Learn Hardcore Japanese: zyugyougo ni tomodati to kyou no reibun ni tuite kansou wo iiau to, zibun no kangaekata mo sukosi miete kimasu. - After class, when we share our impressions about today’s example sentences with friends, we start to see our own ways of thinking a little more clearly.

授業後に = after class (focusing on the time when something happens)
授業後、 (with just a comma) is also possible in casual writing and speech. The time word just sits at the beginning as a time adverbial without the particle.

In more careful or formal writing, 授業後に sounds neater and more explicit.
So both are acceptable, but 授業後に is the standard, “textbook-clean” form.

What’s the difference between 授業後 and 授業の後?

Both mean “after class”, but the structure is slightly different:

授業後: 授業 (class) + 後 (after) → set phrase, compact, a bit more formal/written.
授業の後: literally “the after of class” → more transparent grammar, often a bit more conversational.

You could say:

授業後に友達と話す。
授業の後に友達と話す。

Both are correct. In this sentence, 授業後に just uses the more compact style.

What does 友達と mean here? Why と and not another particle?

友達と means “with a friend / with friends”.

The particle と often marks:

companions / partners in an action:
- 友達と話す – talk with a friend
- 家族と旅行する – travel with family

So 友達と言い合う = “exchange (comments) with a friend / with friends.”

If you used other particles, the meaning would change:

友達に言う – say (something) to a friend
友達が言う – the friend says (as subject)

Here, they are doing the action together, so と is appropriate.

How is 今日の例文について structured? What does について mean exactly?

Breakdown:

今日の例文 – today’s example sentence(s)
- 今日の modifies 例文: the example sentence of today
について – means “about / regarding / concerning”

So 今日の例文について = “about today’s example sentence(s)”.

Typical pattern:

Xについて話す – talk about X
Xについて考える – think about X
Xについて聞く – ask / hear about X

In this sentence:
今日の例文について感想を言い合う = “exchange impressions about today’s example sentence(s).”

What exactly does 感想 mean? How is it different from 意見?

Both can be translated as “opinion” in English, but they’re not the same:

感想: personal impressions / how you felt / what struck you
- emotional, subjective reactions
- e.g. after reading a story: ストーリーの感想を話す – talk about your impressions of the story
意見: opinion / viewpoint / stance
- more logical, often used in discussions, debates, meetings
- e.g. この問題について意見を言う – state your opinion about this issue

In this sentence, they’re talking about 感想, so the nuance is:
“share how you felt or what you thought after reading the example sentence(s).”

What does 言い合う mean? How is it formed, and how is it different from just 言う or 話し合う?

言い合う is a compound verb:

言う – to say
合う – when attached to a verb, often adds the meaning “to do (something) to/with each other”

So:

言い合う = “to say (things) to each other” → “to exchange (comments / words)”

Nuance compared with others:

言う – just say something (one-way)
言い合う – both/all people are saying things to each other; mutual exchange
話し合う – to discuss / talk things over (more like a mutual conversation or discussion, often to reach some understanding or decision)

Here, 感想を言い合う = “to exchange impressions with each other”, which fits well with the idea of sharing reactions in a group.

Why is the conditional と used in 言い合うと、…見えてきます? How is this different from using たら (言い合ったら)?

The conditional と often expresses a natural, automatic result: “when(ever) X happens, Y (naturally) happens.”

In this sentence:

感想を言い合うと、自分の考え方も少し見えてきます。
→ When you (habitually) exchange impressions, your own way of thinking also starts to become a bit visible.

Nuance:

X と Y – whenever X happens, Y (tends to) follow as a natural consequence; often used for general truths and regular outcomes.
X たら Y – “if/when X, then Y”; more general conditional, often used for one-time or more concrete situations, and doesn’t necessarily imply a natural law–type relationship.

So 言い合うと sounds like:

“As a result of doing this (in general), this is what happens.”

Using 言い合ったら would make it feel a bit more one-time / situational rather than a general tendency.

What does 自分 refer to here? Is it “myself,” “yourself,” or “oneself”?

自分 is a reflexive word meaning “oneself”.
Whose “self” it refers to depends on context and the speaker’s viewpoint.

In this kind of general, explanatory sentence with 〜ます form, the subject is usually an implicit “you / one / people in general.” So:

自分の考え方 ≈ “your own way of thinking / one’s own way of thinking.”

If the speaker were clearly talking about themselves, they might say:

自分の考え方が少し見えてきました。 – My own way of thinking has started to become a bit visible.

Here, the sentence is describing a general learning effect for anyone, so 自分 should be read as “your/one’s own.”

Why is there a も after 自分の考え方? What nuance does も add here?

も means “also / too” and suggests addition or inclusion.

So:

自分の考え方も少し見えてきます。
→ Your own way of thinking *also starts to become a bit visible.*

Implied idea: by exchanging impressions,

You see other people’s thoughts/impressions, and
also your own way of thinking becomes clearer.

も subtly contrasts 自分の考え方 with other things that are already being considered (like friends’ opinions, the content of the example sentences, etc.).

What does 見えてきます mean here? Why not just 見えます?

見える by itself means:

literally: “to be visible / to be seen”
figuratively: “to become clear / to appear (in your mind)”

〜てくる adds the nuance of “gradually / starting to happen and coming toward the present.”

So:

見えます – “is visible / can be seen” (static state)
見えてきます – “starts to become visible / gradually comes into view (to you)”

In this context:

自分の考え方も少し見えてきます。
→ Your own way of thinking also *starts to become a little clearer (to you).*

It emphasizes the process of gradually realizing/seeing your own thinking, rather than it just suddenly being clear.

There’s no が after 自分の考え方. Is が omitted? How does that work?

Yes, you can think of が as being omitted here.

A fuller version would be:

自分の考え方も少し見えてきます。
≈ 自分の考え方も少し（は）見えてきます。
≈ 自分の考え方も少し見えてきます。 (with an unspoken subject marker)

In many natural Japanese sentences:

When it’s clear what is doing the verb, が can be dropped, especially when followed by も or other particles.

So the underlying structure is:

[自分の考え方]が [見えてきます]
→ “(My/your) way of thinking becomes visible.”

The sentence is still grammatically fine without an explicit が, and it sounds more natural and fluent that way.