Learn Hardcore Japanese: nihongo no bunpou ga sukosizutu wakatte kite, watasi ha manzokusite imasu. - I am satisfied because I am gradually coming to understand Japanese grammar.

日本語の文法 literally means “the grammar of Japanese.”
- 日本語 (Japanese language)
  - の (possessive/“of”)
    - 文法 (grammar)
- So this is a noun + の + noun structure.
You generally don’t say 日本語文法 as one word in normal speech; you link them with の.
Why が and not を?
- 文法が分かる = “(I) understand the grammar.”
- The verb 分かる takes the thing understood with が, not を.
  - Xが分かる = to understand X
  - So 文法が分かる is the standard pattern.

So 日本語の文法が分かる = “(I) understand Japanese grammar.”

Why does the sentence use 文法が but 私は? What’s the difference between が and は here?

文法が
- が marks the subject of the verb 分かる.
- The structure is: （私が）日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて…
- Here, what is being understood is 日本語の文法, so it gets が.
私は
- は marks the topic (“as for me”) rather than the grammatical subject of 分かる.
- In the second part, 私 is the topic of the whole sentence:
  - 私は満足しています = “As for me, (I) am satisfied.”

A natural way to feel this sentence in English is:
> As for me, since Japanese grammar is gradually coming to be understood (by me), I am satisfied.

In English we must say “I understand,” but in Japanese the focus is on 文法が分かる (grammar is understood) and 私は (as for me) is just the overall topic.

What does 少しずつ mean, and how is it different from just 少し?

少し (sukoshi) = “a little,” “a bit.”
- Describes amount at one point in time.
- e.g. 少し分かります = “I understand a little.”
少しずつ (sukoshi-zutsu) = “little by little,” “bit by bit,” “gradually.”
- Describes change over time, small steps accumulating.
- e.g. 少しずつ分かってきます = “I come to understand it bit by bit (over time).”

In the sentence, 少しずつ分かってきて emphasizes gradual progress, not just “I understand a little right now.”

What exactly is happening in 分かってきて? Why not just 分かります?

分かってきて is:

分かって = the te-form of 分かる
きて = the te-form of くる attached to 分かって

So the underlying pattern is:

分かる → 分かってくる → 分かってきて、…

分かってくる means:

“to start to understand,”
“to come to understand,”
“to gradually understand more and more (compared to before).”

Using 分かります would just say “(I) understand (it)” as a simple fact.
Using 分かってきます / 分かってきて adds the nuance of development over time — your understanding is changing and increasing.

So the sentence is not just “I understand Japanese grammar,” but more like:

“I’ve been coming to understand Japanese grammar little by little, and (as a result) I’m satisfied.”

What does ～てくる (as in 分かってくる) actually mean in general?

Verb て-form + くる often has these nuances:

Change that has developed up to now
- 日本語がだんだん話せるようになってきました。
  “I’ve gradually come to be able to speak Japanese.”
Something approaching the speaker’s present situation (in time or metaphorically)
- 寒くなってきた。
  “It’s (now) become cold / It’s getting cold (these days).”

In 分かってくる, the idea is:

Your state has changed from not understanding to now understanding more, and that change has arrived at the present.

So 少しずつ分かってきて = “I have gradually come to understand (it).”

Why is there a comma and て in 分かってきて、私は満足しています? What does that て connection mean?

The て-form here links two clauses:

Clause 1: 日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、
Clause 2: 私は満足しています。

Common meanings of such a ～て、… link are:

Simple sequence: “and…”
Cause → result: “and so / so / because…”

In this sentence it’s mainly cause → result:

Because I’ve gradually come to understand Japanese grammar, I am satisfied.

Japanese does not need an explicit “because” (から, ので, etc.) here; the て connection already suggests that relationship.

Why is 私 only in the second half (私は満足しています) and not before 分かってきて?

In Japanese, once the topic is clear, it doesn’t need to be repeated in every clause.

The full logical structure could be:

（私は）日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、（私は）満足しています。

But saying 私は twice would sound heavy and unnatural in a simple statement.

Instead, the sentence:

Leaves the subject/topic of the first clause understood as 私 (from context).
Explicitly states 私は only once, before the part that expresses your feeling (満足しています).

This is normal and natural in Japanese: the listener fills in the same subject for the first clause.

What does 満足しています mean exactly, and why is it not just 満足です?

満足している is:

The te-form of the verb 満足する (“to be satisfied”)
→ 満足して
- いる (“to be in a state of ~ing”)
  → 満足している

So 満足している literally is “to be in a state of being satisfied,” which in natural English is simply “(I) am satisfied.”

Why not 満足です?

満足です is grammatically possible but sounds more like:
- “It is satisfactory / it is enough / that’s fine,” often about evaluating something.
満足している is more naturally used for your internal emotional state:
- “I feel satisfied / I am satisfied (with the situation).”

In this sentence, we’re talking about your feeling about your own progress, so 満足している is the natural choice.

Why is it 満足して「います」 (polite form) rather than just 満足している?

Japanese has two main politeness levels in basic statements:

Plain (casual):
- 満足している。
Polite (～ます／です form):
- 満足しています。

The sentence is written in the polite style (～ます／です) throughout (分かってきて、…います), which is standard for:

Talking to teachers
Writing in textbooks
Talking to someone you’re not close to

So 満足しています matches that level.
Among friends, you’d more likely say:

日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、俺は満足してる。
日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、私は満足してる。

Could I say だんだん分かってきて instead of 少しずつ分かってきて? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say both, but the nuance is slightly different:

少しずつ
- Literally “little by little,”
- Emphasizes small increments, steady small steps.
だんだん
- Means “gradually,” “more and more,”
- Emphasizes the overall gradual change, sometimes with a feeling of it becoming more noticeable.

So:

日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて
→ “I’m coming to understand Japanese grammar bit by bit.”
日本語の文法がだんだん分かってきて
→ “I’m gradually (more and more) understanding Japanese grammar.”

In everyday conversation they often overlap; both are natural here.

Why is the grammar the subject (文法が分かる) instead of “I” understanding it, like in English?

The verb 分かる behaves differently from English “understand”:

English:
- I understand Japanese grammar.
- “I” is the subject.
Japanese:
- 日本語の文法が分かる。
- Literally closer to “Japanese grammar is understandable / becomes understood (to me).”

In Japanese:

The thing understood takes が.
- 日本語が分かる。
- 文法が分かる。
The person can be left out or, if needed, marked with には or には:
- 私には日本語の文法が分かる。
  “As for me, Japanese grammar is understandable.”

In your sentence, the person is clear from context (私は満足しています), so they don’t need to say “I” in the first clause; 文法が分かってきて is enough.

Is it okay to write this all as one sentence without the 、私は in the middle?

Yes, you can combine it more tightly:

日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、満足しています。
- Omitting 私は is very natural because you’re obviously talking about yourself.

Or:

日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、私はとても満足しています。
- Adding とても for “very,” or other adverbs.

The version you gave:

日本語の文法が少しずつ分かってきて、私は満足しています。

is already perfectly natural; small variations mostly affect emphasis (e.g., emphasizing 私 more strongly by explicitly saying it).