Ты прав: лучше не спорить сразу.

not

Breakdown of Ты прав: лучше не спорить сразу.

• лучше: better
• ты: you
• спорить: to argue

Questions & Answers about Ты прав: лучше не спорить сразу.

Why is there no word for are in Ты прав?

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

Why is it прав, and when would it be права or правы?

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.

Why does the sentence use ты and not вы?