Лучше выехать пораньше, чтобы не попасть в пробку у моста.

Лучше here means it’s better or better to.

Russian very often uses лучше + infinitive in an impersonal way:

• Лучше выехать пораньше. = It’s better to leave earlier.
• Лучше подождать. = It’s better to wait.

So yes, in English we often need it is, but in Russian it is usually just omitted. You do not need to add это here.

You could also say:

• Лучше будет выехать пораньше — more explicit, but less neutral/common in everyday speech.

The short version with just лучше is very natural.

These verbs are close, but they are not identical.

• ехать = to be going / to go by transport, process-focused, imperfective
• выехать = to set out, to leave, to drive out/depart, perfective
• уехать = to leave/go away, often emphasizing departure from a place, perfective

In this sentence, выехать fits because the idea is to set off / leave at an earlier time.

So:

• Лучше выехать пораньше = It’s better to leave/set out earlier

If you said ехать, it would sound less natural here, because the point is not the ongoing trip, but the single act of departure.

Уехать is possible in some contexts, but выехать is especially common when talking about setting off on a drive or journey, especially in order to avoid traffic.

Both are possible, but they are a little different in tone.

• раньше = earlier
• пораньше = a bit earlier / somewhat earlier / nice and early

The prefix по- in forms like this often makes the meaning softer, more conversational, or suggests a little earlier rather than simply earlier in comparison.

Compare:

• Надо выехать раньше. = We need to leave earlier.
• Надо выехать пораньше. = We should leave a bit earlier / nice and early.

So пораньше sounds very natural in everyday advice.

Because this is a purpose clause: in order not to get into...

Russian often uses:

• чтобы + infinitive

when the subject is understood and the action is a goal or purpose.

So:

• Лучше выехать пораньше, чтобы не попасть в пробку. = It’s better to leave earlier so as not to get stuck in traffic.

If you wanted to make the subject explicit, Russian could also use a finite verb:

• Лучше выехать пораньше, чтобы мы не попали в пробку.

That is also correct, but the infinitive version is shorter and very natural when the subject is obvious.

Yes, попасть has several meanings depending on context. Its basic idea is something like to end up in / get into / reach.

In the expression:

• попасть в пробку

it means:

• to get into a traffic jam
• to get stuck in traffic

This is a very common Russian expression.

Other examples:

• попасть в больницу = to end up in the hospital
• попасть в аварию = to get into an accident
• попасть в трудную ситуацию = to get into a difficult situation

So here it does not mean hit. It means end up in.

Because the expression is попасть в + accusative, meaning to get into something.

Here:

• пробка is a feminine noun
• accusative singular of пробка is пробку

So:

• в пробку = into a traffic jam

This follows the general motion pattern:

• в + accusative = into
• в + prepositional = in/inside

Compare:

• попасть в пробку = to get into a traffic jam
• стоять в пробке = to be in a traffic jam

In the second example, в пробке is prepositional because it describes location, not entering.

It does. Пробка literally means cork or stopper.

But in modern Russian it also very commonly means:

• traffic jam

This is one of the standard words for road traffic congestion.

So:

• попасть в пробку = to get into a traffic jam
• стоять в пробке = to sit/be stuck in traffic

This is extremely common everyday vocabulary.

У here means by, near, or next to, and it requires the genitive case.

The noun is:

• мост = bridge

Genitive singular:

• моста

So:

• у моста = by the bridge / near the bridge

This part tells you where the traffic jam is.

Examples with the same pattern:

• у дома = by the house
• у станции = by the station
• у реки = by the river

Yes. Prepositions like this often do not match English one-to-one.

У моста most literally means by the bridge / near the bridge, but in natural English it could be translated as:

• by the bridge
• near the bridge
• at the bridge

depending on context.

The important thing is that the traffic jam is located in that area, not necessarily physically under or on top of the bridge.

Because both actions are viewed as single complete events.

• выехать = to set off / leave (one completed departure)
• попасть = to get into / end up in (one completed event)

The sentence is about a practical result:

• leave earlier
• so that you do not end up in the traffic jam

If you used imperfective forms, the meaning would shift and sound less natural here.

Russian often prefers perfective infinitives after лучше when talking about a one-time advisable action:

• Лучше сделать это сейчас.
• Лучше выйти пораньше.
• Лучше позвонить заранее.

Yes, the subject is implied rather than stated.

Russian often leaves the subject unstated when it is clear from context or when the sentence gives general advice.

So:

• Лучше выехать пораньше...

can mean:

• It’s better to leave earlier
• We/you/one should leave earlier

Depending on context, the listener understands who is meant.

If needed, Russian could make it explicit:

• Нам лучше выехать пораньше. = We’d better leave earlier.
• Тебе лучше выехать пораньше. = You’d better leave earlier.
• Вам лучше выехать пораньше. = You’d better leave earlier. / It would be better for you to leave earlier.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original:

• Лучше выехать пораньше, чтобы не попасть в пробку у моста.

is the most neutral and natural.

You could also hear:

• Чтобы не попасть в пробку у моста, лучше выехать пораньше.

This puts the purpose first: To avoid getting stuck by the bridge, it’s better to leave earlier.

That version is also very natural.

But random reshuffling can sound awkward. Russian word order often changes emphasis, not basic grammar.

Both are good, but they are slightly different kinds of translation.

More literal:

• not get into a traffic jam

More natural English:

• not get stuck in traffic

In many learning contexts, it is useful to remember the Russian structure literally:

• попасть в пробку = get into a traffic jam

But in real English, get stuck in traffic is often the smoother translation.

It is neutral everyday Russian.

Nothing in it is especially formal or especially casual.
The word пораньше is conversational in a natural way, but still completely standard.

You could say this:

• in conversation
• in advice to a friend
• in a practical discussion about travel
• even in fairly neutral written language

So overall, it sounds like normal, idiomatic spoken Russian.