Learn Hardcore Japanese: houkago, watasitati ha hiroba de yakyuu wo suru. - After school, we play baseball in the plaza.

放課後 means “after school.” Placing a time expression at the front sets the temporal context before the main action. The comma signals a natural pause and separates this introductory time phrase from the rest of the sentence.

What function does the particle は have after 私たち?

は is the topic marker. It indicates that “as for us (私たち),” we are the topic of discussion. It doesn’t emphasize the doer as strongly as が would; it simply establishes 私たち as the frame for the whole sentence.

What does the particle で indicate after 広場?

The particle で marks the location where an action occurs. So 広場で means “at the plaza” or “in the square,” showing where the baseball game takes place.

Why is を used before する in 野球をする?

を marks the direct object of a verb. Since する means “to do,” 野球をする literally means “do baseball,” i.e. “play baseball.” Without を, the sentence would be ungrammatical because the verb needs a clear object.

Could you say 野球をやる instead of 野球をする? Is there a nuance difference?

Yes, you can say 野球をやる. Both やる and する mean “to do,” but やる is more casual or colloquial. する is neutral and more common in standard or written Japanese.

Why is the verb in the dictionary (non-past) form する here? Does it express present, future, or habitual action?

The non-past form する can indicate a habitual action (“we regularly play baseball after school”) or a planned/future event (“we will play baseball after school”). Context tells you which one. In this sentence, it most likely expresses a regular after-school activity.

What is the typical word order demonstrated by this sentence?

A common Japanese order here is:
Time (放課後) → Topic/Subject (私たちは) → Location (広場で) → Object (野球を) → Verb (する).
Japanese is generally SOV (subject–object–verb), but time and place expressions often come before the topic or subject.