Zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan zài gōngyuán gēn liǎng zhī gǒu wán.

On weekends I like to play with two dogs in the park.

Breakdown of Zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan zài gōngyuán gēn liǎng zhī gǒu wán.

• 我wǒ: I
• 在zài: at
• 喜欢xǐhuan: to like
• 跟gēn: with
• 周末zhōumò: weekend
• 两liǎng: two
• 公园gōngyuán: park
• 只zhī: animal classifier
• 狗gǒu: dog
• 玩wán: to play

Questions & Answers about Zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan zài gōngyuán gēn liǎng zhī gǒu wán.

Why does 周末 go at the very beginning, and why is there no word like “on” as in “on weekends”?

In Chinese, time expressions usually come first, before the subject:

[Time] + [Subject] + [Verb] + (other elements)
周末 我 喜欢 在公园 跟两只狗 玩。

Chinese normally does not need a separate preposition like “on” for days and time periods. So:

• 周末我去公园。 = I go to the park on weekends.
• 明天他工作。 = He works tomorrow.

The time word itself (周末, 明天, 晚上, etc.) already covers the “on / at / in” idea in many cases, so nothing extra is added in front of it.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say 我周末喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩 instead?

Chinese word order is flexible within certain limits. Two common, natural options here are:

1. 周末我喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。
2. 我周末喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。

Both are acceptable and mean the same thing. The difference is just where you put the time phrase:

• 周末我… puts a bit more emphasis on the time: As for weekends, I like…
• 我周末… sounds more like I, on weekends, like…

What you generally can’t do is split things in ways that break the basic structure:

• Natural pattern: [Time] [Subject] [Adverb] [Verb] [Place] [Object / Companion] [Main Verb / Complement]
  
  • 周末 我 喜欢 在公园 跟两只狗 玩。

If you move 在公园 in front of 喜欢 (e.g. 周末我在公园喜欢跟两只狗玩) it becomes odd in this context, because 喜欢 is about the activity 在公园跟两只狗玩 as a whole.

What exactly is 在 doing here? Why 在公园 and not just 公园?

在 is marking location or place of an action:

• 在公园 ≈ in the park / at the park

In this sentence, 在公园 tells you where the action 玩 (to play) happens. Without 在, just 公园 would normally be interpreted as an object or destination, not a location of an ongoing action.

Compare:

• 我去公园。 – I go to the park. (公园 is a destination)
• 我在公园玩。 – I am / I play in the park. (在公园 is the place of the playing)

So 喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩 = like to (be) in the park playing with two dogs.

What does 跟 mean here? Can I use 和 instead?

In this sentence, 跟 means “with” in the sense of doing something together with someone/something:

• 跟两只狗玩 = play with two dogs

You can usually swap 跟 and 和 in this meaning:

• 在公园跟两只狗玩
• 在公园和两只狗玩

Both are fine, and many speakers use 跟 and 和 almost interchangeably in casual speech.

Very rough tendencies:

• 跟: slightly more colloquial and often used for “together with” or “following”.
• 和: a bit more neutral / formal, also used for “and” between nouns.

In this casual sentence, 跟 is perfectly natural.

Why is it 两只狗 and not 二只狗?

Chinese has two common words for “two”: 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng).

The rule here is:

• When you use a number directly before a measure word, you normally use 两, not 二.

So:

• 两只狗 ✅
• 二只狗 ❌ (sounds wrong in modern standard Mandarin)

More examples:

• 两个人 (two people), not 二个人
• 两本书 (two books), not 二本书

You mainly use 二 in:

• Numbers (phone numbers, counting, page 2: 第二页)
• Certain fixed expressions (二楼, 二手 etc.)

Why is there a 只 between 两 and 狗? What does 只 mean here?

只 (zhī) is a measure word (also called a classifier). In Chinese you usually can’t say “two dog” directly. You must say:

[Number] + [Measure word] + [Noun]

For many animals (especially small to medium-sized ones), the common measure word is 只:

• 一只狗 – one dog
• 两只猫 – two cats
• 三只鸟 – three birds

So 两只狗 literally fits the pattern:

两 (two) + 只 (animal-measure word) + 狗 (dog)

Measure words are essential in Chinese grammar; you almost always need one when you use a number with a countable noun.

If 狗 is not marked as plural, how do we know it means “dogs” and not “dog”?

Chinese nouns normally do not change form for plural. There is no -s like in English. Number is shown by:

• The number word (like 两)
• The measure word (like 只)

So:

• 狗 by itself could be dog or dogs depending on context.
• 两只狗 must be two dogs, because the 两 and 只 specify the quantity.

Similarly:

• 一只狗 – one dog
• 很多狗 – many dogs
• 这些狗 – these dogs

The noun 狗 stays the same; the words before it tell you whether it’s one or more.

Could this sentence mean “with my two dogs”? How would I say that explicitly?

跟两只狗玩 simply means “play with two dogs”. It doesn’t say whether they are your dogs, someone else’s, or just some dogs you see there.

To explicitly say “my two dogs”, you can add 我的:

• 周末我喜欢在公园跟我的两只狗玩。
  – On weekends I like to play with my two dogs in the park.

Other natural options:

• 跟我家的两只狗玩 – with the two dogs from my home / my family’s two dogs
• 跟我养的两只狗玩 – with the two dogs I raise / keep

Why is there no tense marker like “will”, “am”, or “-ed” in this sentence?

Chinese does not mark tense (past, present, future) the way English does. Instead, it relies on:

• Time words: 周末, 昨天, 明天, 刚才, etc.
• Context
• Aspect particles (了, 过, 着) when needed

In 周末我喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。, the combination of:

• 喜欢 (like – typically a general, habitual feeling) and
• 周末 (on weekends, a repeated time word)

tells us this is a habitual, general statement, not a single event in the past or future.

If you wanted a more specific future plan, you might say:

• 这个周末我打算在公园跟两只狗玩。 – This weekend I plan to play with two dogs in the park.
• 这个周末我会在公园跟两只狗玩。 – This weekend I will play with two dogs in the park.

Why can 喜欢 be followed by another verb 玩? Isn’t that “two verbs in a row”?

Yes, and that’s normal in Chinese. 喜欢 (xǐhuan) can be followed by:

• A noun:
  
  • 我喜欢狗。 – I like dogs.
• Or a verb phrase (an activity):
  
  • 我喜欢玩。 – I like to play.
  • 我喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。 – I like to play with two dogs in the park.

In this usage, 喜欢 means “to like doing [something]”. The whole phrase after 喜欢 acts like its object:

喜欢 [在公园跟两只狗玩]

So it’s similar to English “like to play” or “like playing”, but in Chinese you just put the verb phrase after 喜欢 without any extra word.

What exactly does 玩 mean here? Is it like “play a game”, or “hang out”, or something else?

玩 (wán) is a general word for “to play / to have fun / to enjoy oneself”. In this sentence:

• 跟两只狗玩 means play with two dogs (running around, throwing a ball, etc.)

Depending on context, 玩 can mean:

• Play in a general sense:
  
  • 小孩子在外面玩。 – The kids are playing outside.
• Hang out / have fun:
  
  • 周末我们出去玩吧。 – Let’s go out and have fun on the weekend.
• Play specific things when paired with another word:
  
  • 玩游戏 – play games
  • 玩手机 – play on the phone / mess around on your phone

By itself here, it simply means having fun / playing with the dogs.

Does 周末 here mean “this weekend”, “on weekends in general”, or both?

On its own, 周末 is a bit flexible. In 周末我喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。, because:

• 喜欢 expresses a general preference
• There is no extra word like 这个 / 上个 / 下个

the most natural reading is “on weekends (in general)” — a habitual activity.

If you want to be specific:

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

Examples:

• 这个周末我在家。 – I’ll be at home this weekend.
• 上个周末我在公园跟两只狗玩了。 – Last weekend I played with two dogs in the park.

Can I drop 我 and just say 周末喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩?

You can drop 我 in some contexts, but it depends on clarity:

• If it’s already obvious from the conversation that you are talking about your own habits, then:
  • 周末喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。
    could be understood as [I] on weekends like to play with two dogs in the park.

However:

• In a stand‑alone sentence (like on a flashcard or exercise), it’s better to keep 我 for clarity:
  • 周末我喜欢在公园跟两只狗玩。

Chinese often omits the subject when it is very clear from context (similar to “Tired now” in English when it’s obvious you mean “I’m tired now”), but for learners and neutral examples, including 我 is safer.