Breakdown of zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng zài jiā wán yóuxìjī, zhǐ xiǎng zài gōngyuán sànbù.
Questions & Answers about zhōumò wǒ bù xiǎng zài jiā wán yóuxìjī, zhǐ xiǎng zài gōngyuán sànbù.
In Chinese, time expressions usually come before the subject or right after it. Both are grammatical:
- 周末，我不想在家玩游戏机。
- 我周末不想在家玩游戏机。
Putting 周末 at the very beginning sounds slightly more natural and topical: it sets “as for the weekend” as the topic first, then comments on it. Putting 周末 after 我 is also common and fine; it just feels a bit less “topic‑fronted.”
不 negates habitual actions, general statements, and future intentions.
没 / 没有 negates past events or existence/possession.
Here, 不想 expresses an intention or preference (what you don’t want to do), not something that failed to happen in the past, so:
- 我不想在家玩游戏机。 = I don’t want to / don’t feel like playing video games at home.
- 我没在家玩游戏机。 = I didn’t play video games at home. (past fact)
So 不 is the correct choice with 想 in this “want/don’t want” sense.
想 has several meanings; two big ones are:
- to think (mentally)
- to want / to feel like / to would like to
In this sentence, both 不想 and 只想 use meaning (2):
- 不想在家玩游戏机 = don’t want to / don’t feel like playing at home
- 只想在公园散步 = only want to / just feel like taking a walk in the park
It’s softer than 要 (yào).
想 often feels like “I’d like to”, while 要 can feel more like “I’m going to / I insist on” depending on context.
You can omit the second 想, but it changes the nuance:
周末我不想在家玩游戏机，只想在公园散步。
→ 想 is parallel in both clauses: don’t want to A, only want to B. Very clear contrast of desires.周末我不想在家玩游戏机，只在公园散步。
→ Grammatically okay, but now the second part sounds more like a description of what you (then) do rather than a desire: I don’t want to play… I just (then) walk in the park.
Repeating 想 makes it explicit that both are about what you want rather than simply what happens.
Yes, it’s the same character 在, but here it’s functioning as a preposition meaning “at / in”:
- 在家 = at home
- 在公园 = in/at the park
The pattern is: 在 + place + (verb phrase).
In this sentence, there is no progressive aspect meaning (“am doing”). It’s just location:
- 在家玩游戏机 = play video games at home
- 在公园散步 = take a walk in the park
So here 在 is purely locative.
- 游戏 (yóuxì) = “game(s)”
- 游戏机 (yóuxìjī) = “game console / game machine”
So:
- 玩游戏 = play games (could be many kinds: video, board, phone, etc.)
- 玩游戏机 = specifically play on a game console (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, etc.)
In casual modern speech, many people say 玩游戏 to mean “play video games” in general, often on phone or computer.
If you want to emphasize a console, 玩游戏机 is clearer.
Chinese often drops repeated subjects when they are clear from context. The full form would be:
- 周末我不想在家玩游戏机，只想在公园散步。
(the second 我 is implied)
You could say:
- 周末我不想在家玩游戏机，只想我在公园散步。 ❌
but that’s incorrect because 想 normally takes a verb phrase as its complement, not a whole extra 我 + 在公园散步 clause there. The understood structure is:
- 我 [不想 在家玩游戏机]，只想 [在公园散步]。
Same subject 我 applies to both 不想 and 只想.
只 means “only / just”.
- 想在公园散步 = want to take a walk in the park
- 只想在公园散步 = only want to take a walk in the park (and nothing else / instead of other options)
In context with the first clause, the contrast is:
- 不想在家玩游戏机 → you don’t want to do A
- 只想在公园散步 → you only want to do B
So 只 emphasizes exclusivity or limitation of your desire.
Yes, both are fine:
- 周末我不想在家玩游戏机…
- 周末的时候，我不想在家玩游戏机…
周末 is a simple time word: “on weekends / this weekend (depending on context).”
周末的时候 adds 的时候 (when / at the time of), which can make it feel a bit heavier or more specific, like “at that time on the weekend”. In everyday speech, plain 周末 is usually enough and sounds more natural unless you want to emphasize “at that time.”
散步 literally means “to take a walk / to stroll”, usually for leisure or relaxation.
- 在公园散步 = take a walk in the park (for fun/relaxing)
走路 is more neutral: “to walk (on foot)” as a way of moving or commuting.
- 走路去学校 = walk to school
- 散步去学校 = sounds like you are strolling to school for enjoyment, which is rarer and a bit odd unless that’s really the point.
So in your sentence, 散步 is perfect because it’s about a leisurely activity in the park.
The comma here simply separates two related clauses:
- 周末我不想在家玩游戏机，
- 只想在公园散步。
Chinese often omits explicit conjunctions like 但是 (but) or 而是 (but rather) when the relationship is obvious from context and words like 只 are used.
You could say:
- 周末我不想在家玩游戏机，而只想在公园散步。
This makes the contrast a bit more explicit/formal, but the original sentence is very natural and the “instead / rather” meaning is easily inferred.
Yes, tone sandhi rules affect these:
不 (bù):
- Normally bù (4th tone).
- Changes to bú (2nd tone) only before another 4th tone (e.g. 不是 bú shì).
- In 不想, 想 is 3rd tone, not 4th, so it stays bù xiǎng.
只 (zhǐ):
- Basic tone is 3rd tone.
- Before another 3rd tone (想 xiǎng), 只 changes to 2nd tone according to the 3rd + 3rd → 2nd + 3rd rule.
- So 只想 is pronounced zhí xiǎng (2–3), even though it’s written as zhǐ xiǎng.
So you’ll write: 不想, 只想,
but say: bù xiǎng, zhí xiǎng.