Learn Hardcore Russian: Мой друг прислал новость по смс.

Прислал is the past tense, masculine, perfective form of the verb прислать, meaning sent. The perfective aspect indicates that the action is complete.

Why is новость used in the singular form even though English uses “news” as an uncountable noun?

In Russian, новость is a countable feminine noun referring to a single piece or item of news. While English treats “news” as uncountable, Russian distinguishes individual reports or items, so a specific news item is expressed in the singular as новость (with новости used for multiple items).

What does the phrase по смс mean and why is the preposition по used here?

По смс means “by SMS” or “via text message.” In Russian, the preposition по is used to indicate the medium or method through which something is done—in this case, that the news was delivered using SMS.

Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in this sentence?

Russian does not use articles at all; definiteness and indefiniteness are understood from context. Possession is shown with adjectives like мой (my), so there is no need for words equivalent to “a” or “the.”

What case is друг in, and how can we tell it is the subject of the sentence?

Друг is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. In Russian, subject nouns appear in the nominative case, and the adjective мой agrees with it in gender and case, confirming its role as the doer of the action.

What nuance does the prefix при- add to the verb прислал compared to a verb like послал?

The prefix при- in прислал conveys the idea of sending something toward the recipient, implying successful delivery. While послал simply means “sent,” прислал emphasizes that the message or news not only was sent but also arrived at its destination.