Breakdown of piano no naraigoto wo tudukete iru uti ni, syuutyuuryoku ga sizutu tuyoku natte kita ki ga simasu.
Questions & Answers about piano no naraigoto wo tudukete iru uti ni, syuutyuuryoku ga sizutu tuyoku natte kita ki ga simasu.
ピアノの習い事 literally means “piano-related lessons / piano as an extracurricular activity”.
- 習い事 = lessons / classes you take outside of regular school (like piano, calligraphy, swimming, etc.).
- の here links two nouns, like “NOUN + NOUN” → ピアノの (piano + の) 習い事 (lessons).
So ピアノの習い事 is a noun phrase meaning “piano lessons” or “piano as something I’m learning”.
This の is like the ’s or “of” in English: “lessons of piano” → “piano lessons”.
習い事
- Refers to ongoing lessons / classes you regularly attend, usually as an extracurricular activity (often for kids but also adults).
- Examples: piano, dance, English conversation, calligraphy, swimming.
レッスン
- Borrowed from English “lesson”.
- Often used for one lesson/session or the activity itself, without the “ongoing extracurricular” nuance.
- E.g. ピアノのレッスン = a piano lesson / piano lessons (more direct English feel).
練習
- Means practice, the act of practicing something.
- E.g. ピアノを練習する = to practice the piano.
In this sentence, 習い事 emphasizes that piano lessons are a regular, structured activity the speaker keeps doing.
～を続けているうちに means “while continuing to do ~, over time”.
Breakdown:
習い事を続けている
- 習い事を続ける = to continue doing/attending the lessons
- ～ている = ongoing state → “am continuing”
～うちに
- Often means “while ~ is (still) happening / during the time that ~ is the case”.
- When used with a verb of ongoing action like ～ている, it often implies “as time passed while I was doing X, gradually Y happened”.
So ピアノの習い事を続けているうちに =
“As I kept up my piano lessons / While I was continuing with piano lessons (over time), …”
Nuance: it suggests a gradual change that happened naturally during that period, not something done in one moment.
Both can translate as “while / during”, but the nuance is different.
～ているうちに
- Often used for gradual changes that occur naturally over the course of an activity.
- Fits well with things like getting used to something, improving, realizing something.
- Example:
日本に住んでいるうちに、日本語が上手になりました。
“As I lived in Japan, my Japanese got better.”
～ている間(に)
- More neutral “during the time when ~ is happening”.
- Often used when another event happens at some point in that time.
- Example:
日本に住んでいる間に、たくさん旅行しました。
“While I was living in Japan, I traveled a lot.”
In this sentence, the speaker’s 集中力 (concentration) gradually strengthens over time, so うちに is more natural than 間に.
強くなってきた comes from the pattern:
- い-adjective (dictionary form) → く + なる
- 強い → 強くなる = “to become strong / stronger”
- 高い → 高くなる = “to become high / higher”
So:
- 強い = “is strong” (describing a state)
- 強くなる = “become strong / get stronger” (describing a change)
You cannot say ✕ 強いになる. With なる, い-adjectives must take the ～く form.
Therefore 集中力が強くなってきた = “(my) concentration has become stronger.”
少しずつ means “little by little / bit by bit” and emphasizes that the change is very gradual and in small steps.
- 少しずつ強くなってきた
= “has been getting stronger little by little.”
You could also use:
- だんだん = “gradually” (slightly more general, not as “small-step” feeling)
- だんだん強くなってきた = “has gradually become stronger.”
Both are okay, but:
- 少しずつ → focuses on small, incremental improvement.
- だんだん → focuses on gradual change without stressing how small each step is.
In context, 少しずつ matches the idea of slow, steady improvement in concentration.
強くなった
= “(it) became strong / got stronger.”
→ Describes a completed change. It happened; result is now there.強くなってきた
= “(it) has been getting stronger (up to now).”
→ Emphasizes:- The process of change that started in the past and
- The fact that the change has reached the present moment.
～てくる / ～てきた often has the nuance:
“a change has come toward now from the past.”
So 強くなってきた気がします =
“I feel like my concentration has gradually become stronger (up to this point),”
not just “it became stronger at some point.”
The structure is:
- [集中力が少しずつ強くなってきた] 気 が します。
So:
集中力が少しずつ強くなってきた
= “(my) concentration has gradually become stronger.”This whole clause modifies 気:
= “the feeling that my concentration has gradually become stronger.”Then 気がします = “I feel (that) …”
So the inner が (after 集中力) marks the subject of 強くなってきた.
The outer が (after 気) marks 気 as the subject of します.
In English you might think:
- “It feels that my concentration has gradually become stronger.”
Japanese allows が to appear multiple times like this because each が belongs to a different clause.
気がします literally means “(a) feeling arises”, but in natural English it’s like:
- “I feel (like) …”
- “I get the feeling that …”
Nuance:
Thought vs. feeling:
- と思います = “I think (that) …” (more about an opinion / judgment).
- 気がします = “I feel (that) …” (more subjective, vague, intuitive).
Softening:
- 気がします can sound softer and less assertive than と思います.
- It implies the speaker is not 100% certain; it’s more like a personal impression.
So:
- 集中力が少しずつ強くなってきた気がします。
= “I feel like my concentration has gradually become stronger.”
If you said:
- 集中力が少しずつ強くなってきたと思います。
= “I think my concentration has gradually become stronger.”
Both are correct, but 気がします sounds a bit more like a subtle, introspective observation rather than a firm statement.
Yes, you can say:
- ピアノを習い続けているうちに、集中力が少しずつ強くなってきた気がします。
Differences in nuance:
ピアノの習い事を続けているうちに
- Focuses on continuing the “piano lessons” as an activity.
- Emphasizes the lessons themselves (the organized, ongoing classes).
ピアノを習い続けているうちに
- Focuses more directly on the act of learning/studying piano.
- Slightly less emphasis on the “extracurricular-lesson” flavor; more on the learning process.
In everyday conversation, both are natural and the overall meaning is very similar. The original just highlights the piano lessons as a regular activity a bit more.