Breakdown of Жёсткость воды осталась высокой.
высокий
high
остаться
to remain
жёсткость воды
the water hardness
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Questions & Answers about Жёсткость воды осталась высокой.
Why is воды in the genitive case?
Because жёсткость воды means the hardness of water.
In Russian, a noun like жёсткость often takes another noun in the genitive to show what the quality belongs to:
- жёсткость воды = the hardness of water
- цвет неба = the color of the sky
- температура воздуха = the temperature of the air
So вода becomes воды because it is the thing whose hardness is being discussed.
Why is высокой not высокая?
Because after the verb остаться (to remain), Russian usually puts the predicate adjective in the instrumental case.
So:
- высокая = nominative feminine singular
- высокой = instrumental feminine singular
In this sentence:
- Жёсткость is the subject
- осталась is the verb
- высокой describes the state that the subject remained in
This is a very common pattern after verbs such as:
- быть = to be
- стать = to become
- оставаться / остаться = to remain
Examples:
- Она была уставшей. = She was tired.
- Он стал врачом. = He became a doctor.
- Погода осталась тёплой. = The weather remained warm.
Why is the verb осталась feminine singular?