Breakdown of syuumatu ni hon wo yomu zikan wo huyayasimasu.
本hon
book
をwo
direct object particle
読むyomu
to read
にni
time particle
週末syuumatu
weekend
時間zikan
time
増やすhuyasu
to increase
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Questions & Answers about syuumatu ni hon wo yomu zikan wo huyayasimasu.
Why is に used after 週末?
In Japanese, に marks a specific point in time when an action occurs. Here, 週末に means “on weekends.” Without に, 週末 would just be a noun (“weekend”) and wouldn’t clearly function as “when” the verb happens.
Why is there an を between 本 and 読む in 本を読む時間? Couldn’t I say 本読む時間?
本を読む is a relative clause meaning “to read books.” The を marks 本 as the object of 読む. That whole clause (本を読む) then modifies 時間 (“time”). If you drop を, the sentence becomes ungrammatical because Japanese needs that particle to show that 本 is what you’re reading.
Why does 時間 take を before 増やします?
増やします is a transitive verb meaning “to increase (something).” The thing you’re increasing—時間—must be marked with を as its direct object.
What’s the difference between 増やします and 増えます?
• 増やします (transitive) means “I will increase (it) deliberately.”
• 増えます (intransitive) means “(It) increases on its own.”
Here you want to express your own action of increasing reading time, so you use 増やします.
What is the dictionary form of 増やします, and what type of verb is it?
The dictionary form is 増やす. It’s a Godan (Group I) verb and it’s transitive, meaning it takes a direct object (marked by を).
Can you omit に after 週末 and just say 週末 本を読む時間を増やします?
No. Without に, 週末 won’t function as the time marker. It would sound like two nouns stuck together and confuse the listener about when the action takes place.
Is it possible to move 週末に elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. Japanese word order is fairly flexible for adverbials and time expressions. You could say:
本を読む時間を週末に増やします。
or even
時間を週末に増やします。本を読む。
but the original order is the most natural for “On weekends, I’ll increase the time I spend reading books.”
How does this Japanese phrasing compare to “I’ll spend more time reading books on weekends”?
They’re very close in meaning, but:
• Japanese focuses on increasing the amount of reading time: 時間を増やします.
• English “spend more time” emphasizes the act of spending.
In practice, both express the same intention, but Japanese tends to frame it as “make more time” rather than “spend more time.”