Learn Hardcore Japanese: nihongo no bunpou ha muzukasii desu ga, sukosi zutu wakakatte kimasita. - Japanese grammar is difficult, but I’ve gradually come to understand it.

A は B – “As for A, B…” (sets up a topic, broad, general statement)
A が B – “A is B.” (often used to introduce or emphasize the subject)

Here, the speaker wants to talk about Japanese grammar in general, so は is natural.

Why is the particle は pronounced “wa” in 文法は?

The character は is usually read “ha”, but when it is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced “wa”.

So:

As part of a word: はな → hana (flower)
As topic particle: 文法は難しい → bunpō wa muzukashii

This is just a conventional exception in modern Japanese.

Why do we say 難しいです? I thought 難しい is already “is difficult”.

難しい by itself is the plain form of the adjective: “(it) is difficult”.

日本語の文法は難しい。 – plain / casual

When you add です, you’re making the sentence polite:

日本語の文法は難しいです。 – polite

For i-adjectives like 難しい, you don’t change the adjective itself for politeness; you just add です:

高い → 高いです
忙しい → 忙しいです
難しい → 難しいです

What is the が doing after です in 難しいですが? Isn’t が a subject marker?

In this position, が is not the subject marker. It’s a conjunction meaning “but”.

難しいですが、少しずつ分かってきました。
→ “It’s difficult, but I’ve gradually come to understand it.”

So が has (at least) two important uses:

Subject marker (after a noun):
- 雨が降っています。 – It’s raining.
Conjunction “but” (linking two clauses):
- 難しいですが、面白いです。 – It’s difficult, but interesting.

In your sentence, it’s clearly the second use.

What’s the difference between ですが and でも for “but”? Could I say 難しいです。でも、少しずつ分かってきました。?

Both are possible, but the structure and nuance differ.

ですが – clause-internal, more formal/smooth:
- 日本語の文法は難しいですが、少しずつ分かってきました。
  → One smooth sentence: “Japanese grammar is difficult, but I’ve gradually come to understand it.”
でも – starts a new sentence, conversational:
- 日本語の文法は難しいです。
- でも、少しずつ分かってきました。
  → “Japanese grammar is difficult. But I’ve gradually come to understand it.”

Both mean the same overall, but:

ですが tends to feel a bit more formal and connected.
でも is slightly more casual and emphasizes the contrast by breaking into two sentences.

What is the nuance of 少しずつ compared to just 少し?

少し means “a little”, “a bit”, focusing on amount or degree.
少しずつ means “little by little”, “bit by bit”, focusing on gradual progress over time.

So:

少し分かります。 – “I understand a little.” (amount: how much you understand)
少しずつ分かってきました。 – “I’ve (slowly) come to understand it little by little.” (process: how your understanding is changing)

In your sentence, 少しずつ emphasizes gradual improvement, not just the current level.

What exactly does ずつ mean and why is it attached directly to 少し?

ずつ is a particle that means roughly “each”, “apiece”, “at a time”, “by (this amount)”. It attaches directly to the word before it:

一人ずつ – one person at a time / one by one
三個ずつ – three each
少しずつ – a little at a time / little by little

In 少しずつ, the idea is: “by a little amount each time, gradually.” That’s why there is no extra particle between 少し and ずつ.

Why is it 分かってきました instead of just 分かりました? What does ～てくる add?

分かりました simply means “I understood” / “I get it now”, a completed change of state.

分かってきました uses the pattern ～てくる, which often expresses a change that has developed up to now:

分かってくる – to come to understand, to start to understand (over time)
分かってきました – “I have come to understand (it)”, implying gradual progress up to this point.

Nuance difference:

少し分かりました。 – “I understood a little.” (focus on the result/amount)
少しずつ分かってきました。 – “I’ve been gradually coming to understand (it).” (focus on the process over time)

So 分かってきました matches nicely with 少しずつ, both emphasizing gradual development.

Why is 日本語の文法 not followed by が or を before 分かってきました? Shouldn’t it be the object?

With 分かる (“to understand”), the thing understood is usually marked by が, not を:

日本語の文法が分かります。 – I understand Japanese grammar.

In your sentence, 日本語の文法 is already the topic, marked by は earlier:

日本語の文法は難しいですが、少しずつ分かってきました。

The second clause 少しずつ分かってきました has the same topic (日本語の文法), so it doesn’t need to be repeated with が. It’s understood from context:

(日本語の文法は) 少しずつ分かってきました。
→ “(As for Japanese grammar,) I’ve gradually come to understand (it).”

Could I say 日本語の文法が難しいですが、少しずつ分かってきました。 instead? How does that change the nuance?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically fine:

日本語の文法が難しいですが、少しずつ分かってきました。

Nuance:

日本語の文法は難しいですが…
– “As for Japanese grammar, it’s difficult, but…” (more general, topic-like)
日本語の文法が難しいですが…
– “Japanese grammar is (the thing that is) difficult, but…”
(a bit more like a straightforward statement about what is difficult)

In everyday conversation, は is more natural here because you’re setting 日本語の文法 as the overall topic for both clauses. が is still acceptable but slightly less “topic-like.”

How would this sentence look in casual (plain) speech?

You would drop です and use plain forms:

日本語の文法は難しいけど、少しずつ分かってきた。

Changes:

ですが → けど (casual “but”)
です → omitted, leaving 難しい
分かってきました (polite) → 分かってきた (plain)

Meaning stays the same, but the style is suitable for talking with friends.