Learn Hardcore Japanese: nihongo no bunpou ha, mainiti sukosizutu rensyuusureba sizen ni mi ni tukimasu. - If you practice Japanese grammar little by little every day, it will naturally stick with you.

日本語にほんご　の　文法ぶんぽう　は、　毎日まいにち　少すこしずつ　練習れんしゅうすれば　自然しぜん　に　身み　に　つきます。nihongo no bunpou ha, mainiti sukosizutu rensyuusureba sizen ni mi ni tukimasu.

If you practice Japanese grammar little by little every day, it will naturally stick with you.

Breakdown of nihongo no bunpou ha, mainiti sukosizutu rensyuusureba sizen ni mi ni tukimasu.

possessive case particle

to be acquired; to become second nature

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Questions & Answers about nihongo no bunpou ha, mainiti sukosizutu rensyuusureba sizen ni mi ni tukimasu.

In 日本語の文法, what does の do? Is it the same as “of”?

Yes, の here is linking two nouns:

日本語 = Japanese (language)
文法 = grammar
日本語の文法 = “the grammar of Japanese” / “Japanese grammar”

Grammatically, の is:

a possessive / descriptive particle that connects nouns
similar to “of”, “’s”, or sometimes just a noun–noun compound in English

So:

日本語の先生 = Japanese teacher (teacher of Japanese)
日本の文化 = Japanese culture (culture of Japan)

In this sentence, 日本語の文法 is treated as one big noun phrase: “Japanese grammar.”

Why is the topic marker は attached to 文法 and not to 日本語? Why 日本語の文法は instead of 日本語は文法が…?

The speaker wants to talk specifically about Japanese grammar as the topic, not just Japanese in general.

日本語の文法は…
→ “As for Japanese grammar, …”

If you said:

日本語は文法が…

you’d be making 日本語 (the whole language) the topic and 文法 the subject inside that topic. That sounds more like:

“As for Japanese, its grammar is …”

In your sentence, the focus is:

not “Japanese (in general)”
but “the grammar of Japanese”

So we bundle 日本語の文法 into one noun phrase and mark that as the topic with は.

What exactly does 毎日少しずつ mean? How is 少しずつ different from just 少し?

Breakdown:

毎日 = every day
少し = a little
ずつ = each / apiece / at a time

少しずつ together means:

“little by little”
“a little at a time”
“bit by bit (over time)”

So 毎日少しずつ練習すれば means:

“If you practice a little bit every day”
with a nuance of steady, gradual accumulation, not just “practice a little (once).”

Compare:

毎日少し練習すれば
→ If you practice a little every day (neutral “a little”)
毎日少しずつ練習すれば
→ If you practice little by little every day (emphasis on gradual, step‑by‑step progress)

What form is 練習すれば, and what does it mean?

練習すれば is the ば‑conditional form of the verb 練習する (“to practice”).

Dictionary form: 練習する
ば‑conditional: 練習すれば = “if (you) practice”

Pattern for する‑verbs:

する → すれば
勉強する → 勉強すれば
練習する → 練習すれば

Nuance of the ば‑form here:

expresses a general, conditional relationship:
- “If you practice (under that condition), then X happens.”
often has a somewhat logical / cause–effect feeling

So:

毎日少しずつ練習すれば自然に身につきます。
If you practice a little every day, it will naturally stick (you’ll naturally master it).

Could I use 練習したら or 練習すると instead of 練習すれば? What’s the difference?

You can use them, but the nuance changes a bit.

練習すれば (ば‑conditional)
- General conditional, often with a logical / hypothetical tone
- Fits well for “If you do X (as a habit/condition), Y will (tend to) happen.”
練習したら
- たら‑conditional
- Often used for “when/after you do X, then Y happens”
- In this kind of general statement, it can still mean “if,” but it may sound a bit more like a sequence in time:
  - “When you practice a little every day, (you’ll find that) it naturally sticks.”
練習すると
- と‑conditional
- Often expresses automatic / inevitable results: “when(ever) you do X, Y happens (as a rule).”
- Can sound more like a general rule or law:
  - “Whenever you practice a little every day, it naturally sticks.”

All three can be grammatically acceptable, but:

練習すれば nicely balances:
- a general condition (“if you do this as a habit”)
- with a natural result (“it will come naturally”)

So it’s a very natural choice in this kind of “advice / general truth” sentence.

What part of speech is 自然に, and why does it use に instead of な, like 自然な?

自然 is a な‑adjective / noun meaning “natural.”

As an adjective before a noun:
- 自然な日本語 = natural Japanese
- Here you use 自然な
  - noun.
As an adverb (“naturally”):
- 自然に
  - verb
- 自然に話せる = can speak naturally
- 自然に身につきます = it will naturally stick (you’ll naturally acquire it)

The に on 自然に is:

the adverb‑forming particle for な‑adjectives and some nouns
similar role to “-ly” in English: “natural” → “naturally”

So in this sentence, 自然に modifies the verb phrase 身につきます:

It will naturally stick / you will naturally pick it up.

What does 身につきます mean, literally and idiomatically? How is it different from 覚えます or 習います?

Breakdown:

身 = body, self (your person)
つく = to stick to, to attach, to become established
身につく (intransitive) = “to become part of you,” “to take root in you”

身につきます is the polite present form of 身につく:

Literally: “(knowledge/skill) attaches to your body/self.”
Idiomatically:
- “you truly acquire (a skill/knowledge)”
- “it sinks in / you internalize it / it becomes second nature.”

Compared to other verbs:

覚えます = to memorize, to learn (facts, words, etc.)
- Focus: you can recall it.
習います = to learn (from someone, by being taught)
- Focus: the process of being taught.
身につきます = a skill/knowledge becomes part of you:
- you can actually use it naturally
- it’s internalized, not just “known” in your head.

So saying:

自然に身につきます。

emphasizes that Japanese grammar will naturally become a real, usable part of you—not just something you’ve memorized for a test.

Why is there a に after 身 in 身につきます? What pattern is this?

The structure is:

身につく = (something) attaches to (your) body/self

Here, に marks the target / destination where the action つく happens:

壁に絵がついている = A picture is attached to the wall.
服ににおいがつく = Smell sticks to your clothes.
身につく = (a skill/knowledge) sticks to your body/self → becomes part of you.

So:

身に = to your self/body
つきます = sticks / becomes established

Together: 身につきます = “it will stick to you” → “you’ll really acquire it (as part of yourself).”

Why are there no particles after 毎日 and 少しずつ?

Both 毎日 and 少しずつ are acting as adverbial expressions, so they don’t need particles.

毎日
- Time expressions like 毎日, 昨日, 明日, 今週 often appear without a particle when they just indicate “when”:
  - 毎日勉強します。 = I study every day.
  - 昨日映画を見ました。 = I watched a movie yesterday.
少しずつ
- This is an adverbial phrase meaning “little by little,” “bit by bit.”
- Adverbs normally don’t take particles:
  - ゆっくり歩きます。 = I walk slowly.
  - よく寝ました。 = I slept well.
  - 少しずつ練習します。 = I practice little by little.

In 毎日少しずつ練習すれば, the whole chunk 毎日少しずつ is modifying 練習すれば (“if you practice”), and it’s natural for it to appear particle‑less in this position.

Is it okay that 練習すれば is in plain form but つきます is polite? Isn’t that mixing styles?

This combination is normal and correct.

In Japanese, subordinate clauses (like conditional parts) are very often in plain form, even when the main clause is polite.
So patterns like these are common:
- 時間があれば行きます。 = If I have time, I’ll go.
- 雨が降ったら帰ります。 = If it rains, I’ll go home.
- 毎日少しずつ練習すれば自然に身につきます。

Structure here:

Conditional clause (plain): 毎日少しずつ練習すれば
Main clause (polite): 自然に身につきます。

As long as the main clause is polite (→ ～ます / ～です), your overall speech level is polite. Using plain form inside the conditional is completely standard.