Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhōumò wǒ xiǎng chūmén gòuwù, yě xiǎng zài kāfēiguǎn fàngsōng yíxià. - On the weekend I want to go out shopping and also relax for a bit in a café.

This is also correct. Both mean the same; putting 周末 first just feels a bit more like “As for the weekend, I want to…”, emphasizing “on weekends / this weekend” as the topic.

All of these are acceptable:

周末我想出门购物。
我周末想出门购物。
这个周末我想出门购物。 (“this weekend” – slightly clearer it’s the coming weekend)

What exactly does 想 (xiǎng) mean here? Is it like “want to”, “would like to”, or “plan to”? How is it different from 要 (yào)?

In this sentence, 想 expresses a wish or intention, but in a softer way than English “want”:

周末我想出门购物
“On the weekend I would like to go out shopping.”

Rough comparison:

想 = would like to / feel like / intend to
Softer, more about what you’d like, not a firm decision.
要 = want to / going to / will (intention or near-future action)
Stronger, more determined or imminent.

Compare:

我想去北京。
I’d like to go to Beijing (it’s my wish).
我今年要去北京。
I’m going to Beijing this year (plan/decision is firmer).

In your sentence, 想 fits well because you’re just talking about what you feel like doing on the weekend.

Why is 我 (wǒ, “I”) only written once? Shouldn’t it be repeated before 也想 in the second part?

Chinese often drops a repeated subject when it’s clear from context.

Full version would be:

周末我想出门购物，我也想在咖啡馆放松一下。

Since both actions have the same subject (我), it’s natural and common to shorten it to:

周末我想出门购物，也想在咖啡馆放松一下。

The second 我 is understood:
“I, on the weekend, want to go out shopping, (I) also want to relax in a café.”

What does 出门 (chūmén) add? Could I just say 周末我想购物?

出门 literally means “to go out (of the door / house)”.
出门购物 = “go out (leave home) to do some shopping”.

Nuance:

周末我想购物。
Grammatical, but sounds a bit formal or incomplete in everyday speech.
周末我想出门购物。
Feels like natural spoken Chinese: “I want to go out and do some shopping.”

So 出门 emphasizes leaving home / going out, not just the act of buying things.

What’s the difference between 购物 (gòuwù), 买东西 (mǎi dōngxi), and 逛街 (guàngjiē)? Could I use them interchangeably here?

They all relate to “shopping”, but with different flavors:

购物 – “to shop / go shopping”
Slightly formal or written; covers all kinds of shopping.
买东西 – “to buy things”
Very everyday, colloquial, probably the most common in speech.
逛街 – “to stroll around the streets / go window-shopping”
Emphasizes walking around, browsing, maybe shopping.

In your sentence, all can work, with small nuance differences:

周末我想出门购物 – neutral, a bit formal.
周末我想出门买东西 – very natural, casual.
周末我想出门逛街 – “I want to go out and walk around town / go (leisure) shopping.”

Could I say 出门去购物 instead of 出门购物? Is 去 (qù) necessary?

Both are fine:

出门购物
出门去购物

去 explicitly marks “go (somewhere) to do X”.
Without 去, 出门购物 is a slightly more compact expression, but the meaning is the same: leave home in order to shop.

So:

周末我想出门去购物。
周末我想出门购物。

Both are natural; 出门购物 is just a bit shorter.

What exactly does 也 (yě) do here, and why is it placed before 想?

也 means “also / too”.

Position: it usually goes before the verb it modifies. Here the key verb is 想, so:

……也想在咖啡馆放松一下。 = “also want to relax in a café.”

Typical pattern:

Subject + 也 + Verb + Object
我也想去。 – I also want to go.
他也喜欢咖啡。 – He also likes coffee.

You wouldn’t say 想也在咖啡馆放松一下; that sounds wrong. The correct place is 也想.

Could I use 还 (hái) instead of 也? What’s the difference between 也 and 还 in this kind of sentence?

In this sentence, both 也 and 还 are possible, but they have slightly different feels:

也 – “also, too”
Neutral addition of another action.
还 – “also / in addition / furthermore”
Often sounds more like “on top of that / in addition”.

So:

周末我想出门购物，也想在咖啡馆放松一下。
“On the weekend I want to go out shopping, and I also want to relax in a café.” (simple “also”)
周末我想出门购物，还想在咖啡馆放松一下。
“On the weekend I want to go out shopping, and in addition I want to relax in a café.”
Slightly more like an extra bonus/plus.

Both are natural; 也 is the more neutral, textbook-style choice here.

Why is it 在咖啡馆放松一下 and not 放松一下在咖啡馆? What’s the rule for the place word 在咖啡馆?

The usual Chinese word order is:

[Subject] + 在 + [Place] + [Verb] + [Object]

So:

我在咖啡馆放松一下。
I relax a bit in the café.

The place phrase 在咖啡馆 normally comes before the verb.
放松一下在咖啡馆 sounds unnatural or wrong in standard Mandarin.

Other examples:

他在家工作。 – He works at home.
我们在学校吃饭。 – We eat at school.

What is 一下 (yíxià) doing after 放松? Can I say just 放松 without it?

一下 after a verb is very common. It has two main functions:

“A little / for a short while”
Indicates the action is light or brief.
Soften the tone
Makes the request or statement sound less direct, more casual or polite.

So:

放松一下 ≈ “relax a bit / relax for a while.”

You can say just 放松:

我想在咖啡馆放松。

This is grammatical, but 放松一下 feels more natural and softer in conversation, especially when talking about weekend plans or what you’d “like” to do.

Why is there no word like “will” or a future tense marker in this Chinese sentence?

Chinese doesn’t have verb tenses like English -ed / will / am doing.
Instead, it relies on:

Time words: 周末, 明天, 下个月, etc.
Aspect markers: 了, 过, 着 (for completion, experience, ongoing),
Modal verbs: 想, 要, 会, etc., for intention/possibility.

In:

周末我想出门购物，也想在咖啡馆放松一下。

The combination of 周末 (“on the weekend”) + 想 (“would like to / intend to”) already shows it’s about the future. There’s no need for an extra “will” word.

Why isn’t there a measure word before 咖啡馆 (kāfēiguǎn)? Should it be 一个咖啡馆?

You only need 一个咖啡馆 when you want to emphasize “one café” (or introduce a specific café).

Here, 在咖啡馆放松一下 is more like English “relax in a café / at a café” in a general sense, not focusing on number.

Compare:

我想在咖啡馆放松一下。
I want to relax in a café (some café, in general).
我想在一个咖啡馆里放松一下。
I want to relax in a (one) café – slightly more specific, maybe contrasting with other places.

For generic locations where the exact number doesn’t matter, Chinese often skips 一个:

我在学校学习。 – I study at (the) school.
他在公司工作。 – He works at a company / the office.

Does 周末 here mean “on weekends (in general)” or “this weekend”? Do I need to say 这个周末?

周末 by itself can mean:

“on weekends (in general)” – as a habit, or
“this weekend” – if the context is about upcoming plans.

Without extra context, it’s a bit like English “On the weekend, I want to…”, which can also be interpreted either way.

If you specifically mean this coming weekend, you can say:

这个周末我想出门购物，也想在咖啡馆放松一下。

If you mean your general weekend routine, you can keep just 周末:

周末我想出门购物，也想在咖啡馆放松一下。
“On weekends I (usually) like to go out shopping and relax in a café.”

What’s the difference between 放松一下 (fàngsōng yíxià) and 休息一下 (xiūxi yíxià)? Could I say 在咖啡馆休息一下 instead?

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different ideas:

放松一下 – “relax a bit”
More about mental/overall relaxation, enjoying yourself, de-stressing.
休息一下 – “rest a bit”
More about taking a break, stopping activity, maybe because you’re tired.

In a café context:

在咖啡馆放松一下
Feels like enjoying the atmosphere, maybe having a coffee, chilling out.
在咖啡馆休息一下
Feels like you’re tired and need a short break (sit down, rest your feet, etc.).

So yes, 在咖啡馆休息一下 is correct, but the nuance shifts from “chill/relax” to more “take a rest.”