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watasi ha syuumatu ni tomodati to soto de supootu wo simasu.

私わたし　は　週末しゅうまつ　に　友達ともだち　と　外そと　で　スポーツ　を　します。watasi ha syuumatu ni tomodati to soto de supootu wo simasu.
I play sports outside with a friend on the weekend.
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha syuumatu ni tomodati to soto de supootu wo simasu.

What is the role of は after 私, and why is it used here?

は is the topic marker. It tells us what the sentence is “about.”

  • 私 = I / me
  • 私+は = “As for me,” / “Speaking about me,”

So 私 は 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。 literally starts as:

  • “As for me, on weekends I do sports outside with my friends.”

In many contexts, Japanese drops the topic when it’s obvious, so you might also hear:

  • 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。
    “On weekends, (I) do sports outside with friends.”

The meaning is basically the same; は just explicitly sets 私 as the topic.

Why is は used instead of が with 私?

Both は and が can attach to nouns, but they have different functions:

  • は marks the topic (what we’re talking about).
  • が marks the grammatical subject, often introducing new or focused information.

In this kind of simple, self-introductory, habitual sentence:

  • 私 は 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。
    We’re just saying what I usually do, so 私 is the topic.

If you used が instead:

  • 私が週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。

This can sound like you’re contrasting or emphasizing that I (not someone else) am the one who does sports on weekends. For a neutral, everyday statement, は is more natural.

Why do we need に after 週末? Can we just say 週末友達と外でスポーツをします?

に after a time word marks a specific point in time:

  • 週末に = “on the weekend,” “at the weekend”

You can drop に in casual speech:

  • 週末友達と外でスポーツをします。

This is still understandable, and native speakers do omit に sometimes, especially in speech. However:

  • With に, the sentence sounds a bit clearer and more textbook-natural.
  • Without に, it can feel a bit more casual or slightly less precise.

So for learners and for standard written Japanese, 週末に is the safer choice.

Does 週末に mean “this weekend,” “on weekends (in general),” or “every weekend”?

The Japanese non-past tense plus a time expression is flexible:

  • 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。 can mean:
    • “I (usually) play sports outside with my friends on weekends.” (habit)
    • “I will play sports outside with my friends this weekend.” (future)

Context decides whether it’s habitual or future:

  • In isolation or when talking about your routine, it’s usually interpreted as a habit:
    → “(I) play sports on weekends.”
  • If you’re discussing plans, the same sentence can be understood as a specific upcoming weekend.

If you want to clearly say “every weekend,” you can say:

  • 毎週末（まいしゅうまつ）友達と外でスポーツをします。
What does と after 友達 mean here? Is it “and” or “with”?

In this sentence, 友達 と means “with friends.”

と has two common roles:

  1. “and” (linking nouns)

    • りんごとバナナを食べます。
      “I eat apples and bananas.”

  2. “with (someone)” when doing an action together

    • 友達と遊びます。
      “I play with my friends.”

Here, because the verb is something you do together (do sports), 友達と is naturally read as:

  • “with friends” (not “friends and …”).
Could I say 友達と一緒に外でスポーツをします? What’s the difference from 友達と外でスポーツをします?

Yes, you can say:

  • 友達と一緒に外でスポーツをします。

一緒に (いっしょに) means “together,” so:

  • 友達と外でスポーツをします。
    → “I do sports outside with friends.”
  • 友達と一緒に外でスポーツをします。
    → “I do sports outside together with friends.”

The nuance:

  • 友達と already implies doing the action together.
  • 一緒に adds a bit of emphasis to the “togetherness,” but it’s not required.

Both are natural; adding 一緒に just makes the “together” part more explicit.

Why is it 外で and not 外に? What’s the difference between で and に here?

で marks the location where an action takes place.
に usually marks direction, destination, or existence location.

  • 外でスポーツをします。
    “I do sports outside.”
    → The actual activity (sports) happens outside. That’s the place of the action, so で.

If you said 外にスポーツをします, it would sound unnatural. に would suggest “to outside” or “toward outside,” which doesn’t match “do sports.”

Another contrast:

  • 外に出ます。 = “I go outside.” (destination: outside → に)
  • 外で遊びます。 = “I play outside.” (place of action → で)

So here, で is correct because “doing sports” is an activity taking place at a location.

What does を do in スポーツをします? Why is it needed?

を marks the direct object of the verb—the thing that the action is done to.

  • スポーツ = sports
  • スポーツをします = “do sports” (literally: “do sports [object]”)

Structure:

  • [object] を [verb]
    • 本を読みます。 – “I read a book.”
    • 音楽を聞きます。 – “I listen to music.”
    • スポーツをします。 – “I do sports.”

In casual speech, people sometimes drop を in this pattern and say:

  • スポーツします。

That’s common and natural in conversation, but in careful or textbook Japanese, including を is recommended.

Why is the verb します and not する? What’s the difference?

する is the plain (dictionary) form, and します is the polite form.

  • スポーツをする。 – plain/casual
  • スポーツをします。 – polite

In the full sentence:

  • 私 は 週末 に 友達 と 外 で スポーツ を します。

Using します puts the whole sentence at polite speech level (です／ます style), which is:

  • Appropriate for talking to teachers, strangers, colleagues, etc.
  • Standard in beginner textbooks and classroom Japanese.

You would use スポーツをする when speaking casually to close friends or family, or in informal writing (diaries, messages, etc.).

Is します present tense or future tense?

Japanese doesn’t strictly separate present and future the way English does.

します is non-past, and it can cover:

  • Present/habitual:
    • “I do sports on weekends.” (a routine)
  • Future:
    • “I will do sports this weekend.” (a plan)

Context determines which is intended. In a sentence like this, especially when talking about your routine, learners and native speakers usually interpret it as a habitual present: “I (usually) play sports on weekends.”

Can I drop 私 and just say 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします?

Yes, and native speakers often would.

Japanese frequently omits pronouns (I, you, he, she…) when they’re clear from context. So:

  • 週末に友達と外でスポーツをします。

is a perfectly natural sentence that still means:

  • “(I) play sports outside with friends on weekends.”

You usually include 私 when:

  • Introducing yourself for the first time.
  • Contrasting yourself with others.
  • Clarifying who is being talked about in an unclear context.

In casual conversation where everyone already knows you’re talking about yourself, 私 is often omitted.

Is the word order fixed? Can I rearrange parts like 友達と外で週末にスポーツをします?

Japanese word order is flexible, but there are natural tendencies.

The most common neutral order is:

  1. Time: 週末に
  2. Partner: 友達と
  3. Place: 外で
  4. Object: スポーツを
  5. Verb: します

So:
週末に 友達と 外で スポーツを します。

Some reordering is still natural, for example:

  • 週末に 外で 友達と スポーツを します。
  • 友達と 週末に 外で スポーツを します。

As long as します stays at the end and the particles (に, と, で, を) remain attached to the right words, meaning stays clear. However:

  • Too much scrambling, like 友達と外で週末にスポーツをします, can start to sound awkward or less natural, even though it’s technically understandable.
I’ve seen 友だち and 友達. Which is correct in 友達と?

Both are acceptable in modern Japanese:

  • 友だち – kanji + hiragana
  • 友達 – all kanji

In everyday writing and textbooks, 友だち is common because:

  • The reading だち (dachi) is less common as a kanji reading, so leaving it in hiragana can be clearer for learners.

In more advanced or less learner-focused texts, you’ll see 友達 quite often.

In your sentence:

  • 友だちと外でスポーツをします。
  • 友達と外でスポーツをします。

Both are fine; the grammar and meaning are the same.