A Focused Listening Study Plan | Learn Japanese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 毎日勉強していますが、上達にはまだむらがあるように感じます。

   I study every day, but my progress still feels uneven.

   毎日

   every day

   勉強しています

   study

   が

   but

   上達

   progress

   まだ

   still

   むら

   unevenness

   あるように

   seem to be

   感じます

   feel

   More detail

   毎日 means “every day.” It is a time expression placed here before the activity, and it can be reused with other actions: 毎日読みます means “I read every day.” 勉強しています is the polite form used here for “study.” Its base verb is 勉強する; 勉強している uses the ている form to present the activity as ongoing or habitual, and 勉強しています adds polite style. For example, 毎日働いています means “I work every day.” が connects the first clause to a contrast: “but” or “although.” In this sentence, the daily studying is set against the speaker’s still uneven progress. The same connector can also join clauses more neutrally as “and,” depending on context. 上達 is a noun meaning improvement or progress in a skill. It is also used in the verb 上達する, “to improve” or “to make progress”: 日本語が上達しました means “My Japanese improved.” The form here is the noun, used as the area in which unevenness is being observed. まだ means “still” here. It indicates that the unevenness continues at the relevant time. With a negative form, まだできません means “I still cannot do it” or “I cannot do it yet”; the surrounding form determines whether the English is “still” or “yet.” むら is a noun meaning unevenness or variation in quality or consistency. In this sentence, it describes progress that is not equally steady in all aspects, rather than asserting that there is no progress. For example, 仕事の質にむらがあります means “The quality of the work is uneven.” あるように contributes the pattern 〜ように感じる, “feel as if ...” or “feel that ... seems to be the case.” ある is the base form of “exist/be present,” and ように makes the content something perceived as an appearance or impression. Here it links the impression of unevenness to 感じます, rather than presenting the observation as an absolute measurement. 感じます is the polite form of 感じる, “to feel” or “to perceive.” In this sentence it describes the speaker’s impression: the speaker feels that the progress is uneven. A reusable example is 難しいと感じます, “I feel that it is difficult.” Together, 毎日勉強しています says “I study every day.” が introduces the contrast, and 上達にはまだむらがあるように感じます says that the speaker feels there is still unevenness in their progress. The complete meaning is: “I study every day, but my progress still feels uneven.”

2. 人と話すとき、どの部分が一番うまくいきませんか。

   Which part breaks down most when you talk with people?

   人

   people; a person

   話す

   to talk; to speak

   とき

   when; at the time

   どの部分

   which part

   一番

   the most

   うまくいきません

   does not go well; breaks down

   More detail

   人 means “people” here. As a noun, 人 can refer to one person or to people generically; the surrounding phrase 人と話す establishes the meaning “talk with people.” The particle と marks the person or group someone interacts with. Example: 人と話します。= “I talk with people.” 話す is the plain, nonpast form meaning “to talk” or “to speak.” It is also the base form used before another noun in 人と話すとき, so the whole clause means “when talking with people.” Example: 日本語を話すとき、ゆっくり話します。= “When I speak Japanese, I speak slowly.” とき means “when” or “at the time.” A clause before とき specifies the situation whose time is meant: 人と話すとき = “when talking with people.” The clause before it uses 話す because this is the plain form used in this noun-modifying pattern. どの部分 means “which part.” どの must come before a noun, and 部分 means “part,” so this asks the listener to identify one part of the activity rather than asking generally “where.” Example: どの部分が難しいですか。= “Which part is difficult?” 一番 means “the most” or “most.” It marks the highest degree in a comparison. Here it combines with うまくいきません to ask about the part that fails to go well to the greatest extent. Example: この方法が一番うまくいきました。= “This method worked the best.” うまくいきません is the polite negative nonpast form of the construction うまくいく, literally involving “going well.” In this sentence it means “does not go well” or “breaks down.” The observed ending いきません is the polite negative form of いく; the construction as a whole, rather than いく alone, expresses successful or unsuccessful progress. A plain-style alternative is うまくいかない. Example: 計画がうまくいきません。= “The plan does not go well.” Together, 人と話すとき means “when talking with people.” Then どの部分が identifies the subject being asked about: “which part.” 一番うまくいきませんか asks which such part goes least successfully or breaks down most. The final か marks the sentence as a question, producing the intended meaning: “Which part breaks down most when you talk with people?”

3. 特に、人が自然な速さで話すときの聞き取りです。

   Listening does, especially when people speak at a natural speed.

   特に

   especially

   人

   person; people

   自然な

   natural

   速さ

   speed

   話す

   speak; talk

   とき

   when; time

   聞き取り

   listening comprehension

   More detail

   特に narrows the focus to one especially important part: “especially.” It commonly appears before the element being singled out, as here before the topic or issue being identified. 人 means “person” or “people.” The form itself does not mark singular versus plural, so the fixed translation’s “people” gives the intended reading here. In 人が, が marks 人 as the subject of the following action: the people are the ones who speak. 自然な means “natural” in this sentence. 自然 is a noun or な-adjective stem, and な links it to the noun 速さ: 自然な速さ means “a natural speed.” This is a な-adjective pattern; it is not the same as an い-adjective directly modifying a noun. 速さ means “speed.” It is a noun describing the degree of being fast, related to the adjective 速い “fast.” The useful pattern is Xの速さ “X’s speed” or 自然な速さ “natural speed.” Here で after the phrase marks the speed or manner at which the speaking happens. 話す is the plain, non-past form of the verb “to speak” or “to talk.” In 人が自然な速さで話す, it describes people speaking at a natural speed. A reusable example is ゆっくり話す, “speak slowly.” とき means “when” or “at the time.” A clause before it specifies the situation: 人が話すとき means “when people speak.” In this sentence, the longer clause 人が自然な速さで話すとき means “when people speak at a natural speed.” 聞き取り means “listening comprehension” or “understanding what is heard.” It refers to the ability or task of catching spoken language, rather than simply the physical act of hearing. It is related to 聞き取る, “catch or understand by listening”; the noun form is useful in labels such as 聞き取りの練習, “listening-comprehension practice.” Together, 人が自然な速さで話すとき sets the condition “when people speak at a natural speed,” and 聞き取り identifies the relevant skill or difficulty as listening comprehension. 特に highlights this condition as especially important. The final です makes the statement polite, giving the whole utterance the intended meaning: “Listening does, especially when people speak at a natural speed.”

4. それなら、新しい文法練習を加える前に、聞く練習にもっと時間をかけましょう。

   Then give listening more time before adding new grammar exercises.

   それなら

   then; in that case

   新しい

   new

   文法練習

   grammar practice

   加える

   add

   前に

   before

   聞く練習

   listening practice

   もっと

   more

   時間をかけましょう

   let’s spend time

   More detail

   それなら links this sentence to what was just said: “then” or “in that case.” それ means “that,” and なら presents the stated situation as the condition for the suggestion. The exact referent of “that” is supplied by the preceding discussion, not by this sentence alone. 新しい means “new” here and directly modifies 文法練習. Its base form is 新しい; it is an い-adjective, so the attributive form before a noun is also 新しい. For example, 新しい本 means “a new book.” 文法練習 is a noun compound meaning “grammar practice.” 文法 means “grammar,” while 練習 means “practice.” Japanese nouns do not normally mark plural number, so this form can refer to grammar practice generally or to one or more exercises; the translation uses the plural “exercises” to fit the intended meaning. 加える means “to add.” This is its dictionary form. In 新しい文法練習を加える, を marks the thing being added. The pattern Xを加える is reusable: 例を加える means “add an example.” 前に means “before.” Here it follows the verb phrase 新しい文法練習を加える, giving the pattern verb-dictionary form + 前に: “before doing something.” For example, 出かける前に水を飲みます means “I drink water before going out.” 前に can also follow a noun when the intended meaning is “before that noun or event.” 聞く練習 means “listening practice” in this context. 聞く is the dictionary form of the verb meaning “listen” or “hear”; before 練習, it identifies the activity being practiced. The surrounding context and fixed translation select the listening sense here. A reusable pattern is 読む練習 (“reading practice”), where 読む likewise describes the activity. もっと means “more” or “to a greater extent.” It modifies the amount of time proposed here, so it combines with 時間をかける as “spend more time.” 時間をかけましょう uses the expression 時間をかける, literally “apply time,” meaning “spend time” on something. 時間 is “time,” and を marks it as the object of かける. The form かけましょう is the polite volitional form of かける; 〜ましょう commonly makes a suggestion such as “let’s spend.” For example, この問題に時間をかけましょう means “Let’s spend time on this problem.” Putting the parts together, それなら sets the suggestion in response to the preceding situation. 新しい文法練習を加える前に means “before adding new grammar practice,” and 聞く練習にもっと時間をかけましょう means “let’s spend more time on listening practice.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Then give listening more time before adding new grammar exercises.”

5. いつもテストを受けなくても、自分が上達しているかどうか、どうすれば分かりますか。

   How can I tell whether I am improving without taking tests all the time?

   いつも

   all the time; always

   テスト

   test

   受けなくても

   even without taking

   自分が

   I; myself

   上達している

   am improving

   かどうか

   whether

   どうすれば

   how should I do it

   分かりますか

   can I tell?

   More detail

   いつも modifies the test-taking situation here: “all the time” or “constantly.” It is useful for describing repeated habits. Example: いつも朝ご飯を食べます。 — “I always eat breakfast.” テスト is the noun “test.” In this sentence it combines with を受ける, a common expression meaning “take a test.” The particle を marks the test as the object of that action. Example: 来週テストを受けます。 — “I will take a test next week.” 受けなくても means “even without taking.” The base verb is 受ける “to take/receive”; here its negative form 受けない becomes 受けなくて, and も adds the idea “even if/without.” Thus テストを受けなくても sets a condition that does not prevent the main action: “even without taking tests.” The negative form belongs to 受ける, not to テスト. 自分が presents the person whose improvement is being considered. 自分 literally refers to oneself, and が marks it as the subject of the embedded clause. In this utterance, the fixed translation identifies that person as the speaker: “I.” 自分 is not universally a first-person pronoun; its exact referent depends on context. Here, it is the speaker’s own progress. 上達している means “be improving” or “be making progress.” The base form is 上達する, “to improve” or “to become more proficient.” している presents the improvement as an ongoing state, so it is different from simply saying that improvement happened once. Example: 日本語が上達しています。 — “My Japanese is improving.” かどうか turns the preceding statement into an embedded yes-or-no question: 上達しているかどうか means “whether I am improving.” It is used when the answer is conceptually “yes or no,” rather than asking for a specific piece of information. Example: 彼が来るかどうか分かりません。 — “I do not know whether he will come.” どうすれば asks what action or method would produce the desired result. It is formed from どう “how” and すれば, the conditional form of する “do”; literally, it has the pattern “if one does how.” In natural English here, it is “how can I” or “what should I do to.” Example: どうすれば覚えられますか。 — “How can I remember it?” 分かりますか asks politely whether something can be understood or known. The base verb is 分かる, “to understand” or “to know/tell,” and ますか gives it a polite question form. In どうすれば分かりますか, it means “how can I tell?” rather than asking someone to explain the answer directly. Together, テストを受けなくても gives the condition “even without taking tests all the time,” while 自分が上達しているかどうか is the yes-or-no matter being determined. どうすれば分かりますか asks for a method of determining it. The whole utterance therefore means: “How can I tell whether I am improving without taking tests all the time?”

6. 同じ短い録音を二回使って、聞き取れた内容を比べてみてください。

   Use the same short recording twice and compare what you understood.

   同じ

   the same

   短い

   short

   録音

   recording

   二回

   twice

   使って

   use

   聞き取れた

   could make out by listening

   内容

   content

   比べて

   compare

   みてください

   please try

   More detail

   同じ means “the same” here. It marks the recording as identical to an already established or understood item; this sentence does not identify that comparison item. Before a noun, it appears directly before the noun, as in 同じ方法 (“the same method”). 短い means “short” and describes 録音. It is the attributive form of the い-adjective 短い; the same form can also end a simple statement, as in 録音は短い (“The recording is short”). Its opposite is 長い (“long”). 録音 means “recording” here: the recorded audio that is used in the instruction. In other contexts, it can also refer to recording as an activity or process. Together, 同じ短い録音 means “the same short recording.” 二回 means “twice,” specifying two repetitions. 回 counts occurrences or repetitions; for example, 三回読む means “read three times.” Here it describes using one recording two times, not using two recordings. 使って is the te-form of 使う (“use”). It connects using the recording with the following action: 録音を二回使って means “use the recording twice and …” or “by using the recording twice …”. The te-form itself does not mark past time; the final request form supplies the sentence’s directive force. 聞き取れた comes from 聞き取る, “make out or understand by listening.” 聞き取れる is the potential form, “can make out by listening,” and 聞き取れた is its past form, “could make out” or “managed to understand by listening.” Thus 聞き取れた内容 means “the content you could make out by listening.” Example: 名前を聞き取れた means “I could make out the name.” 内容 means “content” or “what was contained.” In 聞き取れた内容, it is the noun modified by the preceding clause: the content successfully understood by listening. The following を marks it as the object of 比べる (“compare”). 比べて is the te-form of 比べる (“compare”). Here it combines with the following auxiliary to form 比べてみる, “try comparing.” Example: 二つの答えを比べる means “compare two answers.” みてください is the auxiliary みる in its te-form plus ください. After another verb’s te-form, 〜てみる adds the idea of trying an action, and 〜てみてください politely asks someone to try it. Here it is not the independent verb 見る (“see”); it completes 比べてみてください, “please try comparing.” The sentence first identifies the item as 同じ短い録音, then connects its two uses with 二回使って. The material understood through listening is 聞き取れた内容, and 比べてみてください politely asks the learner to try comparing that content. Overall: “Use the same short recording twice and compare what you understood.”

7. その方法なら、毎日教材を変えるよりも、上達をはっきり測れます。

   That gives me a clearer measure than changing materials every day.

   その

   that

   方法

   method

   なら

   if it is; with

   毎日

   every day

   教材

   learning materials

   変える

   change

   よりも

   than

   上達

   improvement

   はっきり

   clearly

   測れます

   can measure

   More detail

   その means “that” and points to something already under discussion. Here it identifies the method being referred to, without specifying the method’s exact referent by itself. Japanese demonstratives such as その can also encode distance from the speaker or shared discourse context; the surrounding context determines the intended reference. 方法 means “method” or “way of doing something.” It is a noun and can combine with この “this,” その “that,” or どの “which” to identify a method: この方法 means “this method.” なら follows その方法 and presents it as the condition or basis: その方法なら means “if it is that method” or, naturally here, “with that method.” This is not the lexical meaning of 方法; it is the conditional/topic form attached to the noun phrase. 毎日 means “every day.” It modifies the action 変える, so the sentence describes changing the materials on a daily basis. For example, 毎日練習します means “I practise every day.” 教材 means “learning materials” or “teaching materials.” It is the object of 変える in the comparison clause. The word refers to materials used for learning, such as books, recordings, or exercises, depending on context. 変える is the dictionary form of the transitive verb meaning “to change something.” Its object here is 教材: 教材を変える means “change the learning materials.” Do not confuse it with the intransitive verb 変わる, “change” or “become different,” which does not take the changed item as a direct を object in the same way. よりも marks the comparison baseline, meaning “than.” The clause before it, 毎日教材を変える, is what is being compared against. A common pattern is AよりもBのほうが…, “B is … rather than A”; Japanese can also omit のほうが when the comparison is clear, as in this sentence. 上達 means “improvement” or “progress,” especially progress in a skill. Here it is the object being measured: 上達を測る means “measure progress.” It can also appear in 上達する, “improve” or “make progress,” where it functions as part of a verb expression rather than as the object of 測る. はっきり is an adverb meaning “clearly” or “distinctly.” It describes how clearly the progress can be measured. For example, 違いがはっきり分かります means “I can clearly see the difference.” 測れます is the polite potential form of 測る, “to measure”: 測る → 測れる → 測れます. It therefore means “can measure” here. The form expresses ability or feasibility and does not itself specify who can measure; the English “me” in the fixed translation supplies the intended perspective. The polite ending ます makes the statement suitable for a polite conversation. Together, その方法なら sets the method as the basis, and 毎日教材を変えるよりも establishes changing materials every day as the comparison baseline. 上達をはっきり測れます says that, using that method, progress can be measured more clearly than by changing the materials every day. The whole utterance is therefore: “That gives me a clearer measure than changing materials every day.”

8. それは、勉強した時間の長さだけでなく、あなたの方法がうまくいっているかどうかも示します。

   It also shows whether your strategy is working, not just how long you studied.

   それは

   That; it

   勉強した

   studied

   時間

   time

   長さ

   length

   だけでなく

   not only

   あなたの方法

   your method; your strategy

   うまくいっている

   is working; is going well

   かどうか

   whether

   も

   also

   示します

   shows

   More detail

   それは is a topic expression meaning “as for that” or “it” here. それ is a demonstrative pronoun, and は marks it as the topic. The supplied translation supports the pronoun reading “it,” but does not uniquely identify the referent, so its specific identity need not be stated. 勉強した comes from 勉強する (“to study”): した is its past form. Before a noun, this clause describes the noun, so 勉強した時間 means “the time [someone] studied” or “time spent studying.” Japanese attributive clauses come directly before the noun they modify. Example: 昨日読んだ本 means “the book I read yesterday.” 時間 means “time,” including a period or amount of time. 長さ means “length” or “duration”; it is formed from the adjective 長い (“long”) with the noun-forming suffix -さ. Here, 時間の長さ means “the length of the time,” naturally “how long.” Example: 会議の長さを記録します。 — “I record the length of the meeting.” だけでなく is the reusable pattern “not only A, but also B.” だけ limits the first item (“only”), and でなく is the negative form used to continue the contrast. In this sentence, A is 勉強した時間の長さ. Example: 価格だけでなく、品質も重要です。 — “Not only the price but also the quality is important.” あなたの方法 means “your method” or, in this context, “your strategy.” あなたの uses の to link the possessor or associated person to the noun; 方法 means “method” or “way.” The possessive form does not by itself specify what kind of method it is; the translation supplies the useful sense “strategy” here. うまくいっている means “is working” or “is going well.” Its base expression is うまくいく, “to go well / work out.” The -ている form presents the favorable situation as currently continuing, so 方法がうまくいっている says that the method is currently working. Example: この計画はうまくいっています。 — “This plan is working well.” かどうか follows a clause to mean “whether or not.” Thus あなたの方法がうまくいっているかどうか is “whether your method is working.” か marks the question-like alternative, while どうか makes the uncertainty explicit. Example: 結果が正しいかどうか確認します。 — “I will check whether the result is correct.” も means “also” or “too.” Here it marks the entire あなたの方法がうまくいっているかどうか idea as an additional thing that is shown, alongside the duration. Its exact scope comes from the surrounding construction, not from も alone. 示します comes from 示す, “to show” or “indicate.” 示します is the polite nonpast form: 示す + ます. Japanese nonpast forms can describe a present function or a future event; here it describes what the thing shows. Example: この数字は変化を示します。 — “This number indicates a change.” Putting the parts together: それは sets up the topic, and 示します supplies the main predicate, “shows.” The object of “shows” has two coordinated parts: 勉強した時間の長さ (“how long you studied”) and, introduced by だけでなく and marked with も, あなたの方法がうまくいっているかどうか (“whether your method is working”). The complete meaning is: “It also shows whether your strategy is working, not just how long you studied.”

9. 週に一度ノートを確認して、その結果に合わせて調整できます。

   I could check my notes once a week and adjust from there.

   週に一度

   once a week

   ノート

   notes

   確認して

   check and

   その結果

   that result

   合わせて

   in accordance with

   調整できます

   can adjust

   More detail

   週に一度 means “once a week.” 週 is “week,” and に marks the time interval at which the event occurs. 一度 means “one time”; together, the phrase gives a recurring frequency rather than identifying one particular week. Example: 月に二度会います。 — “I meet [someone] twice a month.” ノート means “notes” here. It is a loanword written in katakana; the sentence does not specify whether these are handwritten or digital notes. 確認して is the te-form of 確認する, “to check” or “to confirm.” The te-form connects this action to the following action: “check … and then ….” The object being checked is marked by を, so ノートを確認して means “check the notes and ….” Example: 予定を確認して、連絡します。 — “I’ll check the schedule and contact you.” その結果 means “that result” or “the result of that.” その is a demonstrative modifier, and 結果 is “result.” Here, the result is understood from the checking described in the sentence; the form itself does not identify a more specific result. 合わせて is the te-form of 合わせる, “to match,” “to align,” or “to adjust something to.” In その結果に合わせて, に marks the result as the standard that guides the adjustment, giving the reusable pattern Xに合わせてY — “do Y in accordance with X” or “adjust Y to X.” Example: 天気に合わせて服を選びます。 — “I choose clothes according to the weather.” 調整できます means “can adjust” or, in this context, “could adjust.” 調整する is “to adjust”; 調整できる is its potential form, expressing ability or feasibility, and 調整できます is the polite form. The final ます makes the expression polite; it does not itself create the meaning “could.” Together, 週に一度ノートを確認して sets the frequency and links checking the notes to a subsequent action. その結果に合わせて調整できます says that an adjustment can be made in accordance with the result of that check. The whole utterance therefore means: “I could check my notes once a week and adjust from there.”

10. そのような簡単な振り返りをすると、練習の焦点を保てます。

    A small review like that can keep your practice focused.

    そのような

    such; of that kind

    簡単な

    simple; easy

    振り返り

    review; reflection

    すると

    when doing

    練習

    practice

    焦点

    focus

    保てます

    can keep; can maintain

    More detail

    そのような points to a kind or type understood from context: “such” or “of that kind.” It does not itself identify a specific object. Here it modifies the following noun phrase, matching “a review like that” in the translation. 簡単な means “simple” or “easy.” 簡単 is a な-adjective: before a noun it takes な, as in 簡単な説明 (“a simple explanation”); at the end of a sentence, the corresponding forms are 簡単だ and the polite form 簡単です. The な belongs to this adjective and links it to 振り返り. 振り返り is a noun meaning “review” or “reflection” here. The related verb is 振り返る, “to look back” or “to review.” Example: 週末に一週間を振り返ります。—“I review the week on weekends.” すると consists of する followed by と. In this pattern, と introduces a condition or trigger, so そのような簡単な振り返りをすると means “when you do such a simple review” or “if you do such a simple review.” The understood subject is not stated by this form itself. と can also present a naturally resulting situation. Example: このボタンを押すと、画面が変わります。—“When you press this button, the screen changes.” 練習 means “practice.” In 練習の焦点, の links two nouns and gives the relation “the focus of practice.” The translation identifies this as the learner’s practice: “your practice.” The noun 練習 can also be used in a simple phrase such as 毎日の練習 (“daily practice”). 焦点 means “focus.” Here it refers to the central point or direction of attention, not a physical focal point. 焦点を保つ means “maintain the focus.” Another useful pattern is 焦点を当てる, “to focus on” something. 保てます means “can maintain” or “can keep.” Its base form is 保つ, “to maintain/keep”; the potential form is 保てる, “can maintain,” and the polite non-past form is 保てます. The potential form expresses ability or possibility, while ます adds polite style. The Japanese subject is omitted, so this form does not by itself specify who performs the maintaining; the fixed translation states the resulting possibility for the learner’s practice. Together, そのような簡単な振り返りをすると sets up the condition “when you do such a simple review.” 練習の焦点 is “the focus of your practice,” and を marks that focus as the object of 保てます. The whole utterance therefore means: “A small review like that can keep your practice focused.”