Ты прав: лучше не спорить сразу.

In Russian, the present-tense form of to be is usually omitted.

So:

• Ты прав literally looks like You right
• but it means You are right

This is completely normal in Russian. If you were talking about the past or future, a form of быть would appear:

• Ты был прав = You were right
• Ты будешь прав = You will be right

Прав agrees with the person being addressed.

• Ты прав = said to one male
• Ты права = said to one female
• Вы правы = said to more than one person, or to one person formally/politely

So the sentence as written is addressing one person informally and treating that person as male.

Ты is the informal singular you. It is used with:

• friends
• family
• children
• peers in informal situations

If you wanted a formal or polite version, you would say:

• Вы правы: лучше не спорить сразу.

That means the same thing, but with polite/formal you.

Here прав is a short-form adjective, meaning right in the sense of correct.

Russian often uses short-form adjectives in expressions like this:

• Я готов = I am ready
• Он рад = He is glad
• Ты прав = You are right

This is a very common pattern, so it is worth getting used to.

Russian often uses impersonal constructions, where English would use a dummy subject like it.

English:

• It is better not to argue right away.

Russian:

• Лучше не спорить сразу.

There is no need for a word meaning it here. Лучше + infinitive is a very common structure meaning it is better to...

Лучше literally means better, but in sentences like this it often means:

• it is better to...
• better to...
• one should rather...

So:

• Лучше не спорить сразу = It is better not to argue right away

It is giving advice, not comparing two explicitly named things.

Because не is negating the action to argue:

• лучше спорить = it is better to argue
• лучше не спорить = it is better not to argue

This is the normal way to negate an infinitive in Russian: не + infinitive.

If you moved the negation to лучше and said не лучше спорить, that would mean something more like it is not better to argue, which is a different idea and not the natural phrasing here.

After лучше, Russian often uses the infinitive to express general advice or recommendation.

Pattern:

• лучше + infinitive

Examples:

• Лучше подождать. = It is better to wait.
• Лучше не торопиться. = It is better not to rush.
• Лучше не спорить сразу. = It is better not to argue right away.

So the infinitive is used because the sentence is talking about what one should or should not do in general.

Спорить is imperfective. Here that makes sense because the sentence gives general advice about engaging in an argument, not about one completed argument as a single whole.

Imperfective often fits when you mean:

• the action in general
• the process
• a repeated or typical action

So лучше не спорить сразу means something like it’s better not to start arguing immediately / not to get into an argument right away.

A perfective form such as поспорить would sound more like to argue for a while / have an argument once, which is not the most natural choice for this kind of broad advice.

Here сразу means:

• right away
• immediately
• at once
• from the very beginning

It is not exactly the same as сейчас.

• сейчас = now
• сразу = immediately / without delay

So не спорить сразу means not to argue immediately, not just not to argue now.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, and moving сразу changes the emphasis a little.

• Лучше не спорить сразу = the written version; very natural
• Лучше сразу не спорить = also possible; can put a bit more focus on right away
• Сразу лучше не спорить = possible in context, with stronger emphasis on immediately

The basic meaning stays similar, but Russian word order often helps show what is being highlighted.

The colon shows that the second part explains or develops the first part.

So the structure is:

• Ты прав: = You’re right:
• лучше не спорить сразу. = the explanation or conclusion

It works like You’re right: it’s better not to argue right away.

A comma or dash can sometimes appear in similar sentences, but the colon neatly introduces the reason or follow-up thought.

Спорить usually means to argue, to dispute, or to debate. It does not always imply a shouting match.

It can be:

• a disagreement
• a verbal dispute
• a debate over who is correct

If you wanted a stronger idea like to quarrel or to have a falling-out, Russian might use ссориться instead.

So in this sentence, спорить is fairly broad: to argue / to get into a dispute.