По выходным я делаю стирку и вешаю бельё на балконе.

On weekends I do the laundry and hang the clothes on the balcony.

Breakdown of По выходным я делаю стирку и вешаю бельё на балконе.

• я: I
• и: and
• на: on
• по: on

Questions & Answers about По выходным я делаю стирку и вешаю бельё на балконе.

What does по выходным literally mean, and what case is it in?

По выходным means “on weekends / at weekends” in a habitual sense (“on weekends in general”).

• по here is a preposition meaning “on / during (regularly)”.
• выходным is the dative plural of выходной (день) = “day off / weekend day”.

So literally it’s “by (on) the weekend days”, but idiomatically: “on weekends (as a habit)”.

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What is the difference between по выходным, на выходных, and в выходные?

All three can refer to weekends, but with slightly different feel and frequency of use:

• по выходным – very common, clearly stresses regular, repeated action:

  • По выходным я делаю стирку. – “I do laundry on weekends (as a routine).”

• на выходных – means “on/over the weekend(s)”; can be one specific upcoming/past weekend or general:

  • На выходных я ездил к родителям. – “I went to my parents over the weekend.”
    Used a lot in everyday speech.

• в выходные – also “on weekends”, sounds neutral, a bit more like “during the weekend days”:

  • В выходные мы обычно отдыхаем.

In your sentence, по выходным emphasizes a habit.

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Why does the sentence use instead of just ? Are both correct?