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Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт, когда еду в другой город.

Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт, когда еду в другой город.
I always take my passport with me when I travel to another city.

Breakdown of Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт, когда еду в другой город.

я
I
с
with
в
to
город
the city
когда
when
всегда
always
ехать
to travel
другой
another
паспорт
the passport
брать
to take
собой
oneself
свой
our own
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Questions & Answers about Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт, когда еду в другой город.

Why is there a comma before когда?

In Russian, a comma is usually required before когда when it introduces a subordinate clause (a “when…” clause):
Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт, когда еду в другой город.
The part after the comma (когда еду…) depends on the main clause and explains when the action happens.

Why does Russian use беру (present tense) to talk about something I do in general, not right now?

Russian present tense often expresses a habitual/general action, similar to English I always take… (a routine).
So Я всегда беру… means “I always take…” as a general rule.

Should it be беру or возьму? What’s the difference?
  • беру (imperfective) = a repeated/habitual action: “I always take / I take (as a routine).”
  • возьму (perfective, future) = a single completed action in the future: “I will take (this time).”

So your sentence focuses on habit, so беру is the natural choice.

What does с собой mean, and why is it used instead of just с моим паспортом?

с собой is an idiomatic set phrase meaning “with me / along with me.”
брать с собой = “to take along” (carry with you). It’s much more natural than saying “with my passport” in Russian.

You can say Я беру паспорт с собой, but the standard word order is Я беру с собой паспорт.

Why is it с собой свой паспорт and not мой паспорт?

Both can be correct, but свой is very common when the possessor is the subject of the sentence.

  • свой паспорт = “my (own) passport” because the subject я is the owner.
  • мой паспорт is also possible, but свой often sounds more natural and avoids ambiguity in longer sentences.

Rule of thumb: if the subject owns it, Russian often prefers свой.

What case is used in в другой город, and why?

в + accusative is used for motion to/into a place.

  • в другой город (Accusative) = “to another city” (destination)
    Compare:
  • в другом городе (Prepositional) = “in another city” (location)
Why is it другой город and not другое город?

Because город is masculine, so the adjective must be masculine too:

  • masculine: другой город
  • feminine: другая улица
  • neuter: другое место
  • plural: другие города
Why is it еду and not иду?

Russian distinguishes types of movement:

  • идти / идти = to go on foot
  • ехать / ехать = to go by transport (car, bus, train, etc.)

еду в другой город implies you’re traveling by some vehicle, which is typical for going to another city.

Could it be когда поеду instead of когда еду?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

  • когда еду = “when I’m traveling (in general / whenever I travel)” → habitual context, matches всегда well.
  • когда поеду = “when I go (this upcoming time)” → more like a specific future trip.

With всегда, когда еду is usually the best fit.

Is the word order flexible here? Where else can всегда go?

Word order is fairly flexible, but it affects emphasis. Common options:

  • Я всегда беру с собой свой паспорт… (neutral, most common)
  • Я беру с собой свой паспорт всегда, когда еду… (emphasizes “always” more)
  • Всегда я беру… (possible, but more marked/poetic; often sounds like contrast)

The original is natural and neutral.

Why is паспорт in the form паспорт (no ending change)?

паспорт is masculine inanimate, and in the accusative singular it looks the same as the nominative:

  • Nominative: паспорт (a passport)
  • Accusative: паспорт (take a passport)

So you don’t see a visible change.

Can I drop свой and just say Я всегда беру с собой паспорт…?

Yes. Я всегда беру с собой паспорт… is perfectly grammatical and often fine in context.
Adding свой just makes it explicit that it’s your own passport (not someone else’s) and can sound a bit more complete in isolation.