Learn Hardcore Japanese: ima ha ie de sizuka ni yasumimasu.

いまは means “as for now / right now”.
It tells you that “now” is the thing being talked about, and the comment about it is “(I) will rest quietly at home.”
It often implies contrast: Now (as opposed to other times), I’ll rest at home.

So いまは is more like “Right now, (I’m going to)…” than just a bare “now”.

Why is there no subject like 私 (I) in the sentence?

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.

In English you must say “I rest”, but in Japanese, if it’s clear that the speaker is talking about themselves, 私 is simply left out.
This sentence is naturally understood as “(I) will rest quietly at home now.”

You could add it:

いまは　私は　家で　静かに　休みます。

…but that usually sounds a bit heavy or overly explicit in everyday conversation unless you really want to stress “I (and not someone else)”.

Why is the particle で used after 家, and not に?

で marks the place where an action happens.

家で休みます。 = “(I) rest at home.” (home is the place where the action of resting takes place)

In contrast:

に usually marks a destination or a location of existence (with verbs like いる, ある), e.g.
- 家に帰ります。 = “I go home.” (destination)
- 家にいます。 = “I am at home.” (location of being)

Since 休む is treated as an action here (to rest, to take a break), 家で休みます is natural.
家に休みます is basically ungrammatical in standard Japanese.

What is the function of に after 静か?

静か is a na-adjective (静かな). Na-adjectives form an adverb by adding に.

静か → 静かに = “quietly”

So:

静かに休みます。 = “(I) will rest quietly.”

Compare:

きれいな → きれいに (beautiful → beautifully / nicely)
安全な → 安全に (safe → safely)

What kind of word is 静か?

静か is a na-adjective (形容動詞) meaning “quiet / calm.”

Before a noun: 静かな部屋 = “a quiet room”
As an adverb: 静かに話します = “(I) speak quietly”
As a predicate: 部屋は静かです = “The room is quiet.”

In this sentence, it’s in the adverb form (静かに), modifying the verb 休みます.

Shouldn’t it be 休んでいます to mean “I am resting right now”?

Both are possible, but the nuance is a bit different.

いまは家で静かに休みます。
- Polite non‑past form.
- In context, often used to talk about what you are going to do now or a general plan / decision:
  - “For now, I’ll rest quietly at home.”
いまは家で静かに休んでいます。
- Progressive form.
- Clearly describes an ongoing action/state right now:
  - “Right now, I am resting quietly at home.”

If you want to emphasize “I am in the middle of resting right now,” 休んでいます is more explicit.
If you’re choosing or announcing your plan “for now I will rest,” 休みます is very natural.

Could I say いま、家で静かに休みます。 without は?

Yes, you can say:

いま、家で静かに休みます。

This sounds a bit more neutral and straightforward, like simply stating “Now, I (will) rest quietly at home.”

Using いまは adds more of a topic/contrast feeling:

いまは家で静かに休みます。
→ “As for now / For the time being, I’ll rest quietly at home (instead of doing other things).”

So は weakly suggests contrast or a “for now / at this time” framing.

Can I drop 静かに? What changes in meaning?

If you drop 静かに, you get:

いまは家で休みます。 = “Now I’ll rest at home.”

The basic meaning remains, but you lose the manner of the action:

With 静かに: “rest quietly at home” (no noise, calm).
Without 静かに: simply “rest at home,” with no specific implication about how (maybe sleeping, maybe just lazing around, etc.).

Can I change the word order, like いまは静かに家で休みます?

You can move some parts around, but the verb must stay at the end, and some orders sound more natural than others.

Natural variations:

いまは家で静かに休みます。 (original)
いまは静かに家で休みます。 (OK; emphasizes “quietly” a bit more)
家でいまは静かに休みます。 (grammatically OK but a bit marked / unusual in everyday speech)

In practice, Japanese tends to prefer:

Time expressions early (いまは)
Then place (家で)
Then manner (静かに)
Then the verb (休みます)

So the original order is the most natural-sounding.

How do you read 家 here, and is there a nuance difference with うち?

家 can be read いえ or うち, and both can mean “home,” but there’s nuance:

家 (いえ)
- More literal “house / home (building / residence)”
うち
- More like “my place / my home / my household”, sometimes broader and more casual.

In speech:

家で休みます is usually read いえでやすみます.
うちで休みます would be written うちで休みます or sometimes 家で休みます but read うちで.

Both point to your home, but うち often feels a bit more intimate or casual.

Why is いま written in hiragana instead of the kanji 今?

Both are correct:

いま
今

Reasons it might appear in hiragana:

Beginner-friendly text: hiragana is easier for learners or children.
Stylistic choice: some writers prefer more hiragana for a softer or simpler look.

In ordinary adult writing, 今 is very common, but いま is not wrong at all.

What’s the difference between using は and が in a similar sentence, like いまが家で静かに休みます?

In this type of sentence, が is not natural with いま; you wouldn’t say いまが家で静かに休みます.

Roughly:

は marks the topic: what you’re talking about.
が marked subjects are used in more specific structures (like identifying something, or with certain adjectives/verbs).

Here, いま is setting the time frame (“as for now”), so は is appropriate:

いまは家で静かに休みます。 ✅

Trying to make いま the subject with が doesn’t fit, because “now” is not the thing doing the resting; the (hidden) subject I is.