Прошлый день был интересным.

The last day was interesting.

Breakdown of Прошлый день был интересным.

• день: the day
• быть: to be
• интересный: interesting
• прошлый: last

Questions & Answers about Прошлый день был интересным.

What does Прошлый mean in this sentence, and why is it placed before день?

Прошлый is an adjective meaning “past” or “previous.” In Russian, adjectives generally precede the noun they modify, so Прошлый день literally reads as “past day.” This ordering is standard and shows agreement with the noun день in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (nominative), as it functions as a modifier of the subject.

Why is интересным in the instrumental case instead of the nominative when describing the day?

In Russian, when using a linking verb like быть (to be) in the past (or future), the predicate adjective is typically put in the instrumental case. Hence, был интересным is used to express that день “was interesting.” The instrumental form (интересным) shows the state or quality attributed to the subject, which is a common rule in such predicative constructions.

What is the function of был in this sentence, and how is it formed?

Был is the past tense, masculine singular form of the verb быть (to be). It acts as a linking verb that connects the subject Прошлый день with the predicate adjective интересным. Russian does not use a present form of быть in simple predicative sentences, but in the past, the explicit form был is required and agrees with the masculine noun день.

Could the word order be changed in this sentence? For example, is Интересным был прошлый день acceptable, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, the word order can be rearranged to Интересным был прошлый день without changing the overall meaning, which still conveys “The past day was interesting.” However, this inversion emphasizes the quality (интересным) more strongly. The original order (Прошлый день был интересным) is more neutral and typical in everyday Russian speech.

How do the adjective forms agree with день in this construction?

Russian adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case. In this sentence, день is a masculine singular noun in the nominative case, and Прошлый agrees with it as a prenominal adjective. When describing the state via the linking verb был, the predicate adjective changes to the instrumental case (интересным) to match the rules of Russian predicative constructions.

Is it correct to translate Прошлый день был интересным as “Yesterday was interesting”? Why might this be misleading?

While context could allow Прошлый день to be interpreted as “yesterday” if it refers to the immediately preceding day, the phrase more directly means “the past day” or “the previous day.” In Russian, вчера specifically means “yesterday.” Using Прошлый день suggests a focus on a day in the past rather than the simple temporal term “yesterday,” so substituting one for the other might obscure some of the nuance in the original expression.