Learn Hardcore Russian: Я стараюсь держать скорость ниже, чем обычно, потому что у школы много пешеходов. - I try to keep my speed lower than usual because there are many pedestrians near the school.

Yes, я can often be omitted in Russian because the verb ending already shows the subject (стараюсь = I try).
But keeping я is normal when you want to sound more explicit, contrastive, or slightly emphatic (e.g., I try to keep the speed down—maybe others don’t).

What does стараюсь mean exactly, and why is it in this form?

стараюсь is the 1st person singular, present tense of стараться (to try / to make an effort).
It literally conveys “I’m making an effort” / “I try (to).” Russian commonly uses this verb to express intentional effort rather than just an attempt.

Why is the next verb держать in the infinitive?

After стараться, Russian uses an infinitive to say what you’re trying to do:
стараться + infinitive → стараюсь держать = I try to keep / I’m trying to keep.

Why is it держать скорость, not something like “drive slower”?

Russian often expresses “drive slower” as “keep the speed lower”:

держать скорость ниже = to keep one’s speed lower
This is a common collocation and sounds natural, especially in contexts like driving rules and safety.

Why is скорость in the accusative (скорость)—is it an object?

Yes. In держать скорость, the noun is the direct object of держать (to keep/hold).
So скорость is accusative, and since it’s inanimate feminine, the accusative form looks the same as nominative: скорость.

Why do we use ниже and not an adjective like низкую?

Because the comparison is made with an adverb-like comparative form:

ниже, чем обычно = lower than usual
This comparative (ниже) is used to compare “the level/value” of the speed, not to describe скорость as a permanent quality.
You can say держать скорость низкой, but it’s less common and sounds more “descriptive,” while скорость ниже is more straightforward and typical.

What’s the grammar of ниже, чем обычно?

It’s a standard comparative construction:

ниже = comparative of низко/низкий (low)
чем introduces what you compare it to: чем обычно = than (it is) usually
Russian often omits the verb “is” in such comparisons.

Why is обычно used instead of something like как обычно?

They mean different things:

ниже, чем обычно = lower than usual (comparison to the normal level)
как обычно = as usual (same as usual, no comparison of “lower/higher”)
Here you need “than usual,” so чем обычно is correct.

What does потому что mean, and is it interchangeable with так как?

потому что means because and introduces a reason clause.
It’s often interchangeable with так как (since / because), but:

потому что is very common in everyday speech and can feel more direct.
так как can sound a bit more formal or “written,” and sometimes the reason feels more like background information.

Why is it у школы, and what does у + genitive mean?

у + genitive often means by/near/at (location near something) or at someone’s place.
у школы literally means by the school / near the school.
So потому что у школы... = because near the school…

Does у школы mean “at the school” (inside), or “near the school”?

Usually near/by the school—outside in the vicinity.
If you mean “in the school (building),” Russian would typically use в школе.

Why is it много пешеходов—what case is пешеходов and why?

After много (a lot of / many), the noun is typically in the genitive plural:

много (кого?) пешеходов
So пешеходов is genitive plural of пешеход (pedestrian).

Could we say много пешеходы or много пешеходы есть?

No. много requires genitive plural: много пешеходов.
Also, Russian usually doesn’t add есть (there is/are) in the present tense in sentences like this.
If you do use есть, it can sound emphatic or stylistically marked: у школы есть много пешеходов is generally unnatural here.

Why isn’t there a verb meaning “there are” in the second clause?

Russian commonly expresses “there are” by using a location phrase and a noun phrase, without an explicit verb in the present tense:

у школы много пешеходов = there are many pedestrians near the school
The “are” is implied.

Can the word order change, like Потому что у школы много пешеходов, я стараюсь...?

Yes. Russian word order is flexible. You can front the reason clause for emphasis:

Потому что у школы много пешеходов, я стараюсь держать скорость ниже, чем обычно.
This puts focus on the reason first. The original order is also perfectly natural.

What’s the difference between пешеходов and пешеходы in general?

пешеходы = nominative plural (pedestrians as the subject)
пешеходов = genitive plural (used after много, also after negation, quantities, etc.)
In this sentence, they’re not the grammatical subject in nominative; they’re part of a quantity expression.

Could держать скорость ниже be replaced with ехать медленнее?

Yes, and it would sound natural:

Я стараюсь ехать медленнее, чем обычно... = I try to drive slower than usual...
держать скорость ниже is a bit more “driving-technical,” while ехать медленнее is simpler and more conversational.