Italian Phrase
Nel weekend mi alleno meno.
Meaning
Literally, ‘In the weekend I train less.’ It expresses that the speaker’s amount of training on the weekend is lower than on other days, without specifying the exact comparison.
When to use
Use this sentence when you’re talking about your workout routine and want to point out that you cut back on exercise during the weekend, perhaps because of social plans or rest.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nelweekendmiallenomeno
Nel = in + il
‘Nel’ is the contraction of the preposition ‘in’ and the definite article ‘il’, used before masculine singular nouns (or borrowed nouns like ‘weekend’).
Week‑end as a masculine noun
Even though it’s an English loanword, Italian treats ‘weekend’ as masculine, so it takes ‘il’ (hence ‘nel weekend’).
Reflexive pronoun mi
‘Allenarsi’ is a reflexive verb; the subject must be accompanied by the appropriate reflexive pronoun – here ‘mi’ for ‘io’.
Alleno – present indicative
‘Alleno’ is the first‑person singular present of ‘allenarsi’, meaning ‘I train / I work out’.
Meno as a comparative adverb
‘Meno’ means ‘less’ and directly modifies the verb; no ‘di’ is needed after it when comparing actions.
🗨In Conversation
Che fai di solito nel weekend?
What do you usually do on the weekend?
Nel weekend mi alleno meno.
I train less on the weekend.
✕Common Mistakes
Nel weekend alleno meno.
‘Allenarsi’ is reflexive; you need the pronoun ‘mi’.
Nel weekend mi alleno meno di.
When ‘meno’ modifies a verb, you don’t add ‘di’; ‘meno di’ is used for nouns or adjectives.
Nel weekend mi alleno meno che.
‘Che’ is not used after ‘meno’ with verbs; it’s only for adjectives/nouns (e.g., ‘meno grande di’).
↔Alternatives
Durante il weekend mi alleno meno.
During the weekend I train less.
Nel fine settimana mi alleno di meno.
In the weekend I train less.
Nel weekend faccio meno esercizio.
I do less exercise on the weekend.
Cultural Tip
‘Weekend’ is widely used in everyday Italian, especially among younger speakers, but the more formal ‘fine settimana’ is also common. When talking about sports or gym routines, Italians often use the reflexive form ‘allenarsi’ rather than the transitive ‘allenare’ (e.g., ‘Mi alleno’ not ‘Alleno’).