По выходным мы с женой гуляем по набережной и слушаем прибой.

По выходным means on weekends or at weekends.

This is a very common Russian pattern:

• по + dative plural = something that happens repeatedly on certain days/times

Examples:

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

So here it does not mean physical movement like along or by. It marks a repeated time.

Because по here requires the dative plural.

The dictionary form is:

• выходные = weekend / days off

After по in this time-expression pattern, it changes to:

• по выходным

So:

• выходные = weekends
• по выходным = on weekends

This is something you’ll want to memorize as a set pattern.

Мы с женой is the natural Russian way to say my wife and I.

Literally, it looks like:

• we with wife

But functionally it means:

• my wife and I

This pattern is very common in Russian:

• мы с другом = my friend and I
• мы с мамой = my mom and I
• мы с детьми = the children and I / my children and I

If you say я и моя жена, it is understandable, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech and can feel more formal, emphatic, or translation-like.

Because the preposition с here means with, and with normally takes the instrumental case in Russian.

So:

• жена = wife
• с женой = with (my) wife

This is a very important pattern:

• с другом = with a friend
• с сестрой = with a sister
• с детьми = with children

In мы с женой, the phrase is built with that same rule.

Russian often leaves out possessives when they are obvious from context, especially with family members and close relationships.

So мы с женой normally means:

• my wife and I

not

• we and some wife

If you want to be more explicit, you can say:

• мы с моей женой

That is also correct, but the shorter мы с женой is very natural when the speaker’s own wife is clearly meant.

Here набережной is in the dative singular.

The dictionary form is:

• набережная = embankment, promenade, waterfront

After гулять по when you mean walk along / stroll along, Russian uses по + dative:

• гулять по набережной = to walk along the embankment

So:

• набережная → по набережной

This is a common movement-route pattern:

• идти по улице = walk along the street
• гулять по парку = stroll around the park
• ходить по городу = walk around the city

Good question. Both can be translated with on the embankment in English, but they are not the same.

• гулять по набережной = walk along the embankment / up and down the embankment
• гулять на набережной = be walking on the embankment, focusing more on location

So по suggests movement along an area or route, while на is more purely locational.

In this sentence, по набережной is a very natural choice because the idea is strolling along the waterfront.

Гулять often means to stroll, take a walk, spend time walking for pleasure, not just to go on foot.

So:

• идти = to go, to be going
• ходить = to go on foot habitually / back and forth
• гулять = to walk around, stroll, go for a walk

That makes гуляем especially appropriate here, because the sentence describes a leisure activity:

• По выходным мы с женой гуляем...
  = On weekends my wife and I go for a walk / stroll...

In Russian, the present tense of an imperfective verb is often used for repeated or habitual actions.

So гуляем here means:

• we walk / we go for walks
• we usually walk
• we tend to walk

It does not have to mean “right now.”

Because по выходным already shows this is a repeated action, the present tense naturally gives a habitual meaning.

The same applies to слушаем:

• слушаем прибой = we listen to the surf

Because слушать and слышать are different verbs.

• слушать = to listen (intentional)
• слышать = to hear (perceive sound)

So:

• слушаем прибой = we listen to the sound of the surf
• слышим прибой = we hear the surf

In this sentence, the couple is deliberately enjoying the sound, so слушаем is the better choice.

It actually is in the accusative case, but for many inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative looks exactly like the nominative.

• прибой = surf
• слушаем прибой = we listen to the surf

So the form stays the same.

Compare:

• вижу стол = I see a table
  (стол stays the same because it is inanimate masculine)

But with an animate masculine noun:

• вижу брата = I see my brother
  (the form changes)

So прибой is accusative here, even though it looks unchanged.

The word order is very natural:

• По выходным мы с женой гуляем по набережной и слушаем прибой.

Russian word order is flexible, so other versions are possible, for example:

• Мы с женой по выходным гуляем по набережной и слушаем прибой.
• Мы с женой гуляем по набережной и слушаем прибой по выходным.

But they do not all sound equally neutral.

The original version is smooth and standard because:

• По выходным sets the time right away
• мы с женой introduces the people
• then the sentence gives the two actions

So yes, you can move things, but the original is an excellent default word order.

The main stresses are:

• по выходны́м
• мы с жено́й
• гуля́ем
• по на́бережной
• слу́шаем
• прибо́й

A learner-friendly pronunciation guide:

• pa vy-kha-DNYM
• my s zhy-NOY
• goo-LYAEM
• pa NA-be-ryzh-nay
• SLU-sha-yem
• pree-BOY

Stress matters in Russian, so it’s worth learning these together with the words.