case of Noun+Particle+だけ. No meaning of exclusiveness is implied in the case of Noun+だけ+Particle.
3. If だけ is used in:
as illustrated by Key Sentence (C), (D) and (E), だけ modifies the entire preceding part and means '~, that's all.'
Compare (1a) and (1b) below:
In (1a) だけ modifies only the preceding noun 魚 'fish', while in (1b) だけ modifies the entire preceding part of the sentence 魚を食べた 'I ate fish.'
4. Verb (Potential)+だけ as in Example (j) means 'as much as one can ~'.