Learn Hardcore Japanese: rensyuuaite ga ireba, nyuusu no kizi toka dorama no serihu toka wo manesite hanasu rensyuu ga dekite, hatuon mo zyoutatusimasu. - If you have a practice partner, you can practice speaking by imitating news articles, drama lines, and so on, and your pronunciation also improves.

が marks 練習相手 as the thing whose existence is being talked about. Using は here would sound more like you’re introducing a topic (“as for a practice partner…”) rather than expressing the condition “if there is a practice partner.”

So 練習相手がいれば is a natural way to say “if you have a practice partner” in Japanese.

What grammar form is いれば, and how is it made?

いれば is the conditional form of the verb いる (to exist; to be, for animate things).

For ichidan verbs (る-verbs) like いる, the general rule is:

Stem + れば

So:

いる → stem is い → い + れば = いれば

This 〜れば form means “if ~”, so いれば means “if (someone/something) is / if there is.”

How does とか work in ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とか? Why is it used twice?

とか is a casual particle that often means “and stuff like,” “such as,” “or,” “and so on.”

In ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とか:

ニュースの記事 – news articles
ドラマの台詞 – drama lines (dialogue from TV dramas, etc.)
AとかBとか – things like A, B, and similar things

Using とか after each item gives a loose, non-exhaustive list:

ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とか
≈ “things like news articles, drama lines, and so on”

It feels softer and more casual than a strict list like ニュースの記事やドラマの台詞. It implies “these kinds of things, among others.”

What is the function of を after ドラマの台詞とか?

を is the direct object marker.

The structure is:

ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とかを真似して話す練習
→ “practice speaking by imitating things like news articles and drama lines”

So:

ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とか = the things you imitate
を = marks these as the direct object of 真似して (to imitate)

In short, を tells us that “news articles, drama lines, etc.” are what you are imitating.

How should I understand 真似して話す練習ができて as a whole?

Breakdown:

真似する – to imitate
真似して – te-form, “imitating (and then)”
話す練習 – speaking practice / practice of speaking
話す練習ができる – to be able to do speaking practice
話す練習ができて – te-form linking to the next clause

So ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とかを真似して話す練習ができて means:

“you can do speaking practice by imitating things like news articles and drama lines, and (as a result / and then)…”

The 〜て at the end (できて) connects this to the next part, 発音も上達します, forming “… and then your pronunciation also improves.”

Why is できて in the te-form instead of できます or できる?

The sentence has two connected parts:

ニュースの記事とかドラマの台詞とかを真似して話す練習ができて、
発音も上達します。

できて is the te-form of できる, and the te-form is often used to link actions or states, similar to “and,” “and then,” or “which leads to.”

So the nuance is:

“If you have a practice partner, you can practice speaking by imitating things like news articles and drama lines, and (because of that / and then) your pronunciation also improves.”

If you said できて発音も上達します, it sounds more natural and connected than splitting it into two separate sentences with できます。発音も上達します。

What does 発音も上達します imply, and what is the role of も?

発音 – pronunciation
上達する – to improve, to advance (in skill)
上達します – polite form, “improves / will improve”
も – “also, too, even”

発音も上達します means:

“your pronunciation also improves.”

The も signals “in addition to other benefits” (for example, improving fluency, vocabulary, etc.), your pronunciation will also get better. It adds the idea that pronunciation is one of several things that improve.

What is the nuance difference between 上達します and something like 上手になります for pronunciation?

Both can relate to getting better, but they’re used a bit differently:

上達する focuses on the progress or improvement of a skill.
- 発音が上達します = “your pronunciation improves (as a skill).”
上手になる focuses more on the state of being good at something.
- 発音が上手になります = “your pronunciation becomes good.”

In this sentence, we’re talking about improvement over time due to practice, so 上達します is more precise and natural. It highlights the process of improvement, not just the end result.

Why is the subject (“you”) not explicitly written anywhere in the sentence?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.

In English we say:

“If you have a practice partner, you can practice speaking…, and your pronunciation will also improve.”

In Japanese, that embedded “you” is understood without being said:

(あなたは) 練習相手がいれば、…練習ができて、発音も上達します。

Because this is general advice about learning, the subject is implicitly “you / people in general / the learner.” The sentence structure and context are enough for a native speaker, so explicitly saying あなたは would often feel unnecessary or even a bit stiff.

Is there any nuance difference between ニュースの記事 and something like 新聞の記事?

Yes, there is a slight nuance difference:

ニュースの記事 – “news articles” in a broader sense.
This can include:
- online news articles
- TV news subtitles or scripts
- news app articles
- basically, written content associated with “news”
新聞の記事 – “newspaper articles.”
Specifically articles from a printed newspaper (or its direct digital version).

In modern contexts, ニュースの記事 feels more general and modern (including web news, apps, etc.), while 新聞の記事 feels more specifically about newspapers. In this sentence, ニュースの記事 fits well with ドラマの台詞 as examples of media content you might imitate.