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Questions & Answers about Моя работа была интересной.
Why is интересной in the instrumental case rather than the nominative form интересная?
In Russian, when an adjective functions as the predicate complement after the past tense of «быть» (to be), it is usually placed in the instrumental case. Here, была serves as the copula linking the subject работа (in the nominative) with its characteristic. Thus, интересной is the instrumental feminine singular form of интересный, required by this construction.
How does the past tense of «быть» operate in this sentence?
The word была is the past tense form of the verb «быть» and is used as the linking verb (copula) between the subject and its predicate. Unlike the present tense—where the verb «быть» is often omitted—the past tense requires an explicit form. Because работа is a feminine noun, the correct form is была.
Why do the adjective and the subject appear in different cases?
The subject работа is in the nominative case, and its possessive modifier моя is also in the nominative feminine singular. However, when an adjective is used as a predicate after the copula (in the past or future tenses), it is expected to take the instrumental case. This is why интересной is used instead of the nominative интересная.
What is the role of the instrumental case in the predicate adjective?
The instrumental case for the predicate adjective emphasizes the state or quality attributed to the subject. It marks the relationship between the subject and its characteristic in a sentence with a linking verb—indicating that работа embodied the quality of being interesting at that time.
Would the adjective remain in the instrumental case if the sentence were in the present tense?
No. In the present tense, Russian typically omits the verb «быть», and the predicate adjective appears in the nominative case. For example, to say “My work is interesting” in the present tense, you would say Моя работа интересная, with интересная in the nominative form that matches the subject directly.
Can the word order of the sentence be rearranged without changing its meaning?
Yes, Russian word order is fairly flexible. While Моя работа была интересной (subject–verb–predicate) is standard, you might also encounter variations like Интересной была моя работа. Regardless of the order, the predicate adjective must remain in the instrumental case to clearly indicate its function as a complement to the subject.