Learn Hardcore Chinese: míngtiān wǒmen xiǎng zài gōngyuán sànbù, yìbiān zǒu yìbiān tǎolùn xià gè xīngqī de ānpái, zuìhòu yìqǐ huíjiā. - Tomorrow we want to walk in the park, discussing next week’s plans while we walk, and finally go home together.

想
- softer: would like to / feel like / intend to
- leaves room for change
- polite and common in everyday speech
要
- stronger: be going to / want to (firmly)
- often used for planned or decided actions

So:

明天我们想在公园散步…
→ We’d like to go for a walk in the park tomorrow…

If you used 要 instead:

明天我们要在公园散步…
→ feels more like a firm plan or even a requirement.

What is the role of 在 in 在公园散步? Is it the same 在 as in the progressive tense (e.g. “在吃饭”)?

There are two common uses of 在:

Location marker (preposition) – “at/in”
- 在公园散步 = take a walk in the park
  Here 在 introduces the place where the action happens.
Progressive marker – “be doing”
- 在吃饭 = be eating / in the middle of eating

In this sentence, 在 is clearly the location use:

在 + place + Verb
→ 在公园散步 (take a walk in the park)

It is not the progressive marker here, because it’s directly followed by a noun (公园), not a verb.

Why is it 在公园散步 and not 在公园里散步? What’s the difference between 公园 and 公园里?

Both are correct:

在公园散步 – in/at the park (general)
在公园里散步 – literally inside the park, a bit more “inside the space” in feeling

Differences:

公园: neutral, very common; already implies you’re in the park context
公园里: can subtly emphasize being within the boundaries of the park

In most cases, you can use either with almost no difference in meaning. Native speakers say 在公园散步 very often; it doesn’t sound incomplete.

How does the structure 一边…一边… work? Does it always mean doing two actions at the same time?

Yes, 一边…一边… expresses two actions happening simultaneously:

一边走一边讨论…
→ walk *while discussing…*

Structure:

一边 + Verb A + 一边 + Verb B

Notes:

It always implies at the same time, not “first … then …”.
In spoken Chinese, people sometimes drop the first 一, saying 边走边讨论, but 一边…一边… is the full, clear form.
You can’t use it for clearly sequential actions; then you’d use 然后, 接着, 最后, etc.

Why say 一边走一边讨论 instead of just 一边散步一边讨论? Is 走 necessary?

走 is not strictly necessary; 一边散步一边讨论 is also correct.

Nuance:

散步 = “to take a walk” (already means walking for leisure)
走 = “to walk” (basic action)

一边走一边讨论 emphasizes the physical act of walking while discussing.
一边散步一边讨论 emphasizes the activity of strolling while discussing.

Both are natural; this sentence just chooses to say the more basic verb 走 for “walking” during the discussion.

What does 下 do in 讨论下? Is it the same as 一下?

下 here is a softening / “a bit” complement, very similar to 一下.

讨论 = discuss (neutral, can sound a bit direct)
讨论一下 / 讨论下 = discuss a bit / briefly / for a moment, sounds more polite and casual

In modern spoken and informal written Chinese:

一下 and 下 often work the same in this role.
讨论一下 and 讨论下 are both common.

So 讨论下 makes the action sound lighter and less forceful, like “talk it over” rather than “hold a formal discussion”.

Why is it 下个星期 and not just 下星期? What role does 个 play here?

个 is a measure word. For 星期, both forms are used:

下个星期 – very common, especially in the north / standard Mandarin
下星期 – also used, more common in some regions and in fast speech

So:

下个星期 = “next week”
个 here is the default measure word, and using it is fully standard.
Dropping 个 (下星期) is also acceptable in many contexts.

You’ll see and hear both; 下个星期 is a very safe, standard choice.

What does 的 do in 下个星期的安排?

的 here links a describing phrase with the noun it describes:

下个星期 = next week
安排 = arrangements / plans
下个星期的安排 = the arrangements of next week
→ next week’s arrangements / the plan for next week

So the pattern is:

[Describer] + 的 + [Noun]

In this case:

(下个星期) 的 (安排)
= 下个星期的安排

What is the nuance of 安排 here? How is it different from 计划?

Both can be translated as “plan”, but they’re not identical.

安排
- literally: arrangements / scheduling / how things are arranged
- often includes who does what, when, and where
- can be verb (“to arrange”) or noun (“arrangement”)
计划
- “plan” in the sense of goal + method
- often more about objectives and intentions, not just time slots

In 下个星期的安排, 安排 focuses on the schedule / concrete arrangements for next week (what is arranged for each day, what to do when).

What does 最后 mean here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

最后 means “finally / in the end / at last” and shows the last step in a sequence.

In the sentence:

最后一起回家
→ finally go home together

Placement:

Usually at the beginning of the clause it modifies:
- 最后一起回家。
- Or you could say, for example: 我们最后一起回家。

It is similar to “finally / at the end” and clearly marks the final action after the previous ones (walking, discussing).

Why is it 回家 and not 去家 for “go home together”?

In Chinese, you almost never say 去家.

回家 = “go home / return home”
- 回 has a sense of returning to a place you belong or came from.

English says “go home”, but Chinese thinks of it as “return home”, hence 回家.

So:

一起回家 = go home together
去家 is unnatural and basically incorrect in standard Mandarin.

How do we know this whole sentence is talking about the future if there is no word like “will”?

Chinese does not use verb tense the way English does. Instead, it relies on:

Time words
- 明天 = tomorrow → clearly points to the future
Modal verbs or intention verbs
- 想 = would like to / intend to

Putting those together:

明天我们想 …
→ clearly describes a future plan / intention.

No extra word like “will” is needed; 明天 + 想 are enough to show the future meaning.