Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ zhōumò xǐhuan zài gōngyuán tī zúqiú. - I like to play soccer in the park on weekends.

You could say 周末我喜欢在公园踢足球, which is also correct and just shifts the emphasis slightly to the time (on weekends) at the very beginning. But 周末 almost never goes at the very end of this sentence.

What exactly is 在 (zài) doing before 公园 (gōngyuán)? Do we always need it?

Here 在 marks the location where the action happens:

在公园踢足球 = play soccer in the park

Without 在, 公园 would just look like another noun, and it wouldn’t be clear that it’s a place where you do the action.

Compare:

我周末喜欢在公园踢足球。
On weekends I like *to play soccer in the park.*
我周末喜欢去公园踢足球。
On weekends I like *to go to the park to play soccer.*

在 + place = where you are doing something.
去 + place = you go to that place.

So 在公园 is necessary here because you’re describing the location of the action, not a movement toward the park.

Why is there no 在 before 周末 (why not 在周末 for “on weekends”)?

Time words in Chinese usually do not need a preposition. They can stand alone:

周末 = on weekends
明天 = tomorrow
晚上 = in the evening

So:

我周末喜欢… = I on-weekends like… (i.e. I like to… on weekends)

You can say 在周末, but it typically sounds more formal or specific, like:

在周末，我常常复习功课。
On weekends, I often review my lessons.

In everyday speech, for simple time expressions like 周末, people almost always omit 在.

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

By itself, 周末 is ambiguous and relies on context.

In this sentence:

我周末喜欢在公园踢足球。

the verb 喜欢 expresses a general preference / habit, so the natural interpretation is:

on weekends in general (a habitual activity)

If you want to be specific, you’d add more detail:

这个周末我想在公园踢足球。 – This weekend I want to play soccer in the park.
每个周末我都在公园踢足球。 – Every weekend I play soccer in the park.

How is 喜欢 (xǐhuan) working grammatically here? Can it really be followed by a whole verb phrase?

Yes. 喜欢 can be followed by:

A noun:
- 我喜欢足球。 – I like football/soccer.
A verb or verb phrase (what you like to do):
- 我喜欢踢足球。 – I like to play soccer.
- 我周末喜欢在公园踢足球。 – On weekends, I like to play soccer in the park.

So in this sentence, the object of 喜欢 is the entire phrase:

在公园踢足球 (to play soccer in the park)

Structurally:
我 (subject) + 周末 (time) + 喜欢 (verb) + 在公园踢足球 (object).

What’s the difference between 喜欢 (xǐhuan) and 爱 (ài) here? Could I say 我周末爱在公园踢足球?

You usually do not use 爱 for hobbies in modern everyday Mandarin.

喜欢 = to like; to enjoy; to be fond of
爱 = to love (very strong), or “to be fond of doing” in some set expressions

Saying:

我周末爱在公园踢足球。

is grammatically possible but sounds unusual or old-fashioned for many speakers. It can sound overly strong or literary.

For hobbies, preferences, and things you enjoy doing, 喜欢 is the natural choice:

我周末喜欢在公园踢足球。 ✔️
我爱你。 – I love you. (but not usually 我爱踢足球 in everyday speech)

Why is the verb 踢 (tī) used with 足球 (zúqiú)? Can I say 打足球 instead?

Chinese uses different verbs for different sports, often reflecting the main movement:

踢足球 – to play soccer (踢 = to kick) ✔️
打篮球 – to play basketball (打 = to hit)
打网球 – to play tennis
打乒乓球 – to play table tennis

Because soccer is played mainly by kicking, the standard collocation is:

踢足球 (not 打足球)

Saying 打足球 is incorrect or at least very unnatural. Native speakers will almost always say 踢足球.

Why is the order 在公园踢足球 and not something like 踢在公园足球?

Chinese word order is:

(在 + place) + Verb + Object

So:

在公园 (location)
踢 (verb)
足球 (object)

= 在公园踢足球 – play soccer in the park

Putting 踢在公园足球 breaks this pattern and is ungrammatical. The preposition-like word 在 must come before the place it introduces, and the place phrase comes before the main verb.

Why is there no measure word, like 一个公园 or 一个足球, in this sentence?

Measure words in Chinese are normally used when you:

count something, or
identify a specific item.

Here, we’re talking about:

公园 as a location type, not “one specific park being counted”.
足球 as the sport/activity, not a physical ball you’re counting.

So you say:

在公园踢足球。 – at (a/the) park, play soccer. (no measure words needed)

But you’d use measure words when you count or specify:

附近有一个公园。 – There is a park nearby.
买了三个足球。 – (I) bought three soccer balls.

How would I change this sentence to clearly talk about last weekend or next weekend?

You just modify 周末 with words like 上, 下, or 这个:

上个周末我在公园踢足球。
Last weekend I played soccer in the park.
下个周末我想在公园踢足球。
Next weekend I want to play soccer in the park.
这个周末我打算在公园踢足球。
This weekend I plan to play soccer in the park.

Notice that Chinese doesn’t change the verb form for past/future like English; it mainly uses time words (and sometimes particles like 了) to show when something happens.

Is the pronunciation of 喜欢 (xǐhuan) both third tone, or is huan neutral?

In standard Mandarin:

喜 = third tone (xǐ)
欢 = usually neutral tone (huan) in everyday speech

So it’s pronounced:

xǐhuan (3rd + neutral)

not xǐhuān (3rd + 1st) and not xǐhuǎn or two full third tones.

Similarly:

公园 (gōngyuán): both syllables have full tones (1st + 2nd). In Beijing you may hear 公园儿 (gōngyuár) with érhuà, but the basic pronunciation is gōngyuán.
足球 (zúqiú): 2nd + 2nd tone.

Can I say 我喜欢周末在公园踢足球 instead? Is that different from 我周末喜欢在公园踢足球?

Both are grammatically correct, but the nuance is slightly different:

我周末喜欢在公园踢足球。
- Time (周末) comes immediately after the subject.
- Neutral, very natural word order.
我喜欢周末在公园踢足球。
- The object of 喜欢 is now 周末在公园踢足球 as a whole package.
- Feels a bit more like: I like *playing soccer in the park on weekends (as a complete situation).*

In everyday speech, 我周末喜欢在公园踢足球 is more straightforward and slightly more common, but both would be understood the same way in most contexts.

If there are several of us, how do I say “We like to play soccer in the park on weekends”?

Just make 我 plural:

我们周末喜欢在公园踢足球。
We like to play soccer in the park on weekends.

们 (men) makes pronouns plural:

我 → 我们 – I → we
你 → 你们 – you (singular) → you (plural)
他 / 她 / 它 → 他们 / 她们 / 它们 – they (for people/objects)

The rest of the sentence stays exactly the same.