Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha densya no zikan wo eki de kakuninsimasu.

In this sentence, you’re just stating a normal, neutral fact about yourself: what you (generally / in this situation) do. That’s a typical “topic” use, so 私は is natural.

Using 私が電車の時間を駅で確認します is possible, but it adds emphasis like:

“I (not someone else) will check the train time at the station.”

Why is it 電車の時間 and not something like 電車時間 or 電車の時?

電車の時間 literally means “the time of the train” → “the train time / train schedule.”

電車 = train
時間 = time
電車の時間 = “train’s time,” “train time”

You cannot usually stick two nouns together in Japanese the way you do in English compounds (“train time”) and just say 電車時間. Instead, you almost always connect them with の.

電車の時 would mean “when (it is) the train” or “the time (period) of the train,” which doesn’t match the intended meaning of “departure time / schedule.” For that, 電車の時間 is the natural expression.

What does the particle を do after 時間?

を marks the direct object of the verb — the thing that receives the action.

電車の時間を確認します。
→ “(I) check the train time.”

Here:

電車の時間 = the thing being checked
確認します = check / confirm

So 時間を shows that 時間 is what is being “confirmed.” Without を, the sentence would be ungrammatical in standard Japanese.

Why is it 駅で and not 駅に? What’s the difference?

で marks the place where an action happens.

駅で確認します。
→ “(I) check (it) at the station.”

Here, 確認する is an action (checking, confirming), and that action physically happens at the station, so 駅で is correct.

に after a place typically marks:

a destination: 駅に行きます = I go to the station
a location of existence: 駅に人がいます = There are people at the station (existing there, not doing an action there)

So:

Action is done at a place → で (駅で確認する, 学校で勉強する)
Someone/thing exists at a place or you go to a place → に (駅にいる, 駅に行く)

Can I change the word order, like saying 私は駅で電車の時間を確認します? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the order, and the basic meaning stays the same because the particles show each word’s role.

All of these are natural and mean essentially the same:

私は電車の時間を駅で確認します。
私は駅で電車の時間を確認します。
電車の時間を私は駅で確認します。

The most common, neutral version would probably be:

私は駅で電車の時間を確認します。

Japanese word order is relatively flexible before the verb, as long as each part has the correct particle (は, を, で, に, etc.). The verb almost always comes at the end. The different orders can add slight emphasis (e.g., moving something earlier can emphasize it), but the core meaning remains.

Do I really need to say 私? Can I just say 電車の時間を駅で確認します?

Yes, you can (and usually would) omit 私 in natural conversation if it’s clear you’re talking about yourself.

Japanese often drops the subject when it’s obvious from context:

(私は) 電車の時間を駅で確認します。
→ “(I) check the train time at the station.”

Saying 私は is not wrong; it just sounds a bit more explicit. You might keep it:

when you want to contrast yourself with others: 私は確認しますが、彼はしません。
at the start of a new topic so it’s clear you’re now talking about yourself.

What’s the nuance of 確認します compared to a simpler verb like 見ます?

Both involve “looking,” but the nuance is different:

見る / 見ます = to look, to see
- 駅で電車の時間を見ます。
  → “I look at the train time at the station.”
  (Just looking; no strong nuance of “making sure.”)
確認する / 確認します = to check, to confirm, to make sure
- 駅で電車の時間を確認します。
  → “I check / confirm the train time at the station.”
  (You’re verifying it, making sure it’s correct, maybe double-checking.)

So 確認します is more precise and formal; it clearly expresses the idea of checking/confirming, not just glancing at it.

Why is it 確認します (polite) and not 確認する (dictionary/plain form)? When should I use which?

確認します is the polite form (ます-form).
確認する is the plain/dictionary form.

Use ます-form (確認します, 行きます, etc.) when:

talking to people you’re not very close to
in formal situations (work, public, strangers)
in most textbooks’ beginner examples

Use the plain form (確認する, 行く) when:

speaking casually with close friends or family
in writing like diaries, notes to yourself
inside many grammar patterns (e.g. 確認すると, 確認したとき)

So your sentence in casual speech could be:

電車の時間を駅で確認する。
But in polite speech (which textbooks emphasize), 確認します is appropriate.

Does 確認します mean “I check” (habit), or “I will check” (future), or both?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Japanese doesn’t have a separate future tense like English. The non-past form (確認する / 確認します) can mean:

a habit / routine:
- いつも電車に乗る前に、駅で電車の時間を確認します。
  → “I always check the train time at the station before I get on.”
a future action / plan:
- あとで駅で電車の時間を確認します。
  → “I will check the train time at the station later.”

Context (time words like いつも, あとで, 明日) tells you whether it’s habitual or future.