tomodati no nootopasokon wo sukosi tukawasete moratte, sitagaki wo kakinaosita.

Because の here shows possession or association: 友達のノートパソコン = my/a friend’s laptop.

• 友達の modifies ノートパソコン
• So the chunk means the laptop belonging to a friend

If you used 友達に, that would mark friend as the target/recipient of something, which is not what is happening in this part of the sentence.

ノートパソコン means laptop computer.

• パソコン = personal computer
• ノートパソコン = notebook/laptop computer

In everyday speech, many people also just say ノートPC or sometimes simply パソコン if the context is clear.

The particle を marks ノートパソコン as the direct object of 使わせてもらって.

So:

• 友達のノートパソコンを = my friend’s laptop as the thing being used

It tells you what the speaker was allowed to use.

少し means a little, for a bit, or slightly, depending on context.

Here it most naturally means for a short time:

• 友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって
  = I was allowed to use my friend’s laptop for a bit

Its position before 使わせてもらって is normal because it modifies the action of using.

This is a very common pattern:

• 使う = to use
• 使わせる = to let/allow someone to use
• 使わせてもらう = to receive the favor of being allowed to use; to have someone let you use

So 使わせてもらって means something like:

• having had someone let me use it
• being allowed to use it
• borrowing it for use, depending on context

It is the て-form of 使わせてもらう, used to connect to the next action.

Yes, it is more nuanced than just used.

使った would simply mean used.

But 使わせてもらった adds the idea that:

• it was not originally yours to use freely
• someone allowed you to use it
• you may feel some gratitude or awareness that it was a favor

So the sentence is not just about using the laptop. It is about using it with the owner’s permission/help.

Not necessarily.

It often just expresses the situation from the speaker’s point of view: I got to use it thanks to that person.

It can cover several real-life situations:

• the friend explicitly offered it
• the speaker asked and got permission
• the speaker borrowed it temporarily

So the nuance is often I was able to use my friend’s laptop, with their permission/kindness.

The て-form connects this action to the next one:

• 友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって、下書きを書き直した。

This means the two actions are linked in sequence:

1. used the friend’s laptop for a bit
2. rewrote the draft

A natural English translation is:

• I used my friend’s laptop for a bit and rewrote the draft.
• Or more literally, I had my friend let me use their laptop for a bit, and then rewrote the draft.

下書き means draft, rough draft, or preliminary version of something written.

It refers to writing that is not yet the final version.

So 下書きを書き直した means the speaker rewrote or revised the draft.

Because 書き直す specifically means to rewrite.

Breakdown:

• 書く = to write
• 直す = to fix/correct
• 書き直す = to write again; rewrite

So:

• 下書きを直した would focus more on correcting/fixing the draft
• 下書きを書き直した suggests rewriting the draft, possibly more extensively

It often implies a fuller redo than just making a few corrections.

It may sound a little repetitive in English, but in Japanese it is very natural.

The idea is:

• there was a draft
• the speaker redid or rewrote that draft

English often says:

• rewrote the draft
• reworked the draft
• revised the draft

So it is not strange in Japanese.

The subject is omitted, which is very normal in Japanese.

From context, it is most likely:

• I
• or possibly he/she/they, if the surrounding conversation makes that clear

Without more context, learners usually understand it as the speaker talking about themselves:

• I used my friend’s laptop for a bit and rewrote the draft.

Japanese often leaves out the topic or subject when it is already understood.

This sentence focuses on the actions and objects:

• friend’s laptop
• draft
• used
• rewrote

A full sentence could be something like:

• 私は友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって、下書きを書き直した。

But 私は is unnecessary if the speaker is already obvious from context.

書き直した is:

• plain form
• past tense

So the sentence is in casual/plain style, not polite です・ます style.

A polite version could be:

• 友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって、下書きを書き直しました。

The comma after もらって helps readability and shows a pause between the two linked actions.

It is not the same as an English grammatical comma rule. Japanese punctuation is often more flexible.

The sentence would still be understandable without it:

• 友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって下書きを書き直した。

But the comma makes the structure easier to read.

No. Japanese is normally written without spaces.

The standard writing would be:

• 友達のノートパソコンを少し使わせてもらって、下書きを書き直した。

Spaces are often added in teaching materials to make the sentence easier for learners to parse.