Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhōumò wǒmen yì qǐchuáng jiù shàngwǎng huòzhě kàn diànyǐng. - On weekends, as soon as we get up we go online or watch movies.

So the whole sentence means that whenever it’s the weekend, the moment we get up, we immediately go online or watch movies. This often implies a habitual action.

What exactly does 就 mean here?

就 (jiù) here has two roles:

It’s the second half of the 一⋯就⋯ pattern (as soon as A, then B).
Semantically, it suggests immediacy or a natural, quick result:
- “right then,” “right away,” “directly,” “straightaway.”

Compare:

我们一起床就上网。
“As soon as we get up, we (immediately) go online.”

If you used 才 (cái) instead of 就, it would mean the opposite (late, slower than expected), so 就 here is important for the “immediate” feeling.

Is 一起床 the same as 一起 (together)? Why is there a space between 一 and 起床?

They are completely different:

一起床 in this sentence is: 一 / 起床
- 一: part of the 一⋯就⋯ pattern (“as soon as”)
- 起床: “to get up (from bed)”
一起 (yìqǐ) = “together”

So:

周末我们一起床就上网。
= As soon as we get up on weekends, we go online.
周末我们一起上网。
= We go online together on weekends.

If you wrote 一起床 as one chunk and read it as 一起 + 床, that would be wrong here. The correct grouping is 一 / 起床 / 就.

Why is 周末 at the beginning? Do I need 在 (like 在周末)?

In Chinese, time expressions often go at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject:

周末我们一起床就上网 …
明天我去北京。 (Tomorrow I go to Beijing.)

You usually don’t need 在 with simple time words:

✔ 周末我们…
✔ 星期天我…
✔ 明年他…

You can say 在周末, but it’s less common in casual speech and can feel a bit more formal/emphatic, like “during the weekend.” Both are grammatically possible:

周末我们一起床就上网。 (most natural)
在周末，我们一起床就上网。 (also OK, slightly heavier)

Why is there only one 我们? Why not repeat the subject, like “周末我们一起床，我们就上网…”?

In Chinese, if two actions share the same subject, you usually mention the subject once and then leave it out for the following verbs:

周末我们一起床就上网或者看电影。
Literally: “Weekend, we as-soon-as-get-up then-go-online or-watch-movie.”

Both 起床 and 上网 / 看电影 share the subject 我们, so it doesn’t have to be repeated. Repeating 我们 before every verb would sound unnatural and heavy.

Why is there no 了 after 起床 or at the end of the sentence?

This sentence describes a habitual action on weekends, not a single completed event. For habits / routines, Chinese often doesn’t use 了:

我每天七点起床。 (I get up at 7 every day.) – no 了
周末我们一起床就上网。 (On weekends, as soon as we get up, we go online.) – no 了

If you talk about one specific past time, you might add 了:

昨天早上我们一起床就上网了。
“Yesterday morning, as soon as we got up, we went online.” (a particular past event)

Why is 或者 used here instead of 还是? Aren’t they both “or”?

Both mean “or,” but their usage is different:

或者 (huòzhě) – used in statements:
- 我们上网或者看电影。
  “We go online or watch movies.” (statement)
还是 (háishi) – typically used in questions:
- 你想上网还是看电影？
  “Do you want to go online or watch a movie?” (question)

Your sentence is a statement, so 或者 is the correct choice.

What do 上网 and 看电影 literally mean? Do I need an object like “a movie”?

上网 (shàngwǎng) literally: “go onto the net” → to go online / surf the internet
It’s a verb-object compound but normally used as a single verb:
- 我喜欢上网。 – I like going online.
看电影 (kàn diànyǐng) = “watch movies / watch a movie”
In Chinese, you often don’t need a word like “a” unless you want to be specific:
- 看电影 – watch movies / watch a movie (general)
- 看一部电影 – watch one movie (emphasis on a single movie)

So 上网或者看电影 simply covers the general activities “go online or watch movies.”

Can I change the word order, like saying “我们周末一起床就上网” or “周末我们就上网或者看电影，一起床以后”?

Some small changes are fine; others become unnatural.

✔ These are natural:

我们周末一起床就上网或者看电影。
(Subject first, then time.)
周末我们起床以后就上网或者看电影。
(“After we get up, we go online or watch movies.” – using 以后 instead of 一…就….)

✖ These are odd or wrong:

周末我们就一起来上网或者看电影。
This changes the meaning to “On weekends we together go online or watch movies” and loses the “as soon as we get up” idea.
周末我们就上网或者看电影，一起床以后。
Putting the time clause 一起床以后 at the very end is unnatural.

General rule:
Time expressions (周末, 一起床以后, etc.) normally come before the main action, not after the whole sentence.