Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhōumò, tā hé nánpéngyou zài gōngyuán nánmén yuēhuì, juéde nà gè dìdiǎn bǐ biéde dìfang ānjìng. - On weekends she has dates with her boyfriend at the south gate of the park and feels that location is quieter than other places.

Putting the time word 周末 at the start is very natural and is often even preferred. You could also place it after the subject (她周末和男朋友…), but sentence‑initial time is very common.

Does 周末 here mean "on weekends (in general)" or "this weekend (a specific one)"?

By itself, 周末 is ambiguous between:

"on weekends" in general (a habitual action)
"on the weekend / this weekend" (a specific upcoming/past weekend)

Context usually tells you which is meant.

If you want to be explicit:

每个周末 – every weekend (clearly habitual)
这个周末 – this weekend (clearly a specific time)

In this isolated sentence, both readings are possible.

Why is it 她和男朋友 and not 她和她的男朋友? Where did "her" go?

In Chinese, when the relationship is obvious from context, 的 is often dropped with close relationships and kinship terms:

我妈妈 / 我妈 – my mom
他哥哥 – his older brother
她男朋友 – her boyfriend

Here, 她和男朋友 is understood as she and (her) boyfriend. Because the boyfriend clearly belongs to 她, adding 的 is optional.

You can say 她和她的男朋友, but it sounds a bit heavier and is often only used when you want to emphasize "her (not someone else’s) boyfriend".

Can 和 be replaced with 跟 here? Is there any difference?

Yes, here 和 and 跟 are interchangeable in meaning:

她和男朋友在公园南门约会
她跟男朋友在公园南门约会

Both mean "She has a date with her boyfriend at the south gate of the park."

Nuance:

和 (hé) is slightly more neutral/formal, common in writing.
跟 (gēn) is very common in spoken Chinese and can sound a bit more colloquial.

Functionally, for "with someone", both are fine in this sentence.

How does the structure 在公园南门约会 work? What is the word order rule here?

The pattern is: 在 + place + Verb – "to Verb at/in/on (place)".

So:

在公园南门约会 = to have a date at the south gate of the park

Breaking it down:

在 – at / in
公园南门 – the south gate of the park
约会 – to date / to have a date

Chinese tends to put the location before the main verb:
她在公园南门约会 – She is dating (someone) at the park’s south gate.

Putting the location after the verb (like "约会在公园南门") is usually unnatural in Chinese for this kind of sentence.

Why is it 公园南门 and not something like 南门公园? How is "of the park" expressed?

Chinese often expresses "of" relationships by directly placing nouns together, in the order "bigger place/whole" → "part":

学校门口 – the school entrance (entrance of the school)
饭店二楼 – the restaurant’s second floor
公园南门 – the park’s south gate

So 公园南门 literally means "park south-gate".

南门公园 would be understood as "South Gate Park" (a park whose name is South Gate), which is different. The structure used here is the natural way to say "the south gate of the park".

Is 约会 a verb or a noun here? Could we say 有一个约会 instead?

In this sentence, 约会 is used as a verb:

她…约会 – She goes on a date / has a date.

约会 can be both:

Verb: 跟他约会 – to date him / to go on a date with him
Noun: 一个约会 – a date (one date/appointment)

You could say:

周末，她和男朋友有一个约会。 – "On the weekend, she and her boyfriend have a date."

But then you’d normally add the place separately:

周末，她和男朋友在公园南门有一个约会。

The original sentence is more compact by making 约会 the main verb.

Is 觉得 one word or two (觉 and 得)? What exactly does it mean here?

觉得 (juéde) is treated as one verb meaning "to feel" / "to think" (to have an opinion).

觉 (jué) on its own can mean "to feel, sense", and
得 here is a fixed part of the verb, not the grammatical particle 得 used after verbs.

In this sentence:

觉得那个地点比别的地方安静 = "(she) feels/thinks that that location is quieter than other places."

So 觉得 introduces what the subject thinks or feels about something.

What is the difference between 地点 and 地方, and why are both used in this sentence?

Both refer to "place", but their feel is a bit different:

地方 (dìfang) – very common, general word for "place / area".
- e.g. 这个地方很漂亮。 – This place is beautiful.
地点 (dìdiǎn) – slightly more formal/specific, often used for locations of events, meetings, appointments.
- e.g. 集合地点 – meeting point
- 比赛地点 – competition venue

In this sentence:

那个地点 – that specific spot / that particular meeting location
别的地方 – other places in general

Using 地点 for the specific meeting point and 地方 for "other places" is very natural: the first sounds like a chosen "venue", the second like "anywhere else".

How does the comparison with 比 work in 那个地点比别的地方安静?

The basic pattern is:

A + 比 + B + Adjective = A is more [Adj] than B

Here:

A = 那个地点 – that location
比 – than
B = 别的地方 – other places
Adjective = 安静 – quiet

So 那个地点比别的地方安静 = "That location is quieter than other places."

No extra word for "more" is needed; 比 already makes it comparative.

Why is there no word like "more" (such as 更) before 安静?

When you use 比 for a straightforward "A is more X than B" comparison, you normally do not need another word meaning "more":

今天比昨天冷。 – Today is colder than yesterday.

Adding 更 is possible but adds emphasis:

今天比昨天更冷。 – Today is even colder than yesterday / much colder than yesterday.

So:

那个地点比别的地方安静。 – That location is quieter than other places.
那个地点比别的地方更安静。 – That location is even/much quieter than other places.

The original sentence is a normal, un-emphasized comparison, so 更 is not required.

Why is there no 是 before 安静? Why not 那个地点比别的地方是安静?

In Chinese, adjectives often act like stative verbs and do not need 是 when they are the predicate.

Basic pattern:

这儿安静。 – (Here is quiet.)
他很高。 – He is tall.

In the 比 structure, the adjective stands directly after B:

A比B贵。 – A is more expensive than B.
A比B大。 – A is bigger than B.

Adding 是 before the adjective is ungrammatical in this pattern:

✗ 那个地点比别的地方是安静。 – incorrect

So the correct form is just:

那个地点比别的地方安静。

Could we add 了 after 约会? What would 约会了 change?

If you say:

周末，她和男朋友在公园南门约会了，觉得…

The 了 after 约会 would usually suggest the action is completed (past event) or you are presenting it as a new, concrete event:

"(On the weekend) she had a date with her boyfriend at the park’s south gate, and she felt…"

Without 了, the sentence is more neutral in aspect:

It can describe a general/habitual situation, or a specific event where aspect is not being highlighted.

So:

With 了 – more clearly a specific completed date.
Without 了 – could be general ("when they date there, she feels…") or a specific event left aspect-neutral.