Learn Hardcore Russian: Мы живём около метро, поэтому неудобно брать такси. - We live near the metro, so it is inconvenient to take a taxi.

Около governs the genitive case. However, метро is an indeclinable neuter noun: it looks the same in all cases. So около метро is correct; forms like около метра would be wrong here (and actually mean “near a meter,” the unit of length).

Can I say у метро, возле метро, рядом с метро, or недалеко от метро instead? What’s the difference?

All are fine, with small nuance differences:

у метро: right by/at the metro (often implies very close, near the entrance).
возле метро: near the metro; close proximity.
около метро: near the metro; neutral, slightly bookish to some ears.
рядом с метро (+ instrumental): right next to/close to the metro.
недалеко от метро (+ genitive): not far from the metro; emphasizes short distance rather than immediate adjacency.

All sound natural in everyday speech.

Does около метро mean near a specific station or near the subway system in general?

In everyday Russian, около метро almost always means “near a metro station/entrance,” not “near the subway network” in the abstract. Context can specify which station if needed.

Why is there a comma before поэтому?

You have two independent clauses:

Clause 1: Мы живём около метро
Clause 2: (result) неудобно брать такси The comma separates them, and поэтому is a connector meaning “therefore/so.” You can also make two sentences for style: Мы живём около метро. Поэтому неудобно брать такси. The comma is standard in one-sentence form.

What’s the difference between поэтому and так что?

Both introduce a result:

поэтому = “therefore/so”: a bit more formal/bookish and explicit about logical consequence.
так что = “so (that)” in the result sense: more conversational. Punctuation: you also use a comma before так что (… , так что …).

Why is неудобно used without saying who it’s inconvenient for?

This is an impersonal construction using a predicative adverb (category of state): (Кому) неудобно + inf. Without a dative, it’s a general statement (“it’s inconvenient”). To specify the experiencer, add dative:

Нам неудобно брать такси.
Мне/ему/им неудобно брать такси.

If I add the experiencer, where should нам go?

Most natural:

Мы живём около метро, поэтому нам неудобно брать такси. Other acceptable placements:
… поэтому брать такси нам неудобно.
Нам неудобно брать такси, потому что мы живём около метро.

Can I say брать такси неудобно instead of неудобно брать такси?

Yes. Both are grammatical. Неудобно брать такси is the neutral order. Брать такси неудобно slightly foregrounds the action “taking a taxi.”

Why is it брать такси (imperfective) and not взять такси (perfective)?

You’re making a general statement about (in)convenience, so the imperfective брать fits. Use perfective взять for a specific, one-time decision:

General: Нам неудобно брать такси.
One time: Сегодня лучше взять такси. / Давай возьмём такси. You could also say … неудобно взять такси if you mean “it’s inconvenient to (go and) take a taxi this time.”

Are there other common collocations with такси besides брать такси?

Yes:

заказать/вызвать такси: order/call a taxi (by app/phone).
поймать такси: hail a taxi on the street.
садиться в такси / сесть в такси: get into a taxi.
ехать на такси: go by taxi (as a mode of transport).
доехать на такси: get (to a place) by taxi.

What gender and declension is такси? How do I tell if it’s singular or plural?

Такси is indeclinable neuter. Form doesn’t change for case or number. You infer number from determiners/adjectives/verbs:

Singular: это дешёвое такси, моё такси приехало.
Plural: эти дешёвые такси, мои такси опоздали.

What about метро—its gender and declension?

Метро is also indeclinable neuter. Pronouns/adjectives agree in neuter singular:

московское метро (the Moscow metro), оно большое (“it” is large).

Can I drop the subject мы and just say Живём около метро?

Russian usually states subject pronouns, unlike Spanish/Italian. You can omit мы in very casual, telegraphic, or answering contexts:

Q: Где вы живёте? A: Около метро.
In a full statement, Мы живём… is more standard.

Does около also mean “about/approximately”? Is there any ambiguity here?

Yes, with numbers/quantities: около пяти минут = “about five minutes.” In your sentence, около clearly means “near” because it’s followed by a place noun (метро), so there’s no ambiguity.

How do I pronounce and stress the words here?

мы живём: stress on -вём; note ё is always stressed (and often printed as е).
о́коло: stress on the first о.
метро́: stress on the last о.
поэ́тому: stress on э.
неудо́бно: stress on о́б.
такси́: stress on и.

Could I use из-за этого instead of поэтому?

You can: … из-за этого неудобно брать такси. It means “because of that,” focusing on the cause. Поэтому presents a result (“therefore”). Both work; choose based on whether you want to emphasize cause or consequence.

How would I say “it’s not worth taking a taxi” or “there’s no point taking a taxi”?

Не стоит брать такси.
Нет смысла брать такси.
Брать такси не имеет смысла. (more formal)

Is вокруг метро a good alternative to mean “near the metro”?

No. Вокруг means “around/encircling,” suggesting surrounding something. For proximity, use около/у/возле/рядом с/недалеко от.

Which case does рядом с take?

Instrumental. Examples:

рядом с метро
рядом со станцией (note the о added for euphony before clusters)

Why is the verb живём (present imperfective) used here?

It describes an ongoing state (“we live”). That’s exactly what the present imperfective does. Alternatives like проживаем exist but sound more formal/bureaucratic; живём is the natural everyday choice.