Learn Hardcore Japanese: syuumatu ha uti de kazoku to issyo ni eiga wo mimasu. - On weekends I watch movies at home together with my family.

週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
- 週末 is the topic: As for weekends, I watch movies at home with my family.
- This sounds like a general habit or a contrast (e.g., weekends vs weekdays).
週末にうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
- 週末に is a time marker: I will watch a movie at home with my family *on the weekend.*
- This sounds more like a specific time (e.g., this coming weekend).

In everyday conversation, time expressions (like 明日, 来週, 週末) can often omit に if the meaning is clear:

明日映画を見ます。 (natural)
週末映画を見ます。 (natural)

Here, using は makes 週末 the general topic of the sentence: what happens on weekends.

What exactly does は do in this sentence? Is it the subject marker?

は is a topic marker, not a subject marker.

It tells you what the sentence is about.
It does not necessarily mark the grammatical subject.

In 週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。:

The sentence is about weekends: Speaking of weekends…
The subject (I / we) is omitted but understood from context.
So the structure is more like:
- (I) — as for weekends — (at home, with my family, together) — watch movies.

If you wanted to mark a subject explicitly, you might say:

私は週末、うちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
- 私 = subject/topic, は marks it as the topic.
- The subject and the topic often coincide, but は is really about topic, not subject.

Why is the subject (like I or we) missing? Shouldn’t it be 私は or 僕は?

Japanese often omits pronouns (I, you, he, etc.) when they’re obvious from context.

In a conversation where you are talking about your plans, everyone assumes you are the one doing the action, so:

(私は) 週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。

The (私は) part is simply dropped because it’s redundant. You usually add 私 / 僕 / 俺 only when:

You need to contrast with someone else:
- 私は映画を見ますが、弟はゲームをします。
You want to clarify who is doing it in a potentially ambiguous situation.

So the natural Japanese way is to leave it out unless you really need it.

What’s the difference between うち and 家 / いえ? Why use うち here?

Both can mean home / house, but the nuance is different.

うち
- More casual, warm, “my place / our home”
- Often includes the idea of family and private space.
- Common in spoken Japanese:
  - うちに帰る = go home
  - うちでゲームする = play games at home
家（いえ）
- More neutral, refers to a building or house itself.
- Used in broader contexts:
  - 大きい家 = a big house
  - 家を買う = buy a house

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about spending time with family in their own home, so うち feels more natural and homely than 家.

You could say 家で家族と一緒に映画を見ます, and it’s not wrong, but うちで is more typical here.

Why is the particle で used after うち? Could I use に instead?

で marks the location where an action takes place.

うちで映画を見ます。
- I watch movies *at home.*
- The action (watching) happens at that place → use で.

に with places often marks:

Destination / direction (go to, come to):
- うちに帰る = go home
Existence / state:
- 猫がうちにいる = There is a cat at home.

So:

うちで映画を見ます。 = I watch a movie at home. (place of action)
うちに映画を見ます。 = unnatural / wrong in standard Japanese.

General rule:

Place + で → where you do something
Place + に → where something exists or where you go to

Why do we have both 家族と and 一緒に? Doesn’t と already mean “with”?

You’re right that と can mean “with”, and 一緒に also means “together”, so there is some overlap.

家族と映画を見ます。
- Literally: I watch a movie *with my family.*
- It already implies doing it together.
家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
- Literally: I watch a movie *together with my family.*
- This sounds a bit more explicit and natural in everyday speech.

Nuance:

Xと〜する = do something with X (basic “with”)
Xと一緒に〜する = do something together with X, emphasizes togetherness.

In practice, Japanese speakers often say:

友だちと一緒に行く。
家族と一緒に食べる。

Using both と and 一緒に together is extremely common and feels very natural.

Where can 一緒に go in the sentence? Does it have to be right before the verb?

一緒に doesn’t have to be immediately before the verb, but it usually appears near the person you’re together with (Xと) or near the verb.

All of these are acceptable and natural:

週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
週末はうちで家族と映画を一緒に見ます。
週末は家族と一緒にうちで映画を見ます。

The meaning is effectively the same in all of them: I watch a movie together with my family at home on weekends.

Japanese word order is quite flexible as long as:

The verb is at the end.
Particles (は, を, に, で, と, etc.) stay attached to the right words.

What does the particle と do in 家族と? Is it always “with”?

In this sentence, と is indeed the “with” particle, marking a companion:

家族と映画を見ます。
- I watch a movie *with my family.*

But と has other uses too, so context matters:

AとB = A and B (listing nouns)
- 父と母 = father and mother
AとBが似ている = A and B are similar
Aと言う = say “A”
Aと思う = think that A (when A is a clause)

Here, it’s the companion “with” usage: Xと一緒に〜する = do something together with X.

What does を do in 映画を見ます? Why not use が?

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

映画を見ます。
- I watch a movie.
- 映画 = object being watched → 映画を

が often marks a subject or something that appears / exists / is perceived, for example:

映画が見える。 = I can see a movie.
いい映画があります。 = There is a good movie.

So:

映画を見ます。
- You’re actively watching a movie.
映画が見えます。
- A movie is visible (it can be seen).

For a straightforward “watch a movie,” 映画を見ます is the normal pattern.

Why is 見ます used instead of the dictionary form 見る? What’s the difference?

見る is the dictionary/plain form.
見ます is the polite ます-form of the same verb.

見る = plain
見ます = polite

Use 見ます when:

Speaking politely (to strangers, teachers, at work, etc.).
Writing in a polite style (beginner textbooks, many public signs, etc.).

Use 見る when:

Talking casually with friends or family (if casual speech is appropriate).
Writing in casual style (diaries, messages to close friends, etc.).

Meaning is the same: to see / to watch. Only the politeness level changes.

I’ve seen 見る and 観る both read as miru. Which one should I use for “watching a movie”?

Both are read みる (miru), but the kanji nuance differs:

見る
- General “to see, to look at, to watch.”
- Very common and safe to use in almost all cases.
観る
- More specific: “to watch (something like a movie, play, performance) with attention / appreciation.”
- Often used for movies, plays, performances:
  - 映画を観る, 芝居を観る, 試合を観る.

In everyday writing and especially for learners, 映画を見る is perfectly fine and widely accepted.
If you want to be a bit more nuanced, 映画を観る is also correct and slightly more “literary”/specific.

Does 見ます here mean present or future? Is it “I watch” or “I will watch”?

Japanese non-past form (like 見ます / 見る) covers both:

present / habitual: I (usually) watch
future: I will watch

Which one it is depends on context.

In 週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。 it can mean:

Habitual action:
- On weekends, I (usually) watch movies at home with my family.
- This is strongly suggested by 週末は as a topic (general statement).
Future plan (less likely without more context):
- If you are specifically talking about next weekend and using 週末に, it can sound more like:
  - I will watch a movie at home with my family this weekend.

Given 週末は, most listeners will interpret it as a habit/routine.

Can I change the word order, like put 映画 earlier or うちで later?

Yes, Japanese word order is relatively flexible, as long as the verb stays at the end and the particles stay attached to the right words.

All of these are grammatical and natural:

週末はうちで家族と一緒に映画を見ます。
週末は家族と一緒にうちで映画を見ます。
週末は映画をうちで家族と一緒に見ます。

The basic pattern is still:

[Time] + [Place + で] + [Companion + と] + [一緒に] + [Object + を] + [Verb]

You can shuffle the time, place, companion, object parts somewhat freely. The particles tell you what role each part plays, so the meaning doesn’t drastically change.