Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhōumò xuéxiào yǒu yí gè xiǎo bǐsài, hěn duō tóngxué dōu yào cānjiā. - There is a small competition at school this weekend, and many classmates want to take part.

So it’s not “the school possesses a competition” in the ownership sense; it’s more like “a competition is being held at the school.” This use of 有 to mean “there is/are” is extremely common.

Why is the word order 周末学校有一个小比赛 and not something like “学校周末有一个小比赛”?

Chinese likes the order Time – Place – Verb – Object.

周末 = time (“on the weekend”)
学校 = place (“at the school”)
有 = verb (“there is / there are”)
一个小比赛 = object (“a small competition”)

So the structure is:

周末（time）学校（place）有（verb）一个小比赛（object）

You could also say 学校周末有一个小比赛, and people would understand, but 周末学校有… (time first) sounds more natural and is closer to standard word order.

Why is there no 在 (zài) before 周末 or 学校? Could I say 在周末，在学校有一个小比赛?

You can use 在, but it’s often optional when the time or place phrase is short and clear.

All of these are grammatical:

周末学校有一个小比赛。
周末在学校有一个小比赛。
在周末学校有一个小比赛。 (less natural than putting 在 before 学校)

Natural-sounding versions:

周末在学校有一个小比赛。 = “On the weekend, there is a small competition at school.”
周末学校有一个小比赛。 = (very similar meaning; slightly more compact)

So 在 is not required here; dropping it is normal and doesn’t change the meaning much.

Why do we say 一个小比赛 with 个 (gè)? Are there other measure words I could use?

Chinese needs a measure word (classifier) between a number and a noun. 个 is the most general one:

一个比赛 = “a competition” (using the general classifier 个)

For events like competitions, there are also more specific measure words:

一场比赛 – one match/round/contest (emphasis on a game-like event, e.g. a sports match)
一次比赛 – one (single) competition/event (emphasis on one occurrence)

So you could say:

周末学校有一场比赛。
周末学校有一次比赛。

In beginner-level or casual speech, using 个 is very common and perfectly acceptable. Using 场 or 次 just sounds a bit more precise or natural in many contexts.

Why is 一 pronounced yí in 一个 (yí gè) instead of yī?

This is tone sandhi: the tone of 一 changes depending on what follows it.

Before a 4th tone syllable, 一 changes from 1st tone (yī) to 2nd tone (yí).
个 (gè) is 4th tone, so 一个 is pronounced yí gè.

So:

一 + 个 (4th tone) → yí gè
一 + 本 (3rd tone) → yì běn (before 3rd tone, it usually becomes 4th tone)

Spelling stays 一, but the pronunciation changes in connected speech.

What exactly does 小 (xiǎo) do in 小比赛? Is it necessary?

小 here means “small” or “minor”, and it usually implies:

It’s not a big, formal, or important competition.
Maybe it’s a small-scale class/school contest.

Without 小:

一个比赛 = “a competition” (no comment on size/importance)
With 小:
一个小比赛 = “a little competition” / “a small contest”

It’s not grammatically necessary, but it adds nuance.

What does 很多 (hěn duō) mean, and is it one word or two?

很多 means “many / a lot of” and behaves as a unit in this phrase:

很多同学 = “many students/classmates”

You can think of it like “very many”, but in practice it’s just “many” or “a lot of.”

Other near-synonyms:

许多同学 – many classmates (a bit more formal in some contexts)
好多同学 – lots of classmates (more colloquial)

So 很多同学 is very common, natural, standard speech.

What exactly does 同学 (tóngxué) mean? Is it only “classmate”?

同学 literally means “people who study together,” and in real usage it can be:

Classmate / schoolmate (current or former):
- 他是我的同学。 – “He is my classmate / schoolmate.”
A way a teacher or speaker can address students collectively:
- 同学们，好！ – “Hello, students!”

In 很多同学都要参加, it means “many (of my/our) classmates / schoolmates.” Chinese doesn’t need to specify “my”; it’s understood from context.

What does 都 (dōu) do here, and why is it placed before 要?

都 means “all / both” and it must go before the verb or adjective it modifies.

Structure here:

很多同学都要参加。
- 很多同学 – many classmates
- 都 – all (of them)
- 要参加 – will / are going to participate

So the meaning is:

“Many classmates all are going to participate.”
or more naturally: “Many classmates are going to participate.”

It emphasizes that each of those many classmates is participating, not just some of them. Correct position: Subject + 都 + Verb.

Does 要 (yào) here mean “want to,” “will,” or “have to”?

In this sentence, 要 mainly expresses future intention / plan:

很多同学都要参加。
→ “Many classmates are going to participate.”
→ “Many classmates will participate.”

It can also carry a slight sense of intention (“want to”), but it’s not as strong as saying 想要 or 想参加. Context:

With a future time like 周末, 要 often means “going to / will”:
- 周末我要去北京。 – “I’m going to Beijing this weekend.”

So here, understand 要 as “will / are going to”, not as strict obligation (“have to”) and not just desire.

Why doesn’t 参加 (cānjiā) have an object after it? Shouldn’t it be 参加比赛?

Yes, 参加 usually takes an object:

参加比赛 – take part in a competition
参加活动 – take part in an event

In your sentence, the object is understood from context:

First clause: 周末学校有一个小比赛 – “There is a small competition at school this weekend.”
Second clause: 很多同学都要参加。

It’s clear that 参加 refers to that competition, so the noun 比赛 is omitted:

Expanded: 很多同学都要参加（那个比赛）。
Omission like this is very common and natural in Chinese when the object is obvious.

How do we know the sentence is talking about the future if there is no tense like in English?

Chinese doesn’t change verb forms for tense; it relies on time words and certain verbs/particles.

Clues here:

周末 – “the weekend” (assumed to be the upcoming one in most contexts)
要 – often indicates future plan or intention.

Together:

周末学校有一个小比赛 – “There is / will be a small competition at school on the weekend.”
很多同学都要参加 – “Many classmates are going to / will participate.”

So the combination of 周末 and 要 makes the future meaning clear, even without special verb endings.

If I want to say “this weekend” specifically, how would I change 周末?

You can say:

这个周末学校有一个小比赛，很多同学都要参加。
= “This weekend the school has a small competition; many classmates are going to participate.”

Patterns:

这个周末 – this weekend
上个周末 – last weekend
下个周末 – next weekend

If context is clear, people often just say 周末 and let context supply whether it’s this coming weekend or weekends in general.