Его достижение в спорте было признано всеми.

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Breakdown of Его достижение в спорте было признано всеми.

• быть: to be
• спорт: the sport
• все: everyone

Questions & Answers about Его достижение в спорте было признано всеми.

Why is было признано in the neuter singular form?

In Russian passive constructions the past-tense auxiliary быть agrees with the grammatical subject in number and gender. Here the subject is достижение, a neuter singular noun, so we use было (neuter singular past of быть) plus the neuter singular participle признано.

What exactly is признано?

Признано is the short-form passive past participle of признать (“to recognize” or “to acknowledge”). In combination with an auxiliary (here было) it forms a full past passive voice: “was recognized.”

Why do we need the word было at all?

Было is the past-tense form of the verb быть (“to be”). In Russian you form a past passive by using быть in the past plus a passive participle. Without было you’d lose the explicit past tense, though in some styles the participle alone can imply it.

Could we omit было and just say Его достижение в спорте признано всеми?

Yes. In more formal or headline-like Russian you often drop the auxiliary быть and leave the short passive participle to stand alone. It still reads as “has been recognized by everyone.”