Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun jumare yorihaeyo.

저 means “I” (humble form), and -는 is the topic marker. Together, 저는 sets “I” as the topic of the sentence. The topic marker often indicates what you’re talking about and can imply a contrast (e.g. “As for me…”). You could also use the subject marker -가 (제가), but 저는 is more common when you want to talk about yourself in a general context.

What does 주말에 mean, and why is the particle -에 used here?

주말 means “weekend,” and -에 is a time‐point particle meaning “at/on.” So 주말에 translates as “on the weekend” or “on weekends.” In Korean, -에 is attached to days, months, years, and other time nouns to mark when something happens.

Why is the verb 요리해요 and how is it formed?

The dictionary form is 요리하다 (“to cook; to do cooking”). To make the polite present tense (the “-요” style), you take the stem 요리하-, drop -하, replace it with -해요, giving 요리해요. So literally it’s “cook (polite present).”

What level of formality does -해요 indicate?

The -해요 ending is called the polite informal style (also known as the “요 polite” form). It’s respectful enough for strangers, co‐workers, and people older than you, but not as formal as -합니다. It’s the default form for everyday conversation.

Why is there no object in 저는 주말에 요리해요? Can I add one?

In Korean you can omit the object if it’s understood (just like “I cook on weekends” without saying what you cook). If you want to specify what you cook, add the object with -을/를, for example 저는 주말에 김치를 요리해요 (“I cook kimchi on weekends”) or 저는 주말에 음식을 요리해요 (“I cook food on weekends”).

Could I use 주말마다 instead of 주말에 to mean “every weekend”?

Yes. 마다 means “every,” so 주말마다 요리해요 emphasizes that you cook every single weekend. 주말에 also implies repetition (“on weekends”), but 주말마다 is more explicit about “each and every weekend.”

Can I omit 저는 and just say 주말에 요리해요?

Absolutely. Korean often drops the subject or topic when it’s clear from context. 주말에 요리해요 still means “I cook on weekends,” and it sounds perfectly natural in conversation.

Is the word order in 저는 주말에 요리해요 fixed as “subject + time + verb”?

Yes. Korean generally follows Subject-Object-Verb order. Time expressions like 주말에 act like adverbs and usually come before the verb (and after the subject/topic if one is present). So 저는 (subject) + 주말에 (time) + 요리해요 (verb) is the standard order.