Learn Hardcore Russian: Мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома. - I like peace and quiet at home in the evening.

Literally, Мне нравится тишина… means “Silence is pleasing to me.”
Мне is in the dative case (“to me”), and тишина is the grammatical subject.

Я люблю тишину и покой is also correct, but люблю is stronger (“I love / I’m fond of”), while мне нравится is more neutral (“I like / I enjoy”).

Why is it нравится (singular) when there are two things: тишина и покой?

Russian often uses the singular verb with several abstract or closely linked subjects, especially in set expressions.
Тишина и покой is treated as one combined idea (“peace and quiet”), so нравится (singular) sounds natural.

You could say Мне нравятся тишина и покой, and it is grammatically possible, but it sounds a bit heavier and less idiomatic than the given sentence.

What cases are тишина and покой in, and why?

Both тишина and покой are in the nominative case, because they are the grammatical subject of the verb нравится.
The “experiencer” of liking (мне) is in the dative, but the thing that “is pleasing” (peace and quiet) must be nominative.

What is the difference between тишь and тишина, and why is тишина used here?

Тишина is the normal, neutral word for “silence, quiet.”
Тишь is shorter and more poetic or stylistically marked; it’s less common in everyday speech and often appears in set expressions or literature.

In a neutral sentence like this, тишина is the natural choice:

Мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома. – sounds normal and everyday.
Мне нравится тишь и покой… – sounds more literary / expressive.

What exactly is the nuance difference between тишина and покой here? Aren’t they both “quiet”?

They overlap, but are not identical:

Тишина = silence, the absence of noise.
Покой = peace, calm, rest (both mental and physical).

Together, тишина и покой correspond to English “peace and quiet”: no noise (тишина) and a calm, restful atmosphere (покой).

Why is it вечером and not вечер or по вечерам?

Вечером is the instrumental case used adverbially and usually means “in the evening” (on that particular evening / generally evenings, depending on context).

Мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома. – I like peace and quiet in the evening at home.
по вечерам = “in the evenings / in the evenings in general, habitually.”
- Мне нравится тишина и покой по вечерам дома. – emphasizes a regular habit more strongly: in the evenings (as a rule).

Вечер without a case ending (Мне нравится … вечер дома) would be incorrect here.

Why is there no preposition before вечером and дома?

Both вечером and дома are adverbial forms that don’t require prepositions:

вечером (instrumental) = “in the evening.”
дома (adverb) = “at home.”

Russian often uses bare case forms or special adverbs where English needs a preposition (in, at, on, etc.).

What’s the difference between дома and в доме?

дома = “at home” (adverb of place; general location).
- Мне нравится… вечером дома. – I like it at home in the evening (not out somewhere).
в доме = “in the house / inside the house” (literally inside the building).

В доме points more to the physical interior of a specific building; дома is more about being at your home as a place of living, comfort, etc.

Where is the stress in мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома?

Stresses (capital letters show the stressed syllable):

мнЕ нрАвится
тишинА
покОй
вЕчером
домА (when it means “at home,” the stress is on the second syllable).

Note: дОма (stress on the first syllable) is the plural “houses,” while домА is the adverb “at home.”

Can I change the word order, for example: Вечером дома мне нравится тишина и покой?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible. These are all grammatically fine, with slightly different emphasis:

Мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома. – neutral; focus on what you like.
Вечером дома мне нравится тишина и покой. – slight emphasis on the time/place (it’s at home in the evening that you like peace and quiet).
Мне вечером дома нравится тишина и покой. – also possible; a bit more “loaded” at the start.

All are acceptable in normal speech.

How would this sentence change in the past or future tense?

You change the verb нравиться, while мне, тишина и покой, вечером дома stay the same:

Present: Мне нравится тишина и покой вечером дома. – I like / I enjoy…
Past:
- Мне нравилась тишина и покой вечером дома. – I used to like / I liked… (singular, treating it as one idea).
- Мне нравились тишина и покой… – also possible, plural verb; emphasizes them as two separate things.
Future: Мне будет нравиться тишина и покой вечером дома. – I will like / I will enjoy…

Can I just say Мне нравится дома вечером and leave out тишина и покой?

You can say Мне нравится дома вечером, but then the meaning changes to something vague like “I like it at home in the evenings” (without saying what exactly you like).

If you specifically want to say you like peace and quiet, you should keep тишина и покой:

Мне нравится дома вечером — тихо и спокойно. – Another natural way: “I like being at home in the evening — it’s quiet and calm.”