Learn Hardcore Russian: Недавно я начал ходить пешком другим маршрутом. - Recently I started walking a different route on foot.

идти = moving in one direction right now/one occasion (single, unidirectional)
ходить = moving on foot habitually, repeatedly, or back-and-forth (multidirectional)

Since the sentence describes a new habit (“I started walking by a different route”), ходить is the correct choice. Начал идти would mean “I began to walk (at that moment),” a one-time event in progress, not a habit.

Could I say Недавно я начал идти пешком другим маршрутом?

Grammatically yes, but it changes the meaning to a one-time “I began to walk (then) by a different route.” For “I’ve started doing this regularly,” stick with начал ходить (or стал ходить, see below).

Do I even need пешком if ходить already means “to walk”?

Often you can omit it: начал ходить другим маршрутом still implies walking. However, in everyday speech ходить пешком is common to emphasize “on foot (not by transport).” It also avoids the broader idiomatic sense of ходить (“to attend/go regularly”) which doesn’t necessarily specify the means.

Why is другим маршрутом in the instrumental case and has no preposition?

Instrumental without a preposition is often used with verbs of motion to express the path/route or means, roughly “by/along/via”:

идти лесом = go through the forest
шёл тропинкой = went along the footpath

Here, маршрутом (instrumental of маршрут) fits this pattern: “by a different route.”

Can I say по другому маршруту instead of другим маршрутом?

Yes. По другому маршруту (dative with по) is very common and fully correct. Nuance:

другим маршрутом (instrumental): slightly more “by/along a different route”
по другому маршруту (dative): “along/on a different route” In most contexts they’re interchangeable.

Why другим, not другой? And why is it spelled with -им, not -ым?

другим agrees with маршрутом in case, number, and gender: both are masculine singular instrumental.
Spelling rule: after the consonants г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ, write и instead of ы. So it’s другим, not “другым.”

Is маршрут the most natural word here? What about дорога or путь?

All are possible; choice depends on nuance:

маршрут = “route/itinerary” (bus routes, planned path). Neutral and common.
дорога = “road/way” (the physical road; more colloquial: другой дорогой).
путь = “way/path” (a bit more literary): другим путём. All take the instrumental if you keep the same structure.

Where can I put недавно? Is Я недавно начал… okay?

Yes. Word order is flexible:

Недавно я начал ходить… (neutral; slight emphasis on “recently”)
Я недавно начал ходить… (emphasis on “I”/subject a bit more) Both are natural.

How does the sentence change if the speaker is female or plural?

The past-tense verb agrees in gender/number:

Female: Недавно я начала ходить пешком другим маршрутом.
Plural: Недавно мы начали ходить пешком другим маршрутом.

What’s the difference between начал and стал here?

Both can mean “started,” but:

начал ходить = began doing it (focus on the moment of starting).
стал ходить = took up a new habit (often sounds a bit more idiomatic for routines). Either works here.

How is this different from пошёл?

пошёл (perfective of идти) = “set off/went (once).” So Недавно я пошёл пешком другим маршрутом means “Recently I (once) went on foot by a different route.” It does not imply a new routine.

What’s the difference between ходить, идти, ездить/ехать, and гулять?

идти/пойти = go on foot (one direction, one occasion).
ходить = go on foot habitually/multidirectionally.
ехать/поехать and ездить = same contrasts, but by vehicle.
гулять = to stroll/walk for leisure (not necessarily to commute somewhere).

Can I move пешком around? For example: начал пешком ходить другим маршрутом?

Possible, but the most natural is near the verb: начал ходить пешком другим маршрутом. Placing пешком before ходить can sound marked or less smooth. Avoid putting пешком at the very end.

Is the punctuation correct? Do I need any commas?

Yes, it’s correct as is. No commas are needed.

What are the stress patterns and a simple pronunciation guide?

Недавно: не-дА-вно
начал: нА-чал
ходить: хо-дИть
пешком: пеш-кОм
другим: дру-гИм
маршрутом: марш-рУ-том Together: не-ДА-вно я НА-чал хо-ДИТЬ пеш-КОМ дру-ГИМ марш-РУ-том.

Could I drop я and just say Недавно начал ходить…?

Usually no; it sounds incomplete or diary-like. In Russian, subject pronouns can be omitted in very limited contexts, but here я is natural and expected. Keep я.

What about начинал vs начал?

начал (perfective) = “started” (completed inception), appropriate here.
начинал (imperfective) often implies an attempt or repeated/unfinished starting, or background: Я начинал ходить… но перестал. Not suitable for a clean “I recently started (and now I do it).”