В будни я часто перерабатываю и поздно ложусь спать.

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Breakdown of В будни я часто перерабатываю и поздно ложусь спать.

• и: and
• часто: often
• в: on

Questions & Answers about В будни я часто перерабатываю и поздно ложусь спать.

In В будни, what does this literally mean, and is it the same as “on weekdays”?

В будни literally means “on weekdays”.

• будни = weekdays, workdays (as opposed to weekends / holidays).
• The preposition в here is the same one you see in в понедельник (“on Monday”), в выходные (“on the weekend”).

So:

• В будни → “on weekdays” (i.e., generally, when it’s a normal workday, not a weekend).
• It describes a regular time frame, not a single specific week.

Why is it в будни and not по будням? Are they different?

Both are correct and both mean roughly “on weekdays,” but there is a nuance:

• в будни – very common, slightly more neutral. “On weekdays (in general).”
• по будням – also “on weekdays,” often with a stronger sense of regularly, as a rule.

In your sentence you could say:

• В будни я часто перерабатываю…
• По будням я часто перерабатываю…

Both sound natural. По будням can subtly emphasize “as a rule, on workdays” a bit more, but in most everyday contexts they’re interchangeable.

What exactly does перерабатываю mean here? Is it “I work again” or “I overwork”?