Learn Hardcore Japanese: kazokuzenin de yuugata ni kouen wo sanposimasu. - My whole family takes a walk in the park in the evening.

で after a group noun can mark a group acting together or the means / unit of an action.
- 家族全員で散歩します。 = We (as a whole family unit) take a walk.
If you used 家族全員が, that would simply mark 家族全員 as the grammatical subject:
- 家族全員が散歩します。 = The whole family takes a walk. (Neutral description of who does it.)
家族全員と散歩します。 would mean “(I) take a walk with the whole family”, emphasizing “with” from the speaker’s point of view.

So:

家族全員で散歩します = as a group, the whole family goes for a walk
家族全員と散歩します = I (or someone) walk with the whole family
家族全員が散歩します = the whole family is the subject of “walk”

Why is に used after 夕方? Can I leave it out?

夕方に uses に as a time marker: it means “in the evening / at evening time”.

に is commonly used with specific points or slots in time:
- 3時に (at 3 o’clock)
- 日曜日に (on Sunday)
- 夕方に (in the evening)

In everyday conversation, に after time expressions is often dropped, especially when the time is clear:

夕方、公園を散歩します。 is also natural.

So both are correct:

More explicit / textbook-like: 夕方に公園を散歩します。
More casual/natural: 夕方、公園を散歩します。

Why is it 公園を散歩します and not 公園で散歩します?

Both 公園を散歩します and 公園で散歩します are possible, but the nuance is different.

公園を散歩します (using を)
- を can mark the path or space you move through with motion-like verbs.
- This gives a sense of “walking through / around the park”.
- It focuses on the route (the park as the area you walk in/around).
公園で散歩します (using で)
- で marks the location where an action takes place.
- This sounds more like “take a walk in the park (as a place)”.
- It focuses on the place as the setting of the activity.

In many contexts, both are acceptable and will be understood similarly, but 公園を散歩します slightly emphasizes the idea of moving around in that space.

Is 散歩します one word or two? What is the role of 散歩 and します?

Grammatically it’s a noun + する construction:

散歩 = a noun meaning “a walk / a stroll”
する = the verb “to do”

When combined, 散歩する acts as a single verb meaning “to take a walk / to go for a stroll”.

In the sentence, it’s conjugated into the polite present form:

Dictionary form: 散歩する
Polite present/future: 散歩します

So 散歩します is best seen as one verbal unit in meaning, even though it’s built from a noun plus する.

What tense or aspect is 散歩します? Does it mean “we walk”, “we will walk”, or “we usually walk”?

散歩します is present polite (non-past), which in Japanese covers:

Present habitual: “(We) take a walk (regularly).”
General statement: “(We) take walks (in the evening).”
Near future / planned future: “(We) will take a walk (this evening).”

Which one is intended depends on context:

As a routine: 家族全員で夕方に公園を散歩します。
→ “Our family takes a walk in the park in the evenings (as a habit).”
As a plan (e.g., answering “What are you doing tonight?”):
→ “We’ll take a walk in the park in the evening.”

Japanese doesn’t mark this difference as strictly as English; the listener infers it from context.

Why is there no explicit subject like we or my family in the sentence?

Japanese often omits the subject if it’s clear from context.

In 家族全員で夕方に公園を散歩します, the subject is understood as:

typically “we” (the speaker’s family), or
possibly “our family” as a whole, depending on context.

Because 家族全員で already tells you who is included in the action, adding a pronoun like 私たちは is usually unnecessary unless you need contrast or emphasis:

私たちは家族全員で夕方に公園を散歩します。
→ “As for us, we (in particular) take a walk …” (adds contrast/emphasis).

So the subject is omitted because it’s natural and redundant to say it explicitly.

What’s the difference between 家族全員 and 家族みんな?

Both can mean “the whole family / everyone in the family”, but there is a nuance difference:

家族全員 (かぞくぜんいん)
- Slightly more formal / neutral / written-sounding.
- Literally “all members of the family.”
- Sounds a bit more objective or matter-of-fact.
家族みんな
- More casual and spoken, sounds warmer.
- Literally “everyone (all) in the family.”
- Often used in everyday talk, especially with kids, friends, etc.

You could say:

家族みんなで夕方に公園を散歩します。

This would be very natural in casual conversation. The core meaning is the same.

What part of the day does 夕方 actually refer to? Is it “evening” or “afternoon”?

夕方 (ゆうがた) is roughly late afternoon to early evening. It typically covers:

After mid-afternoon, roughly around 4 pm to 6 pm, sometimes a bit later depending on context and season.

In English, it can overlap with:

“late afternoon”, and
the early part of “evening”.

It’s not as late as 夜 (よる, night). If you mean clearly at night, you’d use 夜に instead of 夕方に.

Can I change the word order, like 夕方に家族全員で公園を散歩します or 家族全員で公園を夕方に散歩します?

Japanese word order is fairly flexible, especially for adverbial phrases, as long as the verb comes at the end. These are all grammatical:

家族全員で夕方に公園を散歩します。
夕方に家族全員で公園を散歩します。

Both sound natural.

However, 家族全員で公園を夕方に散歩します。 is grammatically possible but sounds a bit less natural because time expressions are often placed earlier in the sentence (before or near the topic).

A common, natural order is:

Time
(Topic) / Participants
Place / route
Verb

So something like:

夕方に家族全員で公園を散歩します。

is very typical.

Could I drop some of the particles, like saying 家族全員夕方公園散歩します?

Native speakers do sometimes drop certain particles in casual speech, but not all at once, and not in all positions.

Commonly dropped:
- に after time:
  - 夕方に → 夕方
- は in many contexts
Sometimes dropped in very casual speech (but can sound rough/elliptical):
- を: 公園を散歩する → 公園散歩する (heard in casual talk, titles, slogans, etc.)

However, 家族全員夕方公園散歩します with all particles removed sounds too telegraphic and unnatural for normal speech. A more realistic casual reduction might be:

家族全員で夕方、公園を散歩します。
夕方、家族全員で公園を散歩します。

For learners, it’s safer to keep the particles, and then gradually notice where native speakers naturally drop them.

If I want to be casual, how would this sentence change?

To make it casual, you mainly change the politeness level of the verb:

Polite: 散歩します
Casual (plain): 散歩する

So a natural casual version is:

家族全員で夕方に公園を散歩する。

You could also drop に after 夕方 in casual speech:

家族全員で夕方、公園を散歩する。

Everything else (particles, nouns) can stay the same; the biggest marker of politeness here is the form します vs する.