Learn Hardcore Czech: Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma. - Today I just want to relax at home.

chci can only mean I want (já), so já is not necessary.
Adding Já is possible and correct, but it adds emphasis, a bit like I in: I (myself) just want to rest at home today.

Example nuances:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma. – neutral: Today I just want to rest at home.
Já dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma. – I (as opposed to others) want to rest at home today.

Can I move the word dnes to another place? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can move dnes, but Czech word order often changes the emphasis.

All of these are grammatically correct:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma. – neutral, focus on what you want to do today.
Chci dnes jenom odpočívat doma. – very similar, slightly more neutral-sounding.
Chci jenom dnes odpočívat doma. – emphasizes today only (not other days).

So:

Dnes chci… – Today, I want… (topic: today)
Chci jenom dnes… – I want only today… (limiting the time)

The basic, most typical version is the original one.

What is the difference between jen, jenom, and pouze? Could I replace jenom here?

All three can mean only / just, but they differ in style and feel:

jen – short, very common, slightly more neutral:
- Dnes chci jen odpočívat doma.
jenom – a bit more colloquial / spoken, very frequent in everyday speech:
- Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
pouze – more formal, written, or emphatic:
- Dnes chci pouze odpočívat doma. (Today I wish to do nothing but rest at home.)

In everyday speech, jen and jenom are both perfectly natural here. Pouze would sound more formal or serious.

Why is jenom before odpočívat and not before doma? What happens if I move it?

Jenom modifies the word that follows it most closely in meaning, so its position changes the interpretation:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
– I just want to rest at home (and not do anything else).
Dnes chci odpočívat jenom doma.
– I want to rest only at home (not in other places).

So:

jenom odpočívat – restricts the activity
jenom doma – restricts the place

Czech word order is flexible, but you must be careful with jen / jenom because moving it really changes the meaning.

Why is odpočívat in the infinitive? Is this always used after chci?

Yes. After chci (I want), Czech normally uses the infinitive, just like English uses to + verb:

chci odpočívat – I want to rest
chci spát – I want to sleep
chci jíst – I want to eat

So the pattern is:

(já) chci + infinitive

You rarely use a finite verb after chtít in this kind of meaning; the infinitive is the standard structure.

Why is odpočívat used, and not odpočinout si? What is the difference?

This is about aspect (imperfective vs. perfective) and reflexive vs. non‑reflexive:

odpočívat – imperfective: focuses on the ongoing activity: to be resting / to rest (as a process)
odpočinout si – perfective reflexive: to have a rest / to get rested (one complete rest)

In your sentence:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
– You focus on spending time resting in general, probably for some time today.

If you say:

Dnes si chci jen odpočinout doma.
– Today I just want to have a rest at home. (one rest, the result of feeling rested)

Both are correct, but odpočívat fits well with the idea of lazing around for a while.

Why is doma used instead of v domě? What is the exact meaning of doma?

Doma is an adverb meaning at home, not in the house in a neutral physical sense.

doma – at home (your home, where you live / feel at home)
v domě – in the house (inside a particular building, house)

So:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
– Today I just want to rest at home (my place).

If you said:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat v domě.
– This is grammatically OK but unusual; it sounds like you are contrasting inside the house with somewhere else (e.g. in the garden, outside), not about “home” as such.

The verb chci is in the present tense, but we are talking about today (including the future). Is that normal in Czech?

Yes. Czech often uses the present tense for planned or near future actions if the time is clear from context:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
– Today I (intend to) just rest at home.
Zítra jedu do Prahy. – I’m going to Prague tomorrow.

So chci here expresses your current intention about what you will do during the rest of today. This is very natural.

How do you pronounce chci and odpočívat?

Roughly (using English-like spelling):

chci – [xtsi]
- ch is like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch (a voiceless velar fricative).
- c is like ts in cats.
- There is no vowel between ch and c: it is not chi-ci, but one cluster: chc-.
odpočívat – [ˈodpotʃiːvat]
- Stress is always on the first syllable: OD‑po‑čí‑vat.
- č is like ch in church.
- í is a long ee sound, as in see.
- á is a long a, like in father (but not diphthongized).

Czech always stresses the first syllable of words, which makes rhythm quite regular.

Could I say Dneska chci jenom odpočívat doma instead of Dnes chci…?

Yes. Dneska is a very common colloquial variant of dnes.

dnes – neutral, can be written or spoken
dneska – more colloquial, typical in everyday speech

Both versions are correct:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat doma.
Dneska chci jenom odpočívat doma.

The meaning is the same: Today I just want to rest at home.

Is odpočívat doma a fixed phrase, or can I put more words between them?

It is not a frozen expression; you can insert adverbs and other details between odpočívat and doma:

Dnes chci jenom odpočívat klidně doma. – …rest peacefully at home.
Dnes chci jenom odpočívat celý den doma. – …rest at home all day.
Dnes chci jenom odpočívat sám doma. – …rest at home alone.

But if you separate them too much, the sentence can sound heavy or confusing. Keeping odpočívat and doma fairly close is most natural.

How would I make this sentence negative, like “Today I don’t want to rest at home”?

You negate the verb chci:

Dnes nechci jenom odpočívat doma. – Today I don’t just want to rest at home. (I want to do more than that.)
Dnes nechci odpočívat doma. – Today I don’t want to rest at home (at all).

Form:

ne + chci → nechci (I do not want)

If you want the strong meaning “absolutely don’t want to rest at home”, leave jenom out, like in the second example.