Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun maeil hangugeoreul yeolsimhi yeonseuphaeyo.

It’s the topic marker. 저는 frames 저 (I) as the topic of the sentence: “As for me…”. It often carries a light contrastive nuance (e.g., “I (as opposed to others) practice Korean every day”). If you want to mark the grammatical subject specifically, you’d use 제가 (저 + 가), but here a topic is natural when talking about your general habits.

Why is 저 used instead of 나?

저 is the humble/polite “I,” used with polite speech (like the -요 ending). 나 is the casual “I,” used with close friends, younger people, or in very informal contexts. As a safe rule:

Polite: 저는 … 연습해요.
Casual: 나는 … 연습해. Avoid mixing levels like 나는 … 연습해요 as a learner; it can sound inconsistent.

Do I have to include 저는, or can I drop it?

You can drop it if the subject is clear from context. Korean often omits subjects and topics. So you can simply say:

매일 한국어를 열심히 연습해요. This will typically be understood as “I …” given the situation.

What does 를 after 한국어 show, and why not 을? Can it be omitted?

을/를 marks the direct object. Use 를 after a vowel and 을 after a consonant:

한국어를 (ends in a vowel)
책을, 한국말을 (end in consonants) In casual speech, Koreans often drop 을/를 when the meaning is obvious: 한국어 열심히 연습해요. For learners, keeping the object marker is a good habit, especially in longer sentences.

Can I say 한국말 instead of 한국어? Any nuance difference?

Yes.

한국어 feels a bit more standard/formal (textbooks, news, school).
한국말 is more everyday/colloquial. Both are fine here: 한국어를 연습해요 / 한국말을 연습해요.

Where should 매일 go, and are there synonyms?

Time/frequency adverbs like 매일 commonly appear near the beginning or before the verb phrase:

저는 매일 … / 매일 한국어를 … Synonyms:
날마다 (native, a bit literary/formal)
맨날 (very casual, often “all the time”) All three can fit the sentence, but 매일 is the most neutral.

What exactly does 열심히 mean? Is it the same as “hard”?

열심히 means “diligently/with effort.” It collocates with action verbs like 공부하다, 일하다, 운동하다, 연습하다. It’s not about physical hardness/force. For “hard” in the sense of “with force,” use something like 세게; slang like 빡세게 means “intensely/tough” but is very casual.

Where does 열심히 go? Are “열심히 연습해요” and “연습을 열심히 해요” both correct?

Yes to both. Options:

열심히 연습해요 (adverb before the verb)
연습을 열심히 해요 (noun + 하다 pattern) Don’t say 연습 열심히 해요 without the object marker; use 연습을. You can also say 한국어 연습을 열심히 해요.

Why is it 연습해요 and not 연습을 해요? Are both correct?

They’re both correct and nearly identical in meaning because 연습하다 is a noun–verb compound (“do practice”):

연습해요 (tighter compound)
연습을 해요 (more explicitly “do practice”) Use whichever feels natural; both are common.

How is 연습해요 formed from 연습하다, and how do I change tense or make it negative?

Base verb: 연습하다 (“to practice”)
Polite present: 연습해요
Past: 연습했어요
Future (plan/prediction): 연습할 거예요
Progressive: 연습하고 있어요
Negative: 연습 안 해요 (more casual/natural) / 연습하지 않아요 (more formal)

Does 연습해요 mean “I practice” or “I’m practicing”?

It can cover both, depending on context. With 매일, it reads as a habitual present (“I practice every day”). If you want to emphasize an action in progress right now, use 연습하고 있어요 (“I’m practicing [now]”).

Should I use 연습하다 or 공부하다 when talking about Korean?

공부하다 = to study/learn knowledge (general learning): 한국어를 공부해요.
연습하다 = to practice a skill (drills, speaking, listening): 한국어를 연습해요. Both are common; choose based on what you mean. Examples:
발음/말하기/듣기/쓰기 연습을 해요 (practice pronunciation/speaking/listening/writing)
문법/단어를 공부해요 (study grammar/vocabulary)

How polite/formal is this sentence? Are there alternatives?

… 연습해요 is the standard polite style for everyday use. Alternatives:

More formal/presentation style: … 연습합니다.
Casual with friends: … 연습해. Match your pronoun too: 저 with -요; 나 with casual endings. Don’t add the honorific -시- for yourself (e.g., don’t say 연습해요 → 연습하세요 for “I”).

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

저는: jeo-neun
매일: mae-il (contrast with 메일 “email”: mei-il)
한국어를: han-gu-geo-reul; in flow, 국어 often sounds like [구거]
열심히: yeol-ssi-mi (commonly pronounced [열씨미])
연습해요: yeon-seu-pae-yo (the ㅂ + ㅎ often sounds like Saying it smoothly: jeo-neun mae-il han-gu-geo-reul yeol-ssi-mi yeon-seu-pae-yo.

Can I say 매일은 or 한국어는 for emphasis or contrast?

Yes, -는 can topicalize/contrast other elements:

매일은 한국어를 연습해요. 주말에는 쉬어요. (“On weekdays/every day, I practice; on weekends, I rest.”)
한국어는 매일 연습해요. (Contrast “Korean” with other languages/subjects.) Without a contrast, adding -는 to 매일 can feel odd.

Is the word order flexible? Which orders sound natural?

Korean word order is flexible. All of these are natural:

매일 한국어를 열심히 연습해요. (time > object > manner > verb)
한국어를 매일 열심히 연습해요.
저는 한국어를 매일 열심히 연습해요. Putting 열심히 right before the verb or 하다-phrase is typical.

How do I say “I practice speaking/listening/writing Korean every day”?

Speaking: 저는 매일 한국어로 말하기 연습을 해요. or 저는 매일 한국어 말하기 연습을 해요.
Listening: 저는 매일 한국어 듣기 연습을 해요.
Writing: 저는 매일 한국어 쓰기 연습을 해요. Also common: 발음 연습, 회화 연습 (conversation practice).

Any spacing or contraction tips for writing this?

Particles attach to the word: 저는, 한국어를 (no space before -는/-을/-를).
연습해요 is one word; don’t write 연습 해요 (unless you use the split form 연습을 해요, which is also correct).
You’ll see the contraction 전 for 저는 in casual writing: 전 매일 … Avoid this in formal writing.