On (the) weekend(s)/ weekday(s).

[Ashraful Haque]

I'm currently preparing for my IELTS test. I've downloaded a question list and there are a lot of questions about weekends/weekdays/free time and I want to be as honest as possible since it'll be easier for me to answer any follow up questions.

I was practicing talking about my weekends and weekdays and I came across the following problems:

- I am very serious when it comes to my fitness. I love working out and keeping fit. And that's why I'm on a strict diet on the weekdays.
- I only get to eat my favorite food on the weekends. I enjoy eating all my favorite food throughout the day on the weekends.

Questions:
1. a) Do I say 'on the weekdays' or 'during the weekdays?'
b) Do we always pluralize weekdays?

2. a) My questions says 'what do you enjoy doing on weekends.' But I've always said 'on the weekends.' I just want to know if they both mean the same thing. That is, weekends in general and not any specific weekend.
b) Does 'on the weekend' (without pluralizing) mean a specific weekend?
c) I'm not sure about the sentence 'throughout the day on the weekends.' As far as I know 'on (the) weekends' means weekends in general and not a specific one. But 'throughout the day' sounds like a single day to me. How do I say it?

 

[emsr2d2]

It's clear that the content you've downloaded (please provide the source and author) is based on American English, but I'll tell you what BrE speakers would use.

1. I'm on a strict diet on weekdays.
2. I only get to eat my favourite food at the weekend/at weekends.

 

[GoesStation]

1. a) Do I say 'on the weekdays' or 'during the weekdays?'
b) Do we always pluralize weekdays?

2. a) My questions says 'what do you enjoy doing on weekends.' But I've always said 'on the weekends.' I just want to know if they both mean the same thing.

Don't use the article with "weekends" or "weekdays". It's wrong.

"Weekdays" is plural when you're talking about more than one.

 

[Tarheel]

during the week

on the weekend

(American English)

 

[Ashraful Haque]

It's clear that the content you've downloaded (please provide the source and author) is based on American English, but I'll tell you what BrE speakers would use.

1. I'm on a strict diet on weekdays.
2. I only get to eat my favourite food at the weekend/at weekends.

I bough IELTS lessons on magoosh.com so yes it's an American site and the teacher is American as well.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

Don't use the article with "weekends" or "weekdays". It's wrong.

"Weekdays" is plural when you're talking about more than one.

Are you saying that we say 'on the weekend' and ' on weekends' because it's plural?

I found lots of videos where people are saying 'on the weekends.' Please check this out: https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/30f34a40-d1ce-419a-9202-af2d2d31fd79

 

[Ashraful Haque]

during the week

on the weekend

(American English)

Wow. One of the answers above says it's wrong to use the article
So confused.

And doesn't during the week mean the entire 7 days?

 

[PeterCW]

Wow. One of the answers above says it's wrong to use the article
So confused.

And doesn't during the week mean the entire 7 days?

In BrE I might use "on the weekend" or "at the weekend".

Technically "during the week" means the full 7 days but colloquially it is regularly used to mean the Monday to Friday working week in both British and American English. Context is everything.

 

[GoesStation]

I found lots of videos where people are saying 'on the weekends.' Please check this out: https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/30f34a40-d1ce-419a-9202-af2d2d31fd79

The actor says "on the weekend", not "weekends".

 

[Ashraful Haque]

Let me see if I understand it. To mean a specific weekend we say "What are you doing on the weekend/this weekend?" And for weekends in general we say "I cheat on my diet on weekends" without the article.
(Since it's and American site I'd prefer to stick to AmE so I don't mix things up too much.)

 

[Tarheel]

Let me see if I understand it. To mean a specific weekend we say "What are you doing on the weekend/this weekend?" And for weekends in general we say "I cheat on my diet on weekends" without the article.
(Since it's an American site I'd prefer to stick to AmE so I don't mix things up too much.)

Yep.

(I would say: "What are you doing this weekend?")

 

[Ashraful Haque]

(I would say: "What are you doing this weekend?")

And for weekends in general "What do you do on weekends?"

 

[Ashraful Haque]

That solves my 'weekends' problem but not my 'weekdays' problems.

1. a) Do I say 'on the weekdays' or 'during the weekdays?'- "I'm on a strict diet on/during the weekdays."
b) Do we always pluralize weekdays? - "Tomorrow is weekday here. The weekend is on Friday in Bangladesh."

 

[GoesStation]

1. a) Do I say 'on the weekdays' or 'during the weekdays?'- "I'm on a strict diet on/during the weekdays."
b) Do we always pluralize weekdays? - "Tomorrow is a weekday here. The weekend [STRIKE]is[/STRIKE] begins on Friday in Bangladesh."

Sentence 1a is incorrect. Say "I'm on a strict diet on weekdays/during the week."

1b: No. For example, "Sunday is a weekday in some countries, including Bangladesh and Israel."

 

[jutfrank]

This thread seems to be absurdly complicated. All questions were answered clearly in post #2:

1. I'm on a strict diet on weekdays.
2. I only get to eat my favourite food at the weekend/at weekends.

Although both are perfectly natural, I'd advise you to use at weekends in context 2 because it's clearer. Simple.

Don't worry about what is common in American English. The IELTS exam is not looking for you to speak American English.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

This thread seems to be absurdly complicated. All questions were answered clearly in post #2:



Although both are perfectly natural, I'd advise you to use at weekends in context 2 because it's clearer. Simple.

Don't worry about what is common in American English. The IELTS exam is not looking for you to speak American English.

To be honest I find 'on the weekend/on weekends' easier to remember since it's 'on' for both weekends and weekdays. I hope I won't lose points if the examiner is British :-?

 

[Tarheel]

And for weekends in general "What do you do on weekends?"

Yes.