Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha sikkari memo wo toru kara, setumei ga hayakute mo otituite kikeru. - She takes thorough notes, so even if the explanation is fast, she can listen calmly.

しっかり is an adverb meaning “firmly,” “reliably,” “thoroughly,” or “properly.”
しっかりメモを取る = “to take solid, thorough notes” (not superficial or sloppy).
Nuance comparisons:
- ちゃんと: “properly/as expected” (general correctness)
- きちんと: “neatly/tidily/accurately” (form and precision)
- しっかり: robustness, completeness, being dependable

Is メモを取る a set phrase? Are there alternatives?

Yes. メモを取る is a common set phrase meaning “to take notes.” メモ is a loanword; singular/plural is not marked in Japanese.
Alternatives:
- メモする (casual), メモっておく (casual “jot it down and keep it”)
- ノートを取る (especially for lectures/classes)
- 書き留める (to jot down; slightly more formal/literary)
- 書きつける/書き記す (more literary)

What does から do here?

〜から introduces the reason/cause: “because/since …, …”
Structure: [Reason clause in plain form] から、[Result].
You can also put the result first: [Result]。[Reason] から。 In conversation, ending with から can trail off, implying the result.

Could I use ので instead of から? What changes?

ので also means “because/since,” but it’s softer, more formal/polite, and often sounds less subjective/blunt than から.
Here, ので would be perfectly natural: しっかりメモを取るので、…
In very formal writing or polite speech, ので/〜ために is preferred; in casual speech, から is common.

How does 早くても work grammatically?

Should it be 早くても or 速くても?

Both are read はやくても.
速い focuses on speed/velocity; 早い focuses on earliness/soonness, but is commonly used colloquially for “fast” speech too.
For “the explanation is fast,” 速い is a little more semantically precise, but 早い is widely used in everyday speech. Either is acceptable here.

Why is 説明 marked with が and not は?

が marks the subject/new information: “the explanation is fast (even if).”
Using は (説明は早くても) adds a contrastive/topic nuance: “As for the explanation, even if it’s fast … (still …).”
Both are possible; が keeps the focus on the fact of the explanation being fast; は adds a contrast or sets up a topic.

What is 落ち着いて doing before 聞ける?

落ち着く (to calm down) in て-form (落ち着いて) modifies the following verb adverbially, indicating manner: “listen calmly.”
The て-form often works like “-ly” in English to show how an action is done (静かに is the true adverb form for 静か, but verbs often use Vて for manner).

What exactly does 聞ける mean here? How is it different from 〜ことができる?

聞ける is the potential form of 聞く: “can listen/hear” (ability/possibility).
落ち着いて聞ける = “can listen calmly” or “is able to listen calmly.”
〜ことができる is also possible (落ち着いて聞くことができる) but longer and more formal. Using the potential verb is more concise and common. Don’t say 聞けることができる (redundant and ungrammatical).

Where is the object of 聞ける? Should it take が or を?

It’s omitted because it’s clear from context (the explanation).
With potential verbs, the direct object often shifts from を to が: 説明が聞ける. However, を is sometimes used in casual speech with some verbs (e.g., 日本語を話せる); が is generally safer/natural with potential.

Does 彼女 mean “she” or “girlfriend” here?

彼女 can mean either. Context decides:
- If the speaker is referring to a third person female: “she.”
- If the speaker is talking about their own partner: “my girlfriend.”
Japanese often drops pronouns; in real conversation, you’d usually avoid 彼女 unless needed for clarity.

Can I reverse the clause order?

Yes, but the meaning changes accordingly:
- Original: “Because she takes thorough notes, she can listen calmly (even if it’s fast).” (notes → ability to listen)
- Reversed: 落ち着いて聞けるから、しっかりメモを取る (“Because she can listen calmly, she takes thorough notes.”) This states a different cause-effect relationship, so only switch if that’s what you want.

Is the politeness level consistent? Could I use 〜ます?

The sentence is in plain form (取る, 聞ける), which is fine for neutral/casual narration.
In polite speech, use 〜ます forms: しっかりメモを取るので、説明が速くても落ち着いて聞けます.
Try to keep politeness consistent across the sentence unless there’s a specific stylistic reason to mix.

Could I say 早口でも instead of 説明が早くても?

Yes, if you want to emphasize speaking quickly: 早口でも (even if [someone is] speaking fast).
Slight nuance shift:
- 説明が速くても: the explanation’s pace is fast.
- 早口でも: the speaker’s manner of speaking is fast.

Why use 聞く and not 聴く?

Both are pronounced きく.
聞く (hear/listen/ask) is the default/common kanji.
聴く (to listen attentively, e.g., to music/speech) emphasizes focused listening. You could write 落ち着いて聴ける to highlight attentive listening, but 聞ける is perfectly natural.

Why are there spaces between words in the Japanese sentence?

Native Japanese writing normally doesn’t use spaces. Learning materials sometimes insert spaces to help beginners parse words and particles. In real text you’d see: 彼女はしっかりメモを取るから、説明が速くても落ち着いて聞ける.