Breakdown of Неприятности начались вчера.
вчера
yesterday
начаться
to start
неприятность
the trouble; mishap
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Questions & Answers about Неприятности начались вчера.
Why is неприятности plural? Can Russian really say troubles started?
Yes. Неприятности is the plural form of неприятность, which means trouble, problem, or unpleasantness.
Russian often uses the plural here in a very natural way, just like English can say troubles began or problems started. So неприятности начались means that a series of problems or unpleasant events began.
Singular would be:
Неприятность началась вчера.
= A problem / an unpleasant incident started yesterday.
Why is the verb начались also plural?
Because the subject, неприятности, is plural.
In Russian past tense, verbs agree with the subject in number, and in the singular they also agree in gender.
So:
- неприятность началась = singular feminine
- неприятности начались = plural
That is why the verb ends in -лись here.
What is the dictionary form of начались?