Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha sensei no hatuon wo manesite rensyuusimasu. - I practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.

私 (わたし) – “I”; first‑person pronoun
は – topic particle; marks 私 as the topic: “as for me / I”
先生 (せんせい) – “teacher”
の – possessive / “of” particle; links 先生 and 発音
発音 (はつおん) – “pronunciation”
を – object marker; marks 発音 as the thing being imitated
真似して (まねして) – 真似する (“to imitate”) in て-form; here: “imitating / by imitating”
練習します (れんしゅうします) – polite form of 練習する (“to practice”)

Rough structure:
[私は] [先生の発音を真似して] [練習します]
“As for me, [by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation], [I practice].”

Do I have to say 私 here, or can I leave it out?

You can absolutely leave it out. In natural Japanese you would very often say:

先生の発音を真似して練習します。

Japanese usually drops pronouns like “I”, “you”, “he”, “she” when they’re clear from context.

With 私は – a bit more explicit, can sound like you’re contrasting yourself with others or introducing yourself/your habit.
Without 私は – feels more neutral and natural in many everyday contexts, especially if everyone already knows you are the subject.

Why is は used after 私 instead of が?

は marks the topic, while が typically marks the grammatical subject or focuses on who actually does the action.

私は先生の発音を真似して練習します。
– “As for me, I practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”
Topic: 私 (what we’re talking about)

If you said:

私が先生の発音を真似して練習します。

this would put emphasis on 私 as the one who does it, often in contrast to someone else, like:

“I’m the one who practices by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation (not someone else).”

In most neutral statements about yourself, 私は … is more common than 私が ….

What exactly does 先生の mean here? Is it “teacher of” or “teacher’s”?

Here 先生の発音 means “the teacher’s pronunciation.”

の is a very flexible particle, but in this sentence it’s a straightforward possessive / belonging relationship:

先生の発音 – the pronunciation of the teacher / the teacher’s pronunciation

It does not mean “pronunciation teacher” here; that would require a different structure or context.

Does 発音を belong to 真似して or to 練習します? Which verb is it the object of?

発音を is the direct object of 真似して (from 真似する), not of 練習します.

Structure:

発音を真似して – “imitating the pronunciation”
練習します – “(I) practice”

So the hidden underlying meaning is like:

“I practice (something, e.g. speaking Japanese) by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”

The thing you are practicing (e.g. 日本語, “Japanese”) is omitted because it’s obvious from context. That omitted thing is the logical object of 練習します, while 発音を is the object of 真似して.

What is the function of the て-form in 真似して練習します?

The て-form (here: 真似して) is used to connect actions. In this sentence it has the nuance of:

“and (then) …”
“by doing …”
“while doing …” (depending on context)

In 先生の発音を真似して練習します, the main nuance is:

“I practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”

So 真似して describes how you practice. Grammatically, the て-form links 真似する to 練習する in one smooth action sequence.

Why is there no word meaning “Japanese” in the sentence, even though the idea is “I practice Japanese by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation”?

Japanese often omits obvious information that English normally states explicitly.

In context, it’s usually clear that you’re practicing Japanese (or maybe Japanese pronunciation / speaking). So the direct object of 練習します (e.g. 日本語 or 発音) is simply left out:

(私は)(日本語を)先生の発音を真似して練習します。

The omitted part is mentally understood. This kind of omission is extremely common and natural in Japanese.

Could I say 先生の発音で練習します instead of 先生の発音を真似して練習します? What’s the difference?

You can say 先生の発音で練習します, but the nuance changes:

先生の発音で練習します
- Literal: “I practice with / using the teacher’s pronunciation.”
- で here indicates a means / tool / condition.
- It sounds like you are using the teacher’s pronunciation as the model or reference for your practice, but it doesn’t explicitly say you imitate it step by step.
先生の発音を真似して練習します
- Literal: “I practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”
- 真似して explicitly says you are copying or mimicking how the teacher pronounces things.

So:

で: emphasizes using something as a means or setting.
を真似して: emphasizes actively imitating.

The original sentence is more explicit about copying the teacher’s pronunciation.

What is the difference between 練習します and 練習する?

They are the same verb in different politeness levels:

練習する – plain / dictionary form
- Used in casual speech, informal writing, dictionaries, and inside subordinate clauses.
練習します – polite -ます form
- Used in polite conversation, with teachers, strangers, in formal settings, and in most textbooks’ basic examples.

Meaning-wise, both are “to practice.” Only the formality is different.
If you’re speaking politely to a teacher, 練習します is the appropriate choice.

Does 練習します mean “I practice” or “I will practice”? How is tense handled here?

Japanese non‑past forms (like 練習する / 練習します) cover several English possibilities:

Habitual present:
- “I (regularly) practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”
General statement:
- “I practice (in this way).”
Future (planned or decided):
- “I will practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation.”

Which one is intended depends on the context. The Japanese form doesn’t force the choice; English does, so translations vary.

Could I say 真似しています or 練習しています instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but they change the nuance:

真似して練習します (original)
- Neutral non‑past. Can mean a habit or a plan/future action.
真似して練習しています
- Adds ～ています, which often expresses:
  - an action currently in progress, or
  - a continuing/habitual state.
- In practice, this often sounds like:
  - “I (currently) practice by imitating the teacher’s pronunciation,” or
  - “That’s how I practice (and this is an ongoing habit).”
真似しています alone
- “I am imitating (it) / I imitate (it)” – focusing on the action of imitating.
練習しています alone
- “I am practicing / I practice (habitually).”

So ～ています adds a sense of ongoing or currently doing / regularly doing, depending on context.

How do you pronounce は in 私は? Why is it “wa” and not “ha”?

When は is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced “わ (wa)” even though it’s written with the hiragana は (ha).

As a particle:
- 私は → watashi wa
- 今日は → kyou wa
As part of a word / syllable:
- はな (flower) → hana
- はつおん (発音) → hatsuon

So spelling: は, pronunciation wa, only when it’s the topic particle.

Is there any difference between 先生 and 教師 here? Why use 先生?

Both can be translated as “teacher,” but they’re used differently:

先生 (せんせい)
- Polite title or way to address / refer to a teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc.
- Used like “Mr. / Ms. / Professor / Doctor” in some contexts.
- Very natural in student–teacher situations and in conversation.
教師 (きょうし)
- More of a job description: “(school) teacher” as an occupation.
- Common in documents, forms, or when talking about one’s profession:
  - 職業は教師です。 – “My occupation is teacher.”

In your sentence, you’re talking about your teacher and their pronunciation, so 先生 is the natural, polite, everyday choice. 教師の発音 would sound oddly formal and not like how students normally talk about their own teacher.