Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ xiànzài yào huí sùshè xiūxi. - I want to go back to the dorm to rest now.

The verb in the sentence is 要回…休息 (literally: want/going-to go-back … rest).
现在 already shows that the time is now, so no extra am-word is needed.
In Chinese, tense is usually expressed by time words (like 现在, 明天, 昨天) and context, not by changing or adding a verb like to be.

So 我现在要回宿舍休息 is literally more like:
I now want/plan to go back to the dorm to rest.

What exactly does 要 mean here?

要 (yào) has several common meanings:

to want – 我要咖啡。 = I want coffee.
to be going to / be about to (future plan/intention) – 明天我要去北京。 = I am going to Beijing tomorrow.
to need – 我要三张票。 = I need three tickets.

In 我现在要回宿舍休息:

要 mainly expresses intention / plan in the near future: I am going to / I’m about to go back to the dorm and rest.
It could also carry a slight sense of “I want to”, but the more prominent feeling is “I’m going to do this now”.

So it’s natural to translate it as “I’m going to…” rather than “I want to…” in this context.

Why can 要 directly come before 回? Don’t we need 去 (go)?

We don’t need 去 here because 回 (huí) itself is a verb meaning to return / to go back.

回 already contains the idea of going back.
If you say 要回宿舍, you are saying (I) am going to return to the dorm.
Adding 去 (要回去宿舍) is not correct word order; if 回去 is used, it’s usually 要回去宿舍里 or simply 要回去 when the place is understood.

Correct options include:

我现在要回宿舍休息。
我现在要回去休息。 (place understood from context)
我现在要回宿舍去休息。 (also possible; 回宿舍 then 去休息)

But the original is the most compact and natural.

What is the nuance of 回 here? Is it just “go” or specifically “go back”?

回 (huí) specifically means to return / go back (to a place you have already been).

It implies going back to a familiar or original place, often your residence, classroom, office, etc.
If you used 去 (qù) instead (我要去宿舍休息), it would be understood, but 回宿舍 is more natural if the dorm is “your place” (where you live or stay).

So 回宿舍 suggests: go back to my dorm (where I belong/stay).

Why is there no 在 before 宿舍 (like 在宿舍)?

在 means at / in / on, and is often used to describe a location state, e.g.:

我在宿舍。 = I am in the dorm.

In 我现在要回宿舍休息:

The structure is 要 + 回 + 宿舍 + 休息.
回宿舍 is a verb + place pattern meaning go back to the dorm.
You use 在 when you are being / staying somewhere, not when you are describing the destination of a movement verb like 回, 去, 来.

Compare:

我现在在宿舍休息。= I’m resting in the dorm now. (state)
我现在要回宿舍休息。= I’m (going to) go back to the dorm to rest now. (movement + purpose)

What exactly does 宿舍 mean? Is it just “room” or “house”?

宿舍 (sùshè) means dormitory / dorm room / student residence.

It’s usually used for student dorms, staff dorms, or similar shared living spaces.
It is not the same as 家 (home) or 房间 (room).

Examples:

学生宿舍 = student dormitory
我的宿舍 = my dorm room / my dorm

So 回宿舍 is go back to the dorm, not go home (which is usually 回家).

How does 休息 work grammatically? Is it a verb or a noun here?

休息 (xiūxi) is primarily a verb: to rest / to have a break.

In 我现在要回宿舍休息, 休息 is a verb of purpose:

回宿舍休息 = go back to the dorm in order to rest.

You can think of the structure as:

回 + 宿舍 + 休息
go back + (to the) dorm + (and then) rest

It’s not being used as a noun here (like English “have a rest”), even though you could translate it that way in English for naturalness: “go back to the dorm to have a rest.”

Why is there no 一 or 一下 after 休息 (like 休息一下)?

Adding 一下 (or 一会儿) softens the action or makes it sound brief / casual:

休息一下 = rest a bit / take a short break.
休息一会儿 = rest for a while.

In this sentence:

休息 by itself is neutral; it just states rest as the purpose.
我要回宿舍休息一下 would sound like I’m going back to the dorm to rest a bit / take a short break.
我要回宿舍休息 could mean resting for a short or long time; it doesn’t specify.

Both are correct; adding 一下 simply adds a sense of “just a little” and makes the tone a bit lighter.

Do we need the particle 了 at the end, like …休息了?

You can add 了, but it changes the nuance:

我现在要回宿舍休息。
= I’m going to go back to the dorm to rest now.
(A neutral statement of current plan/intention.)
我现在要回宿舍休息了。
= I’m going to go back to the dorm to rest now (all right).
(Often adds a feeling of change of state / “I’m off now”, sometimes softer or more conversational.)

Sentence-final 了 here marks that something is about to start / a situation is changing. It can make the sentence feel more “I’m actually leaving now” rather than just “this is my plan.”

Both with and without 了 are grammatically correct.

Is the word order 我现在要回宿舍休息 fixed, or can we move 现在?

Time words like 现在, 今天, 明天 are pretty flexible, but there are more natural positions.

Common and natural placements:

我现在要回宿舍休息。
现在我(要)回宿舍休息。

Both are fine. Some notes:

Time expressions usually come before the verb phrase, often right after the subject:
我现在要…, 我今天想…
If you say only 现在要回宿舍休息 (dropping 我), it is possible in context, but by default Mandarin prefers to keep the subject unless it’s very clear or previously mentioned.

The original word order is very typical and natural.

Could we omit 现在? What would change?

Yes, you can omit 现在:

我要回宿舍休息。

The meaning becomes a bit more general:

With 现在: I’m (right now) going to go back to the dorm to rest. (emphasis on now or about to do it now.)
Without 现在: I’m going back to the dorm to rest. (still usually about the near future, but less specifically tied to right now.)

Context often provides the time. 现在 is used when you want to emphasize “now / at this moment”.

How is 休息 (xiūxi) pronounced? Why is the second syllable written xi and not xí?

The standard pronunciation is:

休息: xiūxi
- 休: xiū (first tone)
- 息: xi (neutral tone in this word)

While the character 息 on its own is pronounced xī (first tone), in the word 休息 the second syllable is usually neutral tone in everyday speech:

xiūxi (tone pattern: 1 + neutral)

Neutral tone syllables in pinyin are often written without a tone mark, which is why you see xi rather than xī.

In very careful speech you might hear xiūxī, but xiūxi (with a neutral second syllable) is the common, natural pronunciation.

Is 现在要回宿舍休息 a complete sentence without 我?

Grammatically, Chinese often allows dropping the subject when it is clear from context. So:

现在要回宿舍休息。

can be understood as “(I) am now going back to the dorm to rest.” if it’s obvious who is speaking and what is happening.

However:

In textbooks and formal teaching, including 我 is preferred so learners don’t get confused.
In real conversation, people often omit 我 when the context makes it clear:
- A: 你去哪儿？
  B: 现在要回宿舍休息。
  A: Where are you going?
  B: (I) am going back to the dorm to rest now.

So yes, it can be complete without 我, but the original with 我 is clearer for learners.

What is the basic pattern or structure of this sentence?

You can see it as:

Subject + Time word + Modal/auxiliary + Movement verb + Place + Purpose verb

Specifically:

我 (subject: I)
现在 (time: now)
要 (modal: going to / intend to)
回 (movement verb: go back)
宿舍 (place: dorm)
休息 (purpose verb: rest)

Pattern:
我 + 现在 + 要 + 回 + 宿舍 + 休息。
= I + now + am going to + go back + (to the) dorm + (and) rest.

This [subject] + [time] + 要 + [movement verb] + [place] + [purpose] pattern is very common in everyday Mandarin.