Learn Hardcore Japanese: asagohan ha densirenzi to huraipan wo tukaeba, mizikai zikan de tukuremasu. - If you use a microwave and a frying pan, you can make breakfast in a short time.

朝ご飯は literally: “As for breakfast…”
The rest of the sentence: 電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。
“…if you use a microwave and a frying pan, (you) can make (it) in a short time.”

Japanese often sets up a topic with は, and then the actual grammatical role (subject, object, etc.) is understood from context. Here, what you can make is clearly 朝ご飯, even though it has は, not を.

You could say:

朝ご飯を、電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。

This is grammatically okay but sounds a bit marked; it emphasizes breakfast more as a direct object (e.g. answering “What can you make quickly?”).

Using 朝ご飯は is more natural for a neutral statement or explanation: “When it comes to breakfast, …”

Where is the subject “I/you/we” in this sentence? Who is actually making the breakfast?

The subject is simply omitted, which is extremely common in Japanese.

Literal structure:
(Xは) 電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。
“If (someone) uses a microwave and frying pan, (they) can make (it) in a short time.”

Depending on context, the omitted subject is usually understood as:

you (giving advice): “You can make breakfast quickly if you use…”
we / people in general / one (general statement): “Breakfast can be made quickly if one uses…”

Japanese doesn’t need to say I / you / we unless there’s a reason to be explicit; context + the verb ending 〜ます (polite) are enough for listeners to guess who is being talked about.

In 電子レンジとフライパンを使えば, why is there only one を even though there are two nouns? Why not 電子レンジをとフライパンを使えば?

When you list multiple nouns that share the same particle, Japanese usually:

puts the particle only after the last item in the list.

So:

電子レンジとフライパンを使えば
= “if (you) use a microwave and a frying pan”

Here, 電子レンジとフライパン is treated as one combined group, and the whole group gets を:

(電子レンジとフライパン) を使う
“to use (a microwave and a frying pan)”

Saying 電子レンジをとフライパンを使えば is ungrammatical. The correct patterns are:

AとBをV (A and B as objects)
AやBをV (A, B, etc. as objects; や is “A, B and so on”)

What exactly does 使えば mean, and what grammar is this? How is it different from 使うと or 使ったら?

使えば is the -ば conditional form of the verb 使う (to use).

Formation for a u-verb like 使う:

Dictionary form: 使う
Drop final う, add えば → 使えば

Meaning:

使えば = “if (you) use,” “when/whenever (you) use”

Nuance compared with other conditionals:

使えば
- Fairly neutral, often a bit formal / written-sounding.
- Often used for general conditions, advice, or systematic statements.
- Fits well in explanatory sentences like this one.
使ったら
- More conversational / everyday speech.
- Often feels like “when you (actually) use it, then…” (more event-like).
使うと
- Often used for inevitable results (“if you do X, Y always happens”).
- E.g. “春になると桜が咲きます。” = “When it becomes spring, cherry blossoms bloom.”

In this sentence, 使えば gives a neutral, slightly explanatory feel:
“If you use a microwave and a frying pan, you (can) make breakfast in a short time.”

Why is the verb 作れます and not just 作ります? What does 作れます mean here?

作れます is the potential form of 作る (to make).

Dictionary form: 作る (make)
Potential plain form: 作れる (can make / be able to make)
Polite potential: 作れます

So:

作れます = “can make,” “is able to be made,” “is possible to make”

In this sentence:

短い時間で作れます。
“(You) can make (it) in a short time.” / “It can be made in a short time.”

If you said 作ります, the sentence would focus more on a plain action:

短い時間で作ります。 = “(I/you) will make it in a short time.”

Using 作れます matches the idea of possibility / ability / convenience:
“With a microwave and a frying pan, breakfast can be made quickly.”

You could also say:

作ることができます。 – also “can make,” but slightly longer/more formal.
朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作ることができます。

Is 作れます ever confused with a passive form? How does it relate to 作られます?

For the verb 作る:

Potential: 作れる → polite: 作れます = “can make”
Passive: 作られる → polite: 作られます = “is made,” “gets made (by someone)”

So in this sentence:

作れます is clearly potential, not passive:
- “(You) can make (it) in a short time.”

If it were passive (作られます), it would mean:

短い時間で作られます。 = “It is made in a short time (by someone).”

So:

作れます → ability / possibility.
作られます → something is done to it (by someone), passive voice.

What does 短い時間で mean exactly, and what is the role of the particle で here? Why not 短い時間に?

短い時間で literally means “in a short time / within a short amount of time.”

The particle で here marks the amount of time needed to complete the action:

５分で作れます。 = “You can make it in 5 minutes.”
一時間で終わります。 = “It will finish in an hour.”

So:

短い時間で作れます。
“(You) can make it in a short time.”

It’s the same pattern, just with a vague time phrase instead of a number.

Using に here (短い時間に作れます) is not natural Japanese for this meaning. に after a time usually means “at (a point in) time” or “by (a deadline)”, not “in (the amount of time it takes).”

So:

For “in X time (to finish something)” → use Xで.
That’s why 短い時間で is correct.

Could you say 短時間で instead of 短い時間で? Is there a difference in nuance? What about using 早く?

Yes, you can say 短時間で, and it’s very natural.

短い時間で作れます。
- Literally: “can make it in a short time.”
- Feels quite neutral, slightly casual.
短時間で作れます。
- Uses the compound noun 短時間 (“short time / short period”).
- Feels a bit more compact and slightly more formal / written than 短い時間.
Using 早く:
- 早く作れます。 = “can make it quickly.”
- Focus is on speed / quickness, not directly on the amount of time.

All are acceptable; the nuance shifts slightly:

短い時間で / 短時間で → how long it takes (small amount of time).
早く → how quickly you do it (speed).

A very natural alternative sentence would be:

朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短時間で作れます。
朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、早く作れます。

How flexible is the word order here? Can I move 短い時間で or other parts around?

Japanese word order is flexible, but there are natural preferences.

Original:

朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。

Some natural variations:

Move the time phrase earlier:
- 朝ご飯は、短い時間で、電子レンジとフライパンを使えば作れます。
  (Readable, but splitting the conditional and main verb feels a bit clunky.)
Place the time phrase right before the verb (still natural):
- 朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。 (original)
Drop the comma (still correct):
- 朝ご飯は電子レンジとフライパンを使えば短い時間で作れます。

General tendencies:

The topic (朝ご飯は) usually goes near the beginning.
A conditional clause (電子レンジとフライパンを使えば) usually comes before the main clause it modifies.
Adverbial phrases like 短い時間で usually come before the verb, and can often move around somewhat as long as meaning stays clear.

Very scrambled orders might be grammatically possible but sound unnatural or hard to process, so sticking close to the original structure is safest.

What about the comma 、 after 使えば? Is it required, and what does it do?

The comma 、 in Japanese mainly indicates a pause for readability, not a strict grammatical rule.

電子レンジとフライパンを使えば、短い時間で作れます。
電子レンジとフライパンを使えば短い時間で作れます。

Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing.

Writers often put a comma after:

A conditional clause (〜ば, 〜たら, 〜と, etc.)
A long phrase before the main verb

This makes the sentence easier to read: you see where the “if…” part ends and the main result begins.

So the comma is optional but helpful; it doesn’t change the grammar or meaning.

Why is 朝ご飯 written with the kanji 飯? Can I write 朝ごはん in hiragana instead?

Yes, you can write it as 朝ごはん, and both are correct.

朝ご飯
- 朝 (morning) + ご飯 (cooked rice / meal)
- Standard, slightly more adult / general writing style (books, newspapers, etc.).
朝ごはん
- Same word, just written partly in hiragana.
- Common in children’s books, casual writing, or when you want a softer look.

In modern Japanese, it’s very common to mix kanji and hiragana. For this word:

朝ご飯, 朝ごはん, and even あさごはん (all hiragana) are all understandable.
In textbooks and ordinary prose, 朝ご飯 or 朝ごはん are most typical.