Learn Hardcore Japanese: kouhai ha heizitu no asa ha yappari okiruno ga nigate da. - My junior is, after all, not good at getting up on weekday mornings.

First 後輩は sets “as for my junior(s) …”
Then 平日の朝は narrows it further: “as for weekday mornings …” The second は often adds a contrastive nuance: weekday mornings (as opposed to weekend mornings, etc.).

Why is it 起きるのが and not just 起きるが?

Because の nominalizes the verb phrase. 起きるの turns “to get up” into “getting up,” so it can be the subject of the adjective 苦手. The pattern is:

X は V-の-が好き／嫌い／得意／苦手／上手／下手だ

Is that の the same as the explanatory の (～のだ／んだ)?

No. Here の is a nominalizer (“V-ing”). The explanatory の appears before だ/です (e.g., ～のだ／んだ) to give background or explanation. In this sentence, の is followed by が, not だ.

Could I use こと instead of の (起きることが苦手)?

You could, but V-のが苦手 is more natural in everyday speech. こと sounds more formal/abstract. With feelings/abilities like 好き／嫌い／得意／苦手, の is generally preferred in conversation.

Why is there a が after 起きるの?

With adjectives like 苦手／得意／好き／嫌い, the thing you’re bad/good at/like is marked by が. So:

後輩は [起きるの]が苦手だ.

What nuance does やっぱり add?

やっぱり means “as expected/after all.” It signals the speaker’s expectation or prior suspicion is confirmed. It’s casual. Without it, the sentence is a plain statement; with it, there’s a “just as I thought” feel.

Can I use やはり instead of やっぱり?

Yes. やはり is the more formal/neutral counterpart. Polite version:

後輩は平日の朝はやはり起きるのが苦手です。
Very casual speech often shortens to やっぱ.

Why use は with 平日の朝 (平日の朝は) instead of に (平日の朝に)?

平日の朝は makes “weekday mornings” the topic and often implies contrast (weekday vs. weekend).
平日の朝に just marks the time of the action.
Both are grammatical; は highlights that specific timeframe as the context.

Could I say 朝起きるが苦手?

No. You need the nominalizer: 朝起きるのが苦手 is correct. You cannot attach が directly to a bare verb phrase.

Is 朝が苦手だ a natural alternative?

Yes. 朝が苦手だ means “not a morning person.” It’s a common, slightly different framing that treats “morning” itself as what you’re bad with, instead of “getting up.”

Why 苦手 and not 下手?

苦手 = “not good with,” “weak at,” sometimes with a nuance of aversion. Suits things tied to preference/comfort (e.g., mornings, spicy food, crowds).
下手 = “unskilled,” used for skills/techniques (e.g., drawing, singing).
For waking/getting up, 苦手 is the natural choice.

Does 起きる mean “to wake up” or “to get up”?

起きる can mean both “wake up” and “get out of bed,” depending on context. If you want to emphasize the moment of regaining consciousness, use 目が覚める; for actually getting out of bed, 起き上がる. In everyday talk, 起きる covers it.

What tense/aspect is 苦手だ here?

Non-past (plain). It states a general/habitual tendency: the junior is (in general) bad at getting up on weekday mornings. Past would be 苦手だった.

Is the sentence casual? How would I make it polite?

It’s casual (plain だ, and やっぱり is colloquial). Polite version:

後輩は平日の朝はやはり起きるのが苦手です。

Why is は pronounced “wa” here?

When は is the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa” (historical spelling). Similarly, へ (particle) is pronounced “e,” and を is pronounced “o.”

What does the の in 平日の朝 do?

It’s the attributive の linking a noun to another noun: 平日 (weekday) + の + 朝 (morning) = “weekday morning(s).”

Can I change the word order or move やっぱり?

Yes. Adverbs like やっぱり are flexible:

後輩はやっぱり平日の朝は起きるのが苦手だ。
後輩は平日の朝は起きるのがやっぱり苦手だ。 (less common, but possible)
Keep topics (…は) near the front for clarity.

Could I say 起きられない instead of 起きるのが苦手?

Different nuance.

起きられない = “cannot get up” (ability/actual failure).
起きるのが苦手 = “not good at getting up” (tendency/weak point).
Use 起きられない if they truly can’t; 苦手 if it’s hard/uncomfortable.