По выходным мы часто собираем малину, а клубнику обычно едим прямо в саду.

По выходным is a very common Russian way to say that something happens regularly on weekends.

The pattern is:

по + dative plural = on, every, on each in a repeated-time sense

So по выходным means something like on weekends / every weekend.

A learner often compares it with в выходные. That can also mean on the weekend(s), but по выходным is especially natural when you are talking about a habit or routine.

Выходным is dative plural.

That is because the preposition по often takes the dative in expressions of repeated time, like:

• по вечерам = in the evenings
• по утрам = in the mornings
• по выходным = on weekends

Also, выходной originally looks like an adjective, but in everyday Russian it is often used like a noun meaning day off / weekend day.

They are in the accusative case because they are the direct objects of the verbs:

• собираем малину
• едим клубнику

Both малина and клубника are feminine nouns ending in -а, so in the singular accusative they change to -у:

• малина → малину
• клубника → клубнику

This is a very standard pattern for feminine nouns.

Because the sentence describes habitual, repeated actions, not one completed event.

In Russian, the imperfective is used for:

• habits
• routines
• repeated actions
• general facts

So:

• собираем = we pick / gather, as a repeated activity
• едим = we eat, as a repeated activity

If you used perfective verbs, the meaning would shift toward a single completed action, and usually into the future.

А often introduces a contrast or comparison, but not necessarily a strong contradiction.

Here it connects two related ideas:

• with raspberries, we usually pick them
• with strawberries, we usually eat them right in the garden

So а works very well because it means something like whereas / while / and as for.

• и would simply add information, with less contrast
• но would sound more like a stronger but, as if the second part were unexpected

Here прямо does not mean straight in the directional sense.

In this sentence, прямо means something like:

• right
• directly
• right there
• on the spot

So прямо в саду means right in the garden, emphasizing that the strawberries are eaten there immediately, not taken somewhere else first.

Because в саду shows location, while в сад would show motion toward a place.

Compare:

• в саду = in the garden
• в сад = into the garden

Since the action happens there, Russian uses the location form.

Also, саду is a special location form used after в or на with some masculine nouns. You will see similar forms such as:

• в лесу
• на полу
• в шкафу
• в саду

But if you say about the garden, then it is usually о саде, not о саду.

Yes, обычно едим клубнику is also grammatical.

Russian word order is flexible, and changing the order changes the focus or emphasis.

In а клубнику обычно едим прямо в саду, putting клубнику early helps create a contrast with малину in the first half of the sentence:

• малину we pick
• клубнику we eat in the garden

So this order sounds natural because it highlights the comparison between the two berries.

Russian often leaves out words that are already clear from context.

In this sentence, the subject мы is understood in both parts:

• мы часто собираем малину
• а клубнику обычно едим прямо в саду

You could say а клубнику мы обычно едим прямо в саду, but it is not necessary. Omitting the repeated subject is very normal and natural.

Because есть is an irregular verb.

Its present-tense forms do not simply copy the infinitive stem. The conjugation is:

• я ем
• ты ешь
• он/она ест
• мы едим
• вы едите
• они едят

So едим is just the normal we eat form of есть.

This is a very common verb, so it is worth memorizing as a full set.

They are similar, but not identical.

• часто means often / frequently and focuses on how often
• обычно means usually / normally / as a rule and focuses on what typically happens

So in this sentence:

• часто tells you that picking raspberries happens many times
• обычно tells you that eating strawberries in the garden is the normal pattern

They are related, but not interchangeable in every context.