watashi wa shuumatsu ni ryourikyoushitsu ni kayoimasu.

I attend a cooking class on weekends.

Breakdown of watashi wa shuumatsu ni ryourikyoushitsu ni kayoimasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• に: destination particle
• に: time particle

Questions & Answers about watashi wa shuumatsu ni ryourikyoushitsu ni kayoimasu.

Why does the sentence use は after 私 instead of が?

は marks the topic of the sentence – what you’re talking about. Here, the sentence is about “me / as for me”, so 私 takes は.

• 私は週末に料理教室に通います。
  = As for me, I go to a cooking class on weekends.

If you used が, it would sound like you’re identifying who goes, often in contrast to others:

• 私が週末に料理教室に通います。
  = I’m the one who goes to a cooking class on weekends. (implying others don’t, or answering “who?”)

In a simple self-introduction-style sentence, は is the natural choice.

Why is に used after 週末? In English we say “on weekends,” not “at weekends” or “to weekends.”

Japanese uses に for various time expressions where English uses on, at, or sometimes no preposition at all. For time:

• 月曜日に – on Monday
• ３時に – at 3 o’clock
• 誕生日に – on my birthday
• 週末に – on the weekend / on weekends

So 週末に is simply “on weekends”. Even though English uses on, Japanese uses に as the general time marker here.

Why is に used again after 料理教室? Is it the same に as in 週末に?