Мой брат любит турник, а я чаще беру скакалку для разминки.

Because мой брат is the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative case.

• мой = my in masculine nominative singular
• брат = brother in nominative singular

Russian changes word forms depending on their role in the sentence. Here, my brother is the one doing the action, so nominative is required.

It is in the object case: accusative. But for many inanimate masculine singular nouns, the accusative looks exactly like the nominative.

So:

• nominative: турник
• accusative: турник

That is why nothing changes in form.

Compare this with an animate masculine noun:

• Я вижу брата = I see my brother

Here брат becomes брата in the accusative because it is animate.

Because скакалку is the direct object of беру, so it is in the accusative case.

Скакалка is a feminine noun ending in -а, and feminine nouns of this type usually change like this:

• nominative: скакалка
• accusative: скакалку

So:

• беру скакалку = I take/use a jump rope

А is very common when Russian contrasts two ideas or two people.

Here the sentence sets up a comparison:

• Мой брат любит турник
• а я чаще беру скакалку

So а means something like:

• while
• whereas
• and as for me
• sometimes even but, depending on context

It is not as strong as но, which is more clearly but in the sense of contradiction.
It is not the same as и, which would simply add another fact.

So а is the most natural conjunction here because the speaker is contrasting their own preference with the brother’s.

Чаще is the comparative form of часто (often).

So:

• часто = often
• чаще = more often

In this sentence, я чаще беру скакалку means:

• I more often take/use a jump rope
• more naturally in English: I tend to use a jump rope more often

It implies comparison, either with the brother, with other exercise options, or with the speaker’s own less frequent choices.

Yes, беру literally means I take, from the verb брать.

But in Russian, брать is often used in contexts where English might say:

• use
• pick
• go for
• grab

So беру скакалку для разминки is very natural Russian and means something like:

• I usually grab a jump rope for warming up
• I more often use a jump rope as a warm-up

Russian often uses a more physical verb where English uses a more abstract one.

In Russian, the present tense is commonly used for habitual actions, just like in English.

So:

• Мой брат любит турник = My brother likes the horizontal bar
• я чаще беру скакалку = I more often use/take a jump rope

This does not mean the action is happening right now. It can describe a regular tendency or usual behavior.

Беру is the 1st person singular present tense form of брать.

So:

• брать = to take
• я беру = I take

This verb belongs to a pattern where the stem changes a little:

• брать
• беру
• берёшь
• берёт
• берём
• берёте
• берут

That stem change is normal and needs to be learned with the verb.

Because the preposition для requires the genitive case.

So:

• nominative: разминка
• genitive: разминки

Therefore:

• для разминки = for a warm-up

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• для работы = for work
• для спорта = for sport
• для друга = for a friend

Разминка specifically means a warm-up: light exercise done before harder physical activity.

So для разминки means:

• for warming up
• as a warm-up

It is not exactly the same as:

• для упражнений = for exercises
• для тренировки = for a workout/training
• для растяжки = for stretching

So in this sentence, the idea is that the jump rope is used specifically as part of a warm-up.

Yes, Russian often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form, so а чаще беру скакалку is possible.

But я is included here for contrast:

• мой брат ...
• а я ...

This makes the comparison clearer and more natural. In English, we often also keep the pronoun in this kind of contrast:

• My brother likes the bar, but I more often use a jump rope.

So the я is not required for grammar, but it is very natural for emphasis and contrast.

The word order is flexible, but the original order is very natural.

Original:

• Мой брат любит турник, а я чаще беру скакалку для разминки.

Possible variations:

• Мой брат любит турник, а скакалку для разминки я беру чаще.
• А я чаще беру скакалку для разминки.

Changing word order usually changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

The original sentence puts information in a smooth, neutral order:

1. subject
2. verb
3. object
4. purpose phrase

So it sounds natural and unmarked.

Russian often uses любить with sports, activities, and exercise equipment more freely than English does.

So любит турник can mean that he:

• likes doing exercises on it
• enjoys that kind of workout
• prefers it as exercise equipment

English usually phrases this more explicitly, for example:

• My brother likes working out on the horizontal bar
• My brother likes pull-ups
• My brother is into the bar

Russian can be more compact here.

There are two main differences:

1. Gender

   • турник is masculine
   • скакалка is feminine

2. Accusative formation

   • турник is an inanimate masculine noun, so accusative = nominative
   • скакалка is a feminine noun ending in -а, so accusative changes to -у

So although both are objects, they look different because Russian case endings depend on noun type, gender, and sometimes animacy.

It can suggest either, depending on context.

The most likely reading here is:

• My brother prefers the horizontal bar, while I more often go for the jump rope.

So the comparison is partly between the two people’s preferences.

But grammatically, чаще just means more often, and Russian does not always state exactly what it is being compared to. The missing comparison can be understood from context.

That is very normal in both Russian and English.

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but it means something slightly different.

• любит турник, а я люблю скакалку = both are stated as general preferences
• любит турник, а я чаще беру скакалку = the speaker describes a usual choice or habit

The original sentence sounds a bit more concrete and natural in a fitness context, because беру скакалку для разминки suggests what the speaker actually tends to use in practice.

So the original wording feels more situational and natural than simply saying I love the jump rope.