今日は雨ばかりか雪まで降っています。
- Today, not only is it raining, but it’s also snowing.

今日は雨ばかりか雪まで降っています。 meaning: It's not just raining today, it's even snowing.

The sentence utilizes the structure 〜ばかりか〜も/まで, indicating that something unexpected or additional is occurring. It emphasizes that something more than what was initially mentioned is happening. ⚫︎ 〜ばかりか (bakari ka) means "not only" or "just". It is used to present the first part of the statement. ⚫︎ 〜も (mo) or 〜まで (made) are then used to introduce an additional, and often surprising, element. も simply means "also", while まで indicates "even". まで often implies a stronger degree of surprise or an extreme case. ⚫︎ In this specific sentence, the pattern emphasizes that it's raining, and what's more surprising, it's also snowing. ⚫︎ The basic pattern is: [Noun/Adjective/Verb (plain form)] + ばかりか + [Noun/Adjective/Verb (plain form)] + も/まで ⚫︎ Example: 彼は英語ばかりか、フランス語も話せます。 (Kare wa eigo bakari ka, Furansugo mo hanasemasu.) - Not only does he speak English, but he also speaks French.

The particle か (ka) can have various functions. ⚫︎ In this sentence, か functions primarily as an emphasis particle, enhancing the contrast. ⚫︎ か can also form questions. But in this case, the context indicates it is not a question, rather highlighting the extent of the rain. ⚫︎ The placement of か in 雨ばかりか (ame bakari ka) adds emphasis to the preceding part of the sentence.

The particle まで (made) has several usages. ⚫︎ In this context, まで means "even". It highlights the unexpected additional information: that it's snowing, on top of raining. ⚫︎ まで often indicates that the situation presented is surprising or is at the extreme end of what is expected. ⚫︎ まで can also mean "until" or "up to" when used with time or a specific point. For example: 家から駅まで歩いた (Ie kara eki made aruita) - I walked from home to the station. ⚫︎ まで indicates the degree of surprise or emphasis that the speaker feels. In this sentence, it strengthens the impact of the snow.

The main verb in this sentence is 降っています (futte imasu). Let's break down its components. ⚫︎ 降る (furu) is a godan verb (group 1) meaning "to fall" (of rain or snow). The stem is 降 (fu). ⚫︎ The て-form of 降る is 降って (futte). This form is created by changing the dictionary form of the verb to て-form. ⚫︎ います (imasu) is the present continuous form of the auxiliary verb, indicating "is/are". It is used to express that the action is ongoing. ⚫︎ 降っています (futte imasu) therefore means "is falling" (rain or snow), or "it is raining/snowing." ⚫︎ The て-form combines with the auxiliary verb います (imasu) to create the present continuous tense.

The word 今日 (kyou) functions as an adverb of time in this sentence. ⚫︎ 今日 (kyou) means "today." ⚫︎ It specifies the time frame for the events described in the sentence. ⚫︎ As a time expression, it usually modifies the verb, indicating when the action or state takes place. In this case, it modifies the verb 降っています (futte imasu), indicating when the rain and snow are happening. ⚫︎ Japanese often places time expressions at the beginning of the sentence or before the verb.