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При сильном ветре я не езжу на велосипеде.

При сильном ветре я не езжу на велосипеде.
In strong wind, I don’t ride a bicycle.

Breakdown of При сильном ветре я не езжу на велосипеде.

я
I
на
by
не
not
сильный
strong
ездить
to ride
ветер
the wind
велосипед
the bicycle
при
when / during
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Questions & Answers about При сильном ветре я не езжу на велосипеде.

Why does при mean “when/if” here, and what nuance does it add?

При literally means “at/under” (a condition). In sentences like При сильном ветре…, it means “under conditions of…” → “when/if there is strong wind.”
It sounds a bit more “conditions-based” (and sometimes slightly more formal) than just saying когда.

What case is used after при, and why is it ветре?

При governs the prepositional case.
So ветер → prepositional (о) ветре / при ветре = ветре.

Why is the adjective сильном (not сильный)?

Adjectives must agree with the noun in case, gender, and number.

  • ветре = masculine singular prepositional
  • therefore сильный → masculine singular prepositional = сильном
    So: при сильном ветре.
Can I replace при сильном ветре with в сильный ветер? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are common, but they’re not identical:

  • при сильном ветре = “under conditions of strong wind” (condition/circumstance)
  • в сильный ветер (accusative) = more like “in strong wind” (situation/background), often very natural for weather

Both can translate as “when it’s windy,” but при emphasizes the condition.

Why is it я не езжу and not я не еду?

Because ездить / езжу is used for habitual, repeated, or general actions (“I don’t (generally) ride”).
ехать / еду is for one specific trip happening now or planned now (“I’m not going (by bike) (right now / this time)”).
So:

  • При сильном ветре я не езжу… = general rule/habit
  • Сейчас сильный ветер, я не еду… = this particular occasion
What does езжу mean exactly, and why does it look irregular?

езжу is the 1st person singular present of ездить.
It’s irregular in form: the consonant changes in conjugation:

  • ездить → езжу, ездишь, ездит…

This is just a memorized present-tense pattern.

Is the word я necessary here?

Not strictly. Russian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

  • При сильном ветре не езжу на велосипеде. = perfectly natural
    Adding я can add a bit of emphasis/contrast: “I (personally) don’t…”
Why is it на велосипеде and not велосипедом?

For “by bike / riding a bike,” Russian most commonly uses на + prepositional:

  • ехать/ездить на велосипеде

велосипедом (instrumental without на) is possible in some contexts, but на велосипеде is the standard everyday phrasing for transportation.

What case is велосипеде, and why is it that form?

In на велосипеде, the preposition на is used with the prepositional case for location/means in this pattern.
So велосипед → (на) велосипеде.

Where does не go in Russian, and can it move?

не normally goes directly before the word it negates—here the verb: не езжу.
You can rearrange other parts for emphasis, but не + verb typically stays together:

  • Я на велосипеде при сильном ветре не езжу. (emphasis on “by bike”)
  • При сильном ветре я не езжу на велосипеде. (neutral)
Is ветре pronounced differently from ветер? Where is the stress?

Yes, the ending changes and the stress stays on the first syllable:

  • ве́тер (VE-ter)
  • в ве́тре / при ве́тре (VYE-tre)

And велосипе́де has stress near the end: ve-lo-si-PE-de.