shougakusei no koro, mainichi kouen de tomodachi to issho ni asobimashita.

friend

Breakdown of shougakusei no koro, mainichi kouen de tomodachi to issho ni asobimashita.

• と: companion particle
• の: possessive case particle
• で: location particle

Questions & Answers about shougakusei no koro, mainichi kouen de tomodachi to issho ni asobimashita.

What does の do in 小学生のころ?

の here links the noun 小学生 (elementary school student) to ころ (time/period).

Literally, 小学生のころ is the time of [being] an elementary school student, which we naturally translate as when I was in elementary school or when I was an elementary school student.

Same pattern appears in:

• 子どものころ – when I was a child
• 学生のころ – when I was a student

What exactly does ころ mean, and how is it different from とき?

ころ means around that time / that period (of life). It often suggests a somewhat broad or vague span, especially ages or life stages.

小学生のころ = during the period when I was an elementary school student (the whole era, not one specific day).

Compared with とき:

• 小学生のとき – when I was an elementary school student (more neutral)
• 小学生のころ – when I was an elementary school kid (often feels like a whole era, a bit softer/vaguer)

In many cases, ころ and とき are interchangeable here, and 小学生のころ、毎日… and 小学生のとき、毎日… are both natural.

Where is the subject I in this sentence?