Прошлый месяц был холодным.

Last month was cold.

Breakdown of Прошлый месяц был холодным.

• холодный: cold
• быть: to be
• прошлый: last
• месяц: the month

Questions & Answers about Прошлый месяц был холодным.

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

In Russian, when a predicate adjective follows a past-tense linking verb like был (“was”), it is typically put in the instrumental case to describe a state or condition. Thus, холодным is in the instrumental case because it functions as the predicate complement for месяц, indicating that "last month was cold."

What role does the adjective прошлый play in this sentence?

Прошлый functions as an attributive adjective modifying the noun месяц. It means “last” or “previous,” and it agrees with месяц in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (nominative) since месяц is the subject of the sentence.

Why is the linking verb был explicitly used in this sentence?

Russian uses different forms of the verb быть (“to be”) in the past (and future) tenses. The verb был is the masculine singular past form and is required to link the subject месяц with the predicate холодным. In past-tense sentences like this one, the copula cannot be omitted.

How do adjectives in this sentence agree with the noun месяц?