What's different between "during the weekend" and "over the weekend"?

What’s different between “during the weekend” and “over the weekend”?

In this meaning 'expressing duration they are synonyms, maybe ‘over’ is a bit more bookish:
during the last two years= over the last two years
But ‘over’ has a lot of others meanings, for example:
The lesson is over
flight over the ocean
over the river
an apron over the dress
over the phone
to jump over
over 30 degrees C
etc.

1 Like

Actually, “over the weekend” is what I and those around me would most likely say. I do not consider it bookish.

I plan on doing some yard work over the weekend.
My son came home from college over the weekend.
What are you doing over the weekend?

“During the weekend” is grammatically correct and has the same meaning, but it doesn’t sound as natural to me. Perhaps in certain contexts “during” could sound better. And it may, perhaps, vary by region. My English is standard Midwest American.

It may be a shortening of “over the course of the weekend”, which is a bit more “bookish”.

2 Likes

What’s the difference? Humm…interesting. For me:
over the weekend, during the weekend, on the weekend, for the weekend
are all synonymous in meaning. Perhaps one or the other is used more or less in certain regions or certain individuals. For example, I use “on the weekend” over and above any of the other equivalent alternatives that I just mentioned. Notice how knowing the many meanings and uses of “over” doesn’t particularly help to understand the meaning of “over the weekend”. I would consider all of these (over the weekend, during the weekend, on the weekend, for the weekend) equiivalent collocations.

3 Likes

It is also ‘at the weekend’ especially in the UK.

2 Likes

I agree they are interchangeable in practice…but I have heard that a difference on form always signals a difference in function no matter how slight… this book ‘The English Verb’ by Michael Lewis is on of my favorites on this topic

https://www.scribd.com/doc/242318347/The-English-Verb-Lewis

sometimes though it is is not worth the effort :wink:

I am from the Southern part of the US and I use and hear “on the weekend” the most, but most are interchangeable.

I found the explanation by this web

‘At the weekend’ is a British English expression.
‘during the weekend’ ‘over the weekend’ and ‘on the weekend’ are all the same meaning.

As a non-British native speaker, I will never get used to ‘at the weekend’. I say ‘on the weekend’, and this is the phrase I use by far the most of the ones listed.

From a quasi-Russian perspective, I’m tempted to say that “at the weekend” is perfective and “over (or during) the weekend” is imperfective…! :smiley:

I’m only half kidding BTW

“I’ll read the report at the weekend” does somehow view the action as complete and whole, IMO.

“I’ll read the report over the weekend” implies either that the report will be read at some unspecified point between Friday evening and the end of Sunday, or (in the case of a very long document) it could mean that it’ll be read almost continuously during this time.

“I’ll read the report during the weekend” is almost identical to “over the weekend”. Maybe just maybe there could be a slightly greater emphasis on the durative nature of the action - i.e. that the reading will be ongoing during the weekend. (But this is hair-splitting territory!)

Same. “At the weekend” sounds as wrong as “at Monday” to my ear.

We say always ‘on’ with ‘a day’ that’s wht on Monday, on Tuesday etc.
But we say ‘at the end’ that’s why it was originally ‘at the weekend’ and is used still in the UK, but the Americans like to simplify all things and they started to use ‘on’ also with ‘on the weekrend’ and it’s now more popular.

I does make more sense thinking “at the week’s end” or naturally “at the end of the week”, but we (I) generally don’t think of “the weekend” so literally. That’s why it still sounds strange to me.

Probably, I assume, like a German native speaker doesn’t think of Mittwoch as literally being “mid-week”, but rather as just the name of another day.

LFJ: “At the weekend” sounds as wrong as “at Monday” to my ear."

Well, English is like that, isn’t it? It’s inconsistent :wink:

In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening but at night!

I guess “at night” doesn’t sound wrong to you does it?

I think it’s a regional thing. I would say “at the weekend”, but apparently US English prefers “on”.

Hum dee ho
Ho dee hum
English is
A total a bum

(My application for post of poet laureate got lost in the post…apparently…)

But Prinz you mix American and British English without even realising it! :wink:

You’re right. “At night” doesn’t sound wrong to me, and “in the night” would be used a bit differently too.

Eventually they’ll probably be the same! :stuck_out_tongue:

To make the difference between the expressions ‘on the weekend- at the weekend- during the weekend- over the weekend- for the weekend’ more accurate, I had a conversation with my English speaker friend.
Some of his eplanations could be interesting for all English learners.
Here is the link:

1 Like

What’s the difference between “during the weekend” and “over the weekend?”

I agree with the others who have responded that these are essentially the same in meaning.

I tend to use ‘over the weekend’ when referring to the past weekend (the weekend that has just passed):

What did you do over the weekend?

My son came home from college over the weekend.
(which implies: But he has gone back to college now that the new week has begun. When there is a holiday on Monday, this is called a “long weekend.” So his son may have come home Friday evening after classes and not returned to college until Monday evening, with the work and school week starting on Tuesday.)

Also “this past weekend”:

What did you do this past weekend?
We took a little road trip this past weekend.

Otherwise I use “this weekend” to refer to the weekend that is approaching:

What are you going to do this weekend?
I plan on doing some yard work this weekend.
I’ll read the report this weekend.

There are specific contexts where I would use ‘during the weekend,’ such as referring to a specific date:

During the weekend of September 16-18, the city will be hosting its 14th annual International Film Festival.

I would have to see the phrases “during the weekend” or “over the weekend” used in the context of a sentence to be able to tell you which would be preferable, or whether I would use another phrase, such as “this weekend.”

In the exercise, they are referring to activities which they anticipate will take place during specified periods of time in the future: weeks and weekends. In this context, what I would say is:

Well, I’ll be playing soccer with my school team during the week and going swimming on weekends.

The basic format would be: During the week I’ll be doing this (one activity, e.g. playing soccer with my school team). And on weekends I’ll be doing this (other activity, e.g. going swimming).

1 Like