Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhōumò wǒmen xiǎng qù jiāoqū cānguān yí gè xiǎo bówùguǎn. - On the weekend we want to go to the suburbs to visit a small museum.

Both 周末我们想去郊区… and 我们周末想去郊区… are fine. Putting 周末 at the very beginning emphasizes “as for the weekend” a bit more, like English: “On the weekend, we want to go…”

What exactly does 想 mean here? Is it “want to”, “would like to”, or “think about”?

In this sentence, 想 mainly means “want to / feel like (doing something)” or “would like to”.

Rough nuances:

想去郊区参观…
- We want to / feel like going to the suburbs to visit…
- Desire or intention, but not necessarily fixed or arranged.

Compare with:

要去郊区参观…
- Stronger sense of plan / decision: We’re going to go…
打算去郊区参观…
- Explicit plan: We plan to go…
会去郊区参观…
- More like prediction: We will probably / are going to (as expected) go…

So 想 is softer and more about what you feel like doing.

Why do we have both 去 and 参观? Isn’t one verb enough?

Chinese often uses serial verbs (two or more verbs in a row):

去郊区参观一个小博物馆
- 去 = go (movement)
- 参观 = visit (purpose of going)

So the structure is: go (to the suburbs) [in order] to visit a small museum.

You could say just:

我们想参观一个小博物馆。
- We want to visit a small museum.

…but then you lose the idea of movement / destination (the suburbs). 去 makes the “going somewhere” part explicit.

Why is there no 在 before 郊区? Why not 去在郊区参观…?

After 去, you directly put the place you’re going to. You don’t add 在:

Correct: 去郊区参观一个小博物馆
Incorrect: ✗ 去在郊区参观一个小博物馆

Patterns:

去 + place + Verb…
- 去北京玩儿。
- 去朋友家吃饭。
- 去郊区参观一个小博物馆。

You use 在 + place when describing where an action takes place, not when expressing movement to somewhere:

在郊区有一个小博物馆。 – There is a small museum in the suburbs.
我们在郊区参观一个小博物馆。 – We are visiting a small museum in the suburbs.

Does 郊区 describe where we go, or does it describe the museum?

In 去郊区参观一个小博物馆 the default reading is:

We go to the suburbs, and there we visit a small museum.

Structure: 去 + 郊区 + 参观 + 一个小博物馆

郊区 = destination of 去
一个小博物馆 = object of 参观

If you want to clearly show that the museum itself is in the suburbs, you can say:

周末我们想去郊区的一个小博物馆参观。
- literally: On the weekend, we want to go and visit a small museum in the suburbs.

Here 郊区的一个小博物馆 is one long noun phrase: “a small museum in the suburbs.”

Why is the measure word 个 used with 博物馆? Are there better measure words?

个 is the default, very general measure word, and it is grammatically correct here:

一个小博物馆 – a small museum

Other, more specific choices:

一座博物馆
- 座 is often used for buildings / large structures; a bit more formal or literary.
一家博物馆
- 家 is used for organizations, shops, companies, institutions. It works for museums too, especially when you view it as an institution rather than just a building.

All are possible; 一个 is the safest and most common in everyday speech.

Why is 一 pronounced yí here, not yī or yì?

This is tone sandhi for 一:

Basic rules for 一:

By itself: yī (first tone)
Before a 4th-tone syllable → becomes second tone (yí)
Before 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone → becomes fourth tone (yì)

In this sentence:

一 (yí)
- 个 (gè, 4th tone)
  - 4th tone after it → yí gè

Other examples:

一个 → yí gè
一共 (共 gòng, 4th) → yígòng
一起 (起 qǐ, 3rd) → yìqǐ
一年 (年 nián, 2nd) → yìnián

What does 小 add here? Is it necessary?

小 means “small”, but it often also carries a subjective nuance:

一个博物馆 – a museum (neutral)
一个小博物馆 – a small museum
- could imply
  - it’s physically small, or
  - it’s not very famous / not a big national museum

Is it necessary?

Grammatically, no.
Stylistically, yes if you want to convey the idea that it’s a small, possibly more modest or local museum.

Does this sentence mean this coming weekend, or weekends in general?

Chinese verbs don’t change form for tense, so 周末 by itself can mean:

This coming weekend (most common in conversation)
On weekends (in general) – if the context is about habits

In everyday talk, if someone says:

周末我们想去郊区参观一个小博物馆。

a listener will normally understand it as “This weekend, we want to go…”, unless the larger context clearly indicates a general habit.

What’s the difference between 周末我们想去… and 周末我们要去… / 会去…?

Nuances:

想去 – want to / feel like going
- Desire, intention, not necessarily fixed.
要去 – be going to / plan to go
- Strong decision or arrangement, sometimes like “must / have to” depending on context.
会去 – will go / are likely to go
- A bit more like a prediction or expectation.

All can refer to the future, but the attitude is different:

周末我们想去郊区… – We’d like to go to the suburbs this weekend.
周末我们要去郊区… – We’re going to the suburbs this weekend (plan is set).
周末我们会去郊区… – We will (probably / as planned) go to the suburbs this weekend.

What’s the difference between 参观, 看, 游览, and 访问 when talking about visiting?

Short summary:

参观
- Visit a place or institution to look around and learn.
- Great for museums, factories, schools, exhibitions.
- 参观一个小博物馆 – visit a small museum (to look around).
看
- Very general “see / look at / watch”.
- 看博物馆 is understandable but less natural; sounds casual and not very precise.
游览
- Sightsee, tour (often for scenic spots / tourist attractions).
- 游览长城, 游览名胜古迹.
访问
- Visit in a more formal sense, often to visit people or organizations (for talks, interviews, etc.).
- 访问博物馆 would sound like an official visit (e.g., by a delegation).

For a weekend museum visit as a tourist, 参观博物馆 is the most natural choice.

Can we drop 我们 and just say 周末想去郊区参观一个小博物馆?

Yes, 我们 can be dropped if it’s clear from the context who the subject is. Chinese often omits pronouns when they’re obvious.

周末想去郊区参观一个小博物馆。
- If the context is “what are we doing this weekend?”, this is fine and natural.

However, including 我们:

Makes the sentence clearer in isolation.
Emphasizes that it’s “we” (not someone else) who want to go.

So both are correct; whether you omit 我们 depends on how clear the context is.