Learn Hardcore Japanese: ryousin ha tamani kenka wo suru keredo, sugu nakanaorisimasu. - My parents sometimes fight, but they make up quickly.

両親は… = “As for (my) parents, …” / “My parents …”
In English we usually just say “My parents” as the subject, but in Japanese it’s more like “speaking of my parents, they sometimes fight, but they quickly make up.”

Also, 両親 almost always means “my parents” in conversation when you’re talking about your own family, even though 私の is not explicitly said. Context supplies “my.”

What exactly does たまに mean? How is it different from ときどき?

Both are frequency adverbs, but the nuance differs:

たまに ≈ “once in a while”, “occasionally”
- Implies it doesn’t happen very often.
ときどき ≈ “sometimes”, “from time to time”
- Suggests it happens a bit more regularly than たまに.

So たまにけんかをする feels lighter/rarer than ときどきけんかをする.

What does けんかをする literally mean, and why is を there?

けんか is a noun meaning “fight”, “quarrel”, “argument”.

Japanese often turns nouns into verbs with 〜をする:

勉強をする = to study (lit. “to do study”)
けんかをする = to fight / to argue (lit. “to do a fight”)

So:

けんか (fight) + を (object marker) + する (to do)
→ けんかをする = “to fight / argue”.

You can also see けんかする without を in casual speech; both are natural.

Why is there no を after 仲直り in 仲直りします?

仲直り (“reconciliation”, “making up”) can be used in two ways:

仲直りをする (noun + を + する)
仲直りする / 仲直りします (treated as a single する-verb)

In your sentence, it’s the second pattern:

仲直りします = “(they) make up”

Adding を (仲直りをします) is also grammatically correct, just a bit more explicit/“nouny.” Everyday speech often drops the を when a する-verb is common.

What does けれど mean here, and how is it different from けど, でも, or が?

In this sentence, けれど works like “but” / “although”:

けんかをするけれど、すぐ仲直りします。
“They fight, but they quickly make up.”

Rough comparison:

けれど
- Slightly more formal or complete than けど. Often used mid-sentence.
けど
- More casual, very common in conversation.
でも
- Connects sentences: A。でも、B。
- Feels more like starting a new sentence with “But/However”.
が
- Formal “but” in writing or polite speech, similar placement to けれど.

You could say:

けんかをするけど、すぐ仲直りします。 (more casual)
けんかをしますが、すぐ仲直りします。 (more formal/polite)

Why is it する (plain) before けれど, but します (polite) at the end? Is that allowed?

Textbook Japanese usually tells you not to mix plain and polite styles in one sentence, so a “clean” version would be:

けんかをしますけれど、すぐ仲直りします。 (all polite)
or
けんかをするけれど、すぐ仲直りする。 (all plain)

In actual conversation, people do sometimes mix, especially:

plain form in a subordinate clause (before けれど, から, etc.)
polite form in the main clause at the end

So this sentence is not impossible in real speech, but for learners it’s better to keep the level consistent.

Why is the non-past form (する / します) used to talk about something that happens “sometimes”? Shouldn’t it be past?

Japanese uses the non-past (dictionary/polite present) to express:

general truths
habits
repeated or regular actions

So:

たまにけんかをする = “(They) sometimes fight” (habitually, from time to time)

If you used past tense (けんかをした), it would refer to a specific instance or to what happened in a particular period, not to a general habit.

Who is the subject of 仲直りします? Why isn’t there a pronoun like “they”?

The subject is still 両親.

In Japanese, once the topic/subject is clear, it usually isn’t repeated:

Topic set: 両親は …
Everything following is about 両親, unless context clearly changes it.

So the full meaning is:

両親は…すぐ仲直りします。
= “My parents … quickly make up.”

Japanese generally drops pronouns like “I”, “they”, “we” unless they’re needed to avoid confusion.

How do you use 仲直りする with another person? Do you need a particle?

When you say “make up with someone”, Japanese usually uses と:

Aさんと仲直りする = to make up with A
彼女と仲直りしました。 = “I made up with my girlfriend.”

In your sentence, the “other person” is just implied (they make up with each other), so it’s not stated:

両親は…すぐ仲直りします。
= “(My) parents quickly make up (with each other).”

Could I say すぐに instead of すぐ? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

すぐ仲直りします。
すぐに仲直りします。

Both mean “they quickly / immediately make up.”

すぐに is just a slightly more explicit adverb form. In many contexts, すぐ and すぐに feel almost the same; すぐ is a bit more colloquial-sounding.

Can たまに go in a different place in the sentence, like in English?

Yes, you can move たまに somewhat freely, as long as it’s clear what it modifies. Common options:

両親はたまにけんかをするけれど…
たまに両親はけんかをするけれど… (possible, but feels a bit marked)
両親はけんかをたまにするけれど… (also possible, but less common-sounding)

The most natural and textbook-like is exactly what you have:

両親はたまにけんかをするけれど、すぐ仲直りします。

Is there any nuance difference between けんか (fight) and saying something like 口げんか?

Yes, nuance differs:

けんか
- General word for “fight”, “quarrel”, “argument”.
- Can be physical or just verbal, depending on context.
口げんか (口喧嘩)
- Literally “mouth fight”, so specifically a verbal argument.

In the context of parents, けんか will usually be understood as “argue/quarrel” unless you specify otherwise.