Тренировка была полезной.

to be

Breakdown of Тренировка была полезной.

• полезный: useful
• тренировка: the training

Questions & Answers about Тренировка была полезной.

What does the verb была represent in this sentence?

Была is the feminine singular past tense form of the verb быть (to be). It links the subject тренировка with the predicate полезной, effectively translating to "was" in English.

Why is the adjective полезной in the instrumental case instead of the nominative?

In Russian, when a predicate adjective follows a past (or future) form of быть, it is typically put in the instrumental case to express the state or quality attributed to the subject. Here, полезной in the instrumental indicates that the training was in the state of being useful.

What is the grammatical gender and case of the noun тренировка, and how can you tell?

Тренировка is a feminine noun in the nominative case. The ending -а in its nominative singular form is a common indicator of feminine nouns in Russian, and the nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence.

Would it be correct to say Тренировка полезная instead of Тренировка была полезной?