На улице раздавалась красивая песня.

A beautiful song was heard on the street.

Breakdown of На улице раздавалась красивая песня.

• красивый: beautiful
• на: on
• улица: the street
• раздаваться: to be heard
• песня: the song

Questions & Answers about На улице раздавалась красивая песня.

What does the verb раздавалась mean, and why is it used in this sentence?

Раздавалась is the feminine singular past tense form of the verb раздаваться. It means “was heard” or “emanated,” suggesting that the sound of the beautiful song naturally spread through the area. This construction emphasizes that the song was present in the environment rather than being actively performed by someone.

What role does the reflexive suffix -ся play in раздавалась?

The suffix -ся creates a reflexive or impersonal construction. In this sentence, it doesn’t indicate that the song is acting upon itself but rather that its sound is occurring spontaneously. This impersonal form is commonly used in Russian to describe sensory phenomena such as sounds or voices that “spread” or “carry” through a space.

How is subject–verb agreement handled in the sentence?

The subject is красивая песня (“beautiful song”), where песня is a feminine noun. Both the adjective красивая and the verb раздавалась agree in gender and number (feminine singular), which clarifies that it is the song producing the sound.

Why is the prepositional phrase на улице placed at the beginning of the sentence?

Placing на улице (“on the street”) at the beginning sets the scene immediately, emphasizing the location of the action. Russian allows flexible word order, and leading with the location helps create a vivid, atmospheric description by drawing attention to the setting before introducing the sonic detail.

What nuance does раздавалась add compared to a verb like играла?

While both verbs can describe a song being audible, раздавалась puts the focus on the way the sound naturally spread or was carried through the air. In contrast, играла (“was playing”) suggests a more deliberate or controlled performance. The choice of раздавалась thus invites the listener to imagine an ambient, almost ethereal presence of music in the street.

Can the sentence be restructured without changing its meaning?

Yes, Russian offers a flexible word order. For example, you could say Красивая песня раздавалась на улице. Although the emphasis might shift slightly—for instance, putting the subject first highlights the song itself—the overall meaning remains the same, conveying that a beautiful song was being heard on the street.