Learn Hardcore Russian: Я люблю тихие выходные с книгой.

In Russian, выходные is a plural-only noun (pluralia tantum), literally “days off,” and it’s the standard way to say “the weekend.” So even when English uses singular, Russian uses plural and requires plural agreement with adjectives and verbs: тихие выходные, эти выходные хорошие, etc.

Why is it тихие, not тихий or тихих?

тихий is singular (doesn’t match plural выходные).
тихие is nominative/accusative plural and agrees with plural, inanimate выходные.
тихих is genitive/locative plural (and also the accusative form for animate nouns), so it would be wrong here.

Because выходные is an inanimate direct object, its accusative plural form is identical to the nominative plural, and the adjective follows suit: тихие выходные.

What case is выходные in here?

Accusative plural. It’s the direct object of люблю. For inanimate nouns in Russian, accusative plural = nominative plural, which is why you see выходные rather than a distinct accusative form.

Why is it с книгой and not с книгу or книгу?

The preposition с (“with” in the sense of accompaniment) governs the instrumental case, so книга becomes книгой (instrumental singular). С книгу is ungrammatical. Книгу (accusative) would be used if the book were the direct object: e.g., читать книгу.

Can I say с книжкой instead of с книгой?

Yes. Книжка is a diminutive of книга, often sounding more casual or cozy. С книжкой subtly emphasizes a homely, leisurely vibe. Both are natural here.

Is the sentence natural as is, or should I say люблю проводить?

Your sentence is natural and states a general preference. If you want to emphasize the activity of spending time that way, Russians very often say:

Я люблю проводить тихие выходные с книгой. Both are correct; the version with проводить may sound a bit more idiomatic in the “spend the weekend” sense.

What’s the difference between Я люблю… and Мне нравятся… here?

Both mean “I like,” but:

Я люблю тихие выходные с книгой. feels a bit stronger and more personal (“I love/like”).
Мне нравятся тихие выходные с книгой. is more neutral (“I like”). Note the plural verb: нравятся, because выходные is plural.

Can I drop Я and just say Люблю тихие выходные с книгой?

Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending shows the person. Люблю… is clearly 1st person singular.

Can I move с книгой earlier, like Я люблю с книгой тихие выходные?

That word order sounds awkward. The natural place for the prepositional phrase is after the noun it modifies: тихие выходные с книгой. You can front the whole phrase for emphasis: Тихие выходные с книгой я люблю, but the given order is the default.

How do I say “on/over the weekend” for time expressions?

Use adverbial phrases like:

на выходных (very common): “on/over the weekend” — Я читаю на выходных.
в выходные (also used): В выходные я обычно дома. In your sentence, выходные is a direct object, so those time phrases aren’t used there.

Can I use singular выходной?

Yes, but it means “a day off,” not “the weekend.” For example: У меня завтра выходной (“I have a day off tomorrow”). To say “a quiet weekend,” Russian normally uses the plural тихие выходные.

What’s the stress and a simple transliteration?

Stress: я люблю́ ти́хие выходны́е с кни́гой.
Transliteration: ya lyublyu tíkhie vykhodnýe s knígoy.

Why does тихие end with -ие while выходные ends with -ые?

It’s due to spelling rules and adjective patterns:

For adjectives whose stem ends in certain consonants (e.g., г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ), Russian uses -ие in the plural: тихий → тихие.
Выходной → выходные follows the regular -ой → -ые pattern because its stem ends in н.

Does с книгой definitely mean I’m reading, or just “with a book” physically present?

By default, с книгой suggests spending time with a book (usually reading). Context can clarify. If you want to emphasize the act of reading as a way of spending time, you can also say: провести выходные за книгой (“to spend the weekend over/with a book,” i.e., reading).

Any common mistakes to avoid with these words?

Don’t use singular with выходные when you mean “the weekend.”
Don’t say с книгу; use the instrumental с книгой.
Keep adjective–noun agreement in number and case: тихие выходные, not тихий выходные or тихих выходные.