Я скорее поеду на метро, чем на автобусе.

I would rather take the metro than the bus.

Breakdown of Я скорее поеду на метро, чем на автобусе.

• я: I
• на: by
• поехать: to go
• автобус: the bus
• чем: than
• метро: the metro
• скорее: rather

Questions & Answers about Я скорее поеду на метро, чем на автобусе.

Why is поеду used here instead of еду?

Еду is the present-tense form of the imperfective verb ехать (“I’m going/I go”), while поеду is the simple future form of the perfective verb поехать (“I will go”). Since the sentence expresses a future decision or preference (“I would rather go by metro…”), Russian uses поеду to indicate the action hasn’t happened yet.

What does скорее mean in this sentence?

Here скорее means “rather” or “sooner” in the sense of personal preference (“I’d rather go by metro than by bus”). It does NOT mean “faster” in this context. It’s a comparative adverb expressing which option is preferred.

How does the construction скорее … чем … work?

This is a comparative structure:

• скорее (“rather/more likely”)
• then you state the first option (на метро)
• followed by чем (“than”)
• then the second option (на автобусе).
  It literally says “I’d rather go by metro than by bus.”

Why is it на метро, but на автобусе uses a case ending?

The preposition на with modes of transport usually takes the Locative/Prepositional for indeclinable words and the Instrumental for declinable nouns.

• метро is indeclinable, so на метро stays the same.
• автобус declines, and in Instrumental singular it becomes автобусе, so на автобусе.

Could I say автобусом instead of на автобусе?

Yes. Russian often expresses “by bus” as either на автобусе or автобусом (Instrumental). Both are correct, though на автобусе is slightly more colloquial.

Do I have to repeat на before автобусе, or can I say “Я скорее поеду на метро, чем автобусе”?

You must repeat the preposition: …чем на автобусе. Without на, the sentence is ungrammatical.

Can I say в метро instead of на метро?

When you mean “by metro” as a means of travel, you use на метро. В метро means “into the metro/subway” (i.e., entering the station), not the mode of transport itself.

Why not use лучше instead of скорее (“I’d better go by metro”)?

Лучше means “better” in the sense of being a wiser or more beneficial choice (мне лучше = “it’s better for me”). Скорее here conveys personal preference or likelihood (“I would rather”). Using лучше would shift the meaning to “It would be better for me to go by metro,” which is a slightly different nuance.