Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha eki no tikaku no konbini de asagohan wo kaimasu. - I buy breakfast at the convenience store near the station.

は marks the topic of the sentence, what you are talking about in general.
In this sentence, 私 is the topic: you’re talking about yourself and what you do.

私は: As for me / Speaking about me…
が usually marks the grammatical subject and often introduces new or emphasized information.

Here, 私 is something obvious (the speaker), so Japanese uses は to set it as the topic. Using 私が駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買います would sound like you are emphasizing I (and not someone else) buy breakfast there.

Why is は pronounced "wa" and を pronounced "o"?

Historically, some kana kept their old spellings but changed pronunciation in certain roles.

When は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa, not ha.
- Example: 私は → watashi wa
When を is used as an object particle, it is pronounced o, not wo (modern standard Japanese).

When は is part of a normal word (not a particle), it is pronounced ha:

はな → hana (nose/flower)
こんにちは uses the greeting-fixed spelling, but the は at the end is also the topic particle and pronounced wa.

What exactly does の do between 駅, 近く, and コンビニ?

の links nouns (or noun-like words) together, roughly like of or a possessive 's, or like an adjective marker.

In 駅の近くのコンビニ:

駅の近く
- Literally: the area near the station
- 駅 (station) + の → something of the station
- 近く (nearby area / vicinity) works as a noun here.
駅の近くのコンビニ
- 近く
  - のコンビニ → the convenience store in that nearby area
- So overall: the convenience store near the station.

So each の is chaining descriptions: コンビニ (convenience store)
← 近くのコンビニ (the store in the nearby area)
← 駅の近くのコンビニ (the store in the area near the station).

Is 近く an adjective here? What’s the difference between 駅の近く and 駅に近い?

In 駅の近くのコンビニ, 近く (ちかく) is a noun meaning vicinity / nearby area.

駅の近く = the area near the station (noun phrase)
近くのコンビニ = the convenience store in the nearby area

駅に近いコンビニ uses 近い (ちかい), which is an い-adjective meaning near:

駅に近いコンビニ = a convenience store that is close to the station

So:

駅の近くのコンビニ
- Focuses on the location (area) and saying the store is in that area.
駅に近いコンビニ
- Describes the store itself as being close to the station.

Both are natural and often interchangeable in everyday speech.

Why is it 駅の近く and not 駅に近く?

駅に近く would be grammatically odd in this context because:

近く here is a noun. Nouns are usually linked with の, not に.
に is used for:
- marking a target/location for verbs (駅に行きます – go to the station)
- or with the adjective 近い: 駅に近い (close to the station).

So:

駅の近く
- の
  - 近く (noun) = the vicinity of the station → correct.
駅に近い
- に
  - 近い (adjective) = close to the station → correct.
駅に近く
- mixes に with the noun 近く → feels wrong or incomplete.

What does the particle で mean in this sentence?

で marks the place where an action happens.

In コンビニで朝ご飯を買います:

コンビニで = at the convenience store
買います = (I) buy

So it means the buying happens at that location.

Other common uses of で (for comparison):

バスで行きます – I go by bus (で = by means of / using)
日本語で話します – speak in Japanese (で = by means of / in)

What does the particle を do after 朝ご飯?

を marks the direct object of the verb – the thing that the action is done to.

朝ご飯を買います
- 朝ご飯 = breakfast
- を = object marker
- 買います = buy

So 朝ご飯 is what you are buying.

In English, word order shows this: buy breakfast.
In Japanese, を shows it: you could reorder some parts, and as long as 朝ご飯 still has を, it remains the object.

In English we need "a/the": at a convenience store. Why is there no a/the in Japanese?

Japanese does not have articles like a, an, or the. Nouns are usually bare, and specificity is understood from context.

So コンビニ could mean:

a convenience store
the convenience store
convenience stores (in general)

In context, 駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買います will usually be understood as:

I buy breakfast at *a convenience store near the station.*
or if context is clear:
I buy breakfast at *the convenience store near the station.*

The listener relies on situation and prior conversation to know which one.

Can I leave out 私? Do Japanese speakers usually say it?

Yes, you can absolutely leave out 私. In fact, it is very common to omit it when it’s obvious who the subject is.

私が誰なのか明らかな場合:
- 駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買います。
  → Still naturally understood as I buy breakfast….

Japanese tends to drop I/you/he/she when they are clear from context, making sentences shorter and more natural. You generally only use 私 when:

You need to clarify who is doing the action.
You want to contrast with someone else (私は買いますが、彼は買いません).

Does 買います mean present or future? Is it I buy or I will buy?

Japanese non-past form (買います / 買う) covers both present and future, and even habitual actions.

Depending on context, 買います could mean:

Present/habitual: I (usually) buy breakfast at…
Scheduled/near future: I will (buy) breakfast at…
Instructional or promise: I’ll buy (it).

In your sentence, isolated, it is often interpreted as habitual:
I (normally) buy breakfast at the convenience store near the station.
But in a future-plan context, it can mean I will buy.

What level of politeness is 買います compared to 買う?

買います is the polite (ます-form) version.
買う is the plain / dictionary form.

Usage:

買います
- Used with people you’re not close to, in formal situations, with superiors, or in most public-facing speech.
買う
- Used among friends, family, in casual writing (like diaries, manga dialogue), or when talking to yourself.

The rest of the sentence matches this politeness: 買います, not 買う, so the whole sentence is in polite style.

Why is コンビニ written in katakana, and what is it short for?

コンビニ is written in katakana because:

It is an abbreviation of a loanword from English.
Katakana is the standard script for most foreign-origin words.

コンビニ is short for:

コンビニエンスストア → convenience store.

In everyday speech, almost everyone says コンビニ, not the full form. It’s very natural and casual, but also perfectly fine in polite conversation.

Why is 朝ご飯 written with both kanji and hiragana? Can I also write 朝ごはん?

Yes, you can write 朝ご飯 or 朝ごはん; both are common and correct.

朝 (あさ) – kanji for morning
ご飯 (ごはん) – rice / meal, often written as ご飯 (kanji + hiragana) or ごはん (all hiragana)

Mixing kanji with kana is normal in Japanese:

朝ご飯
- Slightly more formal/standard-looking.
朝ごはん
- A bit softer or more casual-looking, often seen in beginner materials or informal writing.

The meaning is the same: breakfast.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say 私は朝ご飯を駅の近くのコンビニで買います?

Japanese word order is fairly flexible, as long as:

The verb comes at the end (or near the end).
Particles stay attached to the right words.

All of these are possible and natural:

私は駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買います。
私は朝ご飯を駅の近くのコンビニで買います。
駅の近くのコンビニで私は朝ご飯を買います。

The nuance changes a bit:

The element closest to the verb often feels a bit more emphasized.
Moving pieces to the front can put topical or contrastive focus on them.

But for everyday speech, your example 私は朝ご飯を駅の近くのコンビニで買います is absolutely fine.

What’s the difference between 朝ご飯, 朝ごはん, and 朝食?

All can mean breakfast, but they differ in style and nuance:

朝ご飯 / 朝ごはん (あさごはん)
- Everyday, casual, warm tone.
- Very common in conversation and daily life.
朝食 (ちょうしょく)
- Sino-Japanese word, more formal or written style.
- Often used in hotels, menus, announcements, etc.

Examples:

ホテルの朝食は7時からです。
- The hotel breakfast starts at 7:00. (more formal)
朝ご飯を食べましたか。
- Did you eat breakfast? (natural everyday speech)

How would I say "I bought breakfast..." or "I don’t buy breakfast..." using this sentence?

You change the verb ending:

Past tense (bought)
- 買います → 買いました
- 駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買いました。
  - I bought breakfast at the convenience store near the station.
Negative (don’t buy / do not buy)
- 買います → 買いません
- 駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買いません。
  - I don’t buy breakfast at the convenience store near the station.
Past negative (didn’t buy)
- 買います → 買いませんでした
- 駅の近くのコンビニで朝ご飯を買いませんでした。
  - I didn’t buy breakfast at the convenience store near the station.