Learn Hardcore Russian: У нас небольшой запас времени до срока, поэтому нам стоит начать прямо сейчас. - We don’t have much time left until the deadline, so it’s worth starting right now.

У нас literally means at us / with us and is a very common Russian way to express possession or a situation that “we have.”
So У нас небольшой запас времени is closer to We have a small amount of time than a simple We are… statement. Russian often uses this structure where English uses have.

What case is нас in у нас, and why?

After the preposition у (meaning at / by / near / with (someone’s place)), Russian uses the genitive case.
So мы → нас (genitive form).

Why is it небольшой запас, not небольшая or небольшое?

Because запас is a masculine noun (ending in a consonant). Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

masculine nominative singular: небольшой запас

What does запас времени mean грамmatically—why is времени in that form?

времени is genitive singular from время.
Russian often uses the genitive to mean an amount of something or a supply of something:

запас чего? → запас времени (a запас of time = a time reserve / amount of time)

Could you also say мало времени instead of небольшой запас времени?

Yes, and it’s very common. The nuance changes slightly:

У нас мало времени = We don’t have much time (more direct, a bit more blunt)
У нас небольшой запас времени = We have a small time buffer/reserve (sounds a bit more “planning/management” style)

Why is it до срока—what case is срока, and what does до require?

The preposition до (until / up to / before) requires the genitive case, so срок → срока.
до срока means until the deadline / before the due date (depending on context).

What exactly does срок mean here, and how is it different from дедлайн?

срок is a neutral, standard word meaning deadline / term / due date / time limit.
дедлайн is a borrowed informal word (common in business/IT).
In many contexts they can be interchangeable, but срок sounds more general and “official” Russian.

Why is поэтому used, and where does it normally go in a sentence?

поэтому means therefore / so / that’s why. It commonly connects two clauses like English so.
It often appears near the beginning of the second clause:

..., поэтому ...
But Russian word order is flexible; you may also see ..., и поэтому ....

What does нам стоит mean literally, and why is нам in the dative?

стоить here is used in the sense it’s worth (doing) / it would be a good idea (to do).
The person for whom it’s “worth it” is in the dative:

кому? → нам (to us / for us)
So нам стоит начать = we should start / it’s worth starting.

Is нам стоит начать the same as нам надо начать or нам нужно начать?

Not exactly—different strength and tone:

нам надо / нам нужно начать = we need to start (strong necessity)
нам стоит начать = we should start / it would be smart to start (recommendation, less forceful)

Why is the verb начать and not начинать?

This is about aspect:

начать is perfective → focuses on starting as a single completed action (to start (and get going))
начинать is imperfective → focuses on the process/repetition (to be starting / to start in general)

With прямо сейчас and the idea of “let’s begin,” perfective начать is the natural choice.

What’s the nuance of прямо сейчас compared to just сейчас?

сейчас = now (can be “now-ish,” sometimes flexible)
прямо сейчас = right now / immediately (more emphatic, less room for delay)

Could the sentence be reordered, and what word order would sound natural?

Yes—Russian allows flexibility, but some orders are more neutral. Common natural variants:

У нас небольшой запас времени до срока, поэтому нам стоит начать прямо сейчас. (very neutral)
... поэтому стоит начать прямо сейчас. (drops нам; still clear if context is “we”)
Прямо сейчас нам стоит начать, потому что у нас небольшой запас времени до срока. (more emphasis on right now)