Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha eki de tomodati no kao wo mite, ansinsimasita. - I felt relieved when I saw my friend's face at the station.

は marks the topic: “as for me.” In everyday Japanese, 私 is often omitted when it’s obvious who the subject is. Here, you could simply say 駅で友達の顔を見て、安心しました。

Why is it 駅で and not 駅に?

で marks the place where an action happens. You performed the action 見る (to see) at the station, so 駅で is correct.
に is used for existence/arrival or a point in time: 駅に着いた (arrived at the station), 駅に友達がいる (a friend is at the station).
Using 駅に with 見る is unnatural; use 駅で with action verbs like 見る.

Why say 友達の顔 (“friend’s face”) instead of just 友達?

Japanese often uses 顔 to emphasize recognition/confirmation. 友達の顔を見て suggests “I saw their face (recognized them) and felt relieved.” It paints the moment you spotted them. It’s a common, natural way to express this nuance.

Is 友達を見て okay? What about 友達に会って?

友達を見て is grammatically fine (“saw my friend”), but can sound like you looked at your friend rather than simply spotted them.
友達に会って means “met my friend.” If you actually met up (not just saw from a distance), 友達に会って、安心しました is very natural.
Nuance:
• 友達の顔を見て = spotted/recognized their face → relief.
• 友達を見て = looked at/saw the friend (a bit neutral).
• 友達に会って = met the friend (interaction occurred).

What are the roles of の and を in 友達の顔を?

の links nouns (possessive/attributive): 友達の顔 = “friend’s face.”
を marks the direct object of the verb 見る. Note that を attaches to the whole noun phrase 友達の顔, not just 顔 alone.

What is the function of 見て here?

It’s the te-form of 見る, used to link clauses. Vて、Result often means “upon V-ing / having V-ed, (result).” So 見て、安心しました = “having seen (it), I felt relieved.” It implies a close cause-and-effect or immediate sequence.

Could I say 見たら or 見たので／見たから instead of 見て? What’s the difference?

見て、安心しました: neutral, immediate cause/sequence.
見たら、安心しました: “when/after I saw (it), I felt relieved.” Slightly more event-time focused.
見たので／見たから、安心しました: explicitly states a reason (“because I saw it, I felt relieved”). ので is more formal/soft; から is more casual/direct. All are valid; pick based on nuance and formality.

What exactly is 安心しました?

It’s the polite past of the verb 安心する (“to feel relieved / to be at ease”).

Dictionary: 安心する
Plain past: 安心した
Polite past: 安心しました

Is 安心になりました correct?

For your own feeling, prefer 安心しました / 安心した.
安心になる is uncommon for a personal feeling; instead use:

やっと安心できました (“I was finally able to feel at ease”) when talking about being able to relax given conditions.
For situations, say 安心できる状況になった (“it became a situation one can feel safe about”), not 安心になった.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, as long as the verb stays at the end and the particles stay with their words. Examples:

駅で友達の顔を見て、私は安心しました。 (adds emphasis on “I”)
友達の顔を駅で見て、安心しました。 (focuses the location on the act of seeing)
私は友達の顔を駅で見て、安心しました。
All are acceptable; commas can help readability.

Does the subject stay the same across a 〜て link?

Typically yes. 見て、安心しました implies the same subject did both actions (“I saw and I felt relieved”). If you change subjects, you must mark it clearly or use a different connector. Example: 友達の顔を見て、彼は笑いました clearly switches to “he” in the second clause.

Why is there a comma after 見て?

It’s optional and aids readability by separating the linked clause from the result. You can write 見て安心しました without the comma; both are fine.

How do you read the whole sentence?

Kana reading: わたしはえきでともだちのかおをみて、あんしんしました。
Romaji: Watashi wa eki de tomodachi no kao o mite, anshin shimashita.

Can I drop the particle を in 顔を?

In casual speech you may hear 友達の顔見て. In writing and careful speech, keep を. Beginners should include it consistently.

Could I use 見えて instead of 見て?

Yes, with a nuance change. 見える is “to be visible” (intransitive).

友達の顔が見えて、安心しました。 = “When my friend’s face became visible, I felt relieved.”
This frames it as the face coming into view (e.g., in a crowd), rather than you actively seeing it.

Are there other natural ways to say “I felt relieved”?

ほっとしました: very natural and vivid (like a sigh of relief).
安堵しました（あんどしました）: more formal/literary.
Idiomatic: 胸をなでおろしました (I felt a weight off my chest).
All can replace 安心しました depending on tone and context.