Learn Hardcore Ukrainian: Мені легко, коли поруч є добрі друзі. - It is easy for me when good friends are nearby.

So мені is used because Ukrainian expresses “I feel X” as “To me, it is X.” The grammatical “subject” is not a person; the sentence is impersonal.

What exactly is легко here: an adjective or an adverb?

Formally, легко looks like an adverb (“easily”), but in sentences like Мені легко it acts as a predicative adverb or impersonal predicate word.

Functionally, it corresponds to the English adjective easy in “It is easy (for me).”

Compare:

легкий – easy (adjective; masculine, singular: легкий день – an easy day)
легко – easily / it is easy (adverb/predicative: Мені легко – It’s easy for me)

So you can think of легко here as “is easy” in English, but grammatically it’s an adverb-like form used as the main predicate.

Why is there a comma before коли?

The sentence consists of two clauses:

Мені легко – main clause (“It is easy for me.”)
коли поруч є добрі друзі – subordinate clause (“when good friends are nearby.”)

In Ukrainian, a subordinate clause introduced by коли (“when”) is normally separated from the main clause by a comma:

Мені легко, коли поруч є добрі друзі.
Коли йде дощ, я залишаюся вдома. – When it rains, I stay at home.

So the comma marks the boundary between the main statement and the “when”-condition.

What does поруч mean exactly, and does it need a pronoun like “with me”?

Поруч is an adverb meaning roughly nearby / close / by someone’s side.

In this sentence коли поруч є добрі друзі implies “when good friends are (near me / by my side)”, even though мене / зі мною isn’t explicitly said. Context fills in the idea “near me.”

You can make it explicit:

коли поруч зі мною є добрі друзі – when good friends are by my side / with me

But in natural Ukrainian, поруч alone often already carries that “by my side” nuance, especially when the speaker is mentioned elsewhere in the sentence (here: Мені).

What is the role of є here, and could we omit it?

Є is the present-tense form of бути – “to be” (is / are).

коли поруч є добрі друзі – when there are good friends nearby

In simple present descriptive sentences, Ukrainian often omits the verb “to be”:

Він лікар. – He (is) a doctor.
Поруч добрі друзі. – (There) are good friends nearby.

In this sentence, both are possible:

коли поруч є добрі друзі – fully explicit
коли поруч добрі друзі – more colloquial, a bit more “spoken” in feel

Using є here is slightly more neutral/standard and unambiguous, especially in writing.

What case and number is добрі друзі, and why does it look like that?

добрі друзі is:

друзі – nominative plural of друг (friend)
- singular: один друг – one friend
- plural: друзі – friends
добрі – nominative plural adjective agreeing with друзі
- masculine singular: добрий друг – a good friend
- plural: добрі друзі – good friends

So добрі друзі is nominative plural, because in the clause коли поруч є добрі друзі, the friends are the grammatical subject of є (“good friends are”).

Why is it добрі, not добрий?

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

друг – masculine singular → добрий друг
друзі – plural → adjective must be plural too: добрі друзі

So добрий (masculine singular) would be wrong with the plural noun друзі; you need добрі (plural).

Is Мені легко the same as “I feel good / I feel at ease”? Could I say Я відчуваю себе добре instead?

Мені легко literally means “(To) me, it is easy,” but idiomatically it can mean:

I feel at ease.
Things are easy for me.
I don’t have difficulties / I feel light.

You can say:

Я почуваюся добре. – I feel good.
Я відчуваю себе добре. – I feel good. (less idiomatic, more literal)

However, Мені легко focuses more on the situation being easy / not burdensome, not just generally feeling “good” physically or emotionally. It’s closer to “It’s easy for me” or “I’m comfortable with this” in context.

Why isn’t there a word for “it” as in “It is easy for me”?

English requires a dummy subject “it” in sentences like “It is easy (for me).”

Ukrainian often uses impersonal sentences with no explicit subject, especially for feelings, weather, and states:

Мені легко. – (To) me, (it is) easy.
Мені холодно. – I’m cold.
Темно. – It is dark.
Світло. – It is light.

So Ukrainian doesn’t need a separate word for “it” here; the idea of “it” is built into the impersonal structure.

Can I change the word order, for example: Коли поруч є добрі друзі, мені легко?

Yes. Both are correct and natural:

Мені легко, коли поруч є добрі друзі.
Коли поруч є добрі друзі, мені легко.

The difference is only in emphasis/rhythm:

Starting with Мені легко highlights the feeling/state first.
Starting with Коли поруч є добрі друзі emphasizes the condition first.

Word order in Ukrainian is relatively flexible; the grammar is mostly shown by endings, not by position in the sentence.

Could I say коли зі мною є добрі друзі instead of коли поруч є добрі друзі? Is there a difference?

You can say:

коли зі мною є добрі друзі – when good friends are with me

Differences:

поруч – near, nearby, by my side; a bit more visual/spatial, slightly poetic or emotional: “when good friends are around me.”
зі мною – explicitly “with me,” emphasizes accompaniment.

Both are natural, but поруч in this sentence subtly highlights the comforting presence of friends “by your side,” not just technically being “with” you.