Learn Hardcore Russian: Я снимаю квартиру рядом с метро.

to take off (clothes): снимать куртку
to film/shoot (a movie or photo): снимать фильм, снимать фотографию With квартиру, the meaning is unambiguously “to rent.”

What tense/aspect is снимаю? How do I say “I will rent” and “I rented”?

Снимаю is present tense, imperfective, 1st person singular. It covers both “I rent” and “I am renting.”

Future (ongoing/general): я буду снимать
Future (single completed act): я сниму
Past (ongoing/habitual): я снимал/снимала
Past (completed act): я снял/сняла

Why is квартиру in that form? What case is it?

It’s accusative because it’s the direct object of снимаю. Feminine nouns ending in -а/-я change to -у/-ю in the accusative: квартира → квартиру, комната → комнату.

What case does рядом с require, and why doesn’t метро change?

Рядом с takes the instrumental case. Метро is an indeclinable neuter noun, so it looks the same in all cases. With a declinable noun you would see the change: рядом с домом, рядом с музеем.

How do рядом с метро, возле/около/у метро, близко к метро, недалеко от метро differ?

All mean “near the metro,” with nuances:

рядом с метро: right near/next to; neutral, very common.
возле/около метро: “by/near”; close in meaning to рядом с.
у метро: “at/by the metro (station area)”; often feels a bit more specific to the vicinity/entrance.
близко к метро: “close to the metro”; emphasizes closeness; takes dative (к метро).
недалеко от метро: “not far from the metro”; a bit farther; takes genitive (от метро).

Why is it с метро and not со метро?

The variant со is used to ease pronunciation before certain consonant clusters (e.g., со мной, со встречи, со вторника, со стола). Before м in метро, there’s no awkward cluster, so the normal form с is used: с метро.

Does метро here mean the whole subway system or a station?

In everyday speech рядом с метро means “near a metro station” (the area around a station/entrance). If you need to be precise, you can say рядом со станцией метро or name it: рядом со станцией метро Пушкинская.

Can I omit Я? Is Снимаю квартиру рядом с метро okay?

Yes. Russian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending makes the subject clear. Снимаю квартиру рядом с метро is natural in context. The full sentence with Я is the neutral default.

Can I change the word order? What changes in meaning?

Word order is flexible and affects emphasis:

Я снимаю квартиру рядом с метро: neutral.
Квартиру я снимаю рядом с метро: emphasizes the object (the apartment).
Рядом с метро я снимаю квартиру: foregrounds the location.
Я рядом с метро снимаю квартиру: also emphasizes the location within the comment. All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to highlight.

How do I pronounce it? Where are the stresses?

Stresses: Я снимАю квартИру рЯдом с метрО. A simple guide: ya sni-MA-yu kvar-TEE-ru RYA-dom s mit-RO. Keep the final stress on -ро in метро.

Why is there no article like “a/an”?

Russian has no articles. Context supplies definiteness. If you need to specify “this apartment,” use a demonstrative: эту квартиру. Using одну квартиру (“one apartment”) usually implies quantity, not an English-style article.

Is арендовать or сдавать better here? Who uses what?

снимать квартиру: what a tenant does; most idiomatic in everyday speech.
сдавать квартиру: what a landlord does (“to rent out”).
арендовать квартиру: more formal/legal-sounding; common in contracts, business contexts. There’s also нанимать квартиру (older/literary/regional).

How do I say “I rent a room near the metro” or “We rent an apartment”?

“I rent a room near the metro”: Я снимаю комнату рядом с метро.
“We rent an apartment”: Мы снимаем квартиру.