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Questions & Answers about Действие было правильным.
What part of speech is действие and what does the suffix -ие indicate?
Действие is a noun, neuter gender, singular. The suffix -ие is used to form abstract nouns from verbs and always yields neuter nouns denoting the process or result of an action (e.g. движение “movement”, решение “decision”).
Why is действие in the nominative case here?
Because действие is the subject of the sentence. In Russian, the subject of an affirmative clause typically stands in the nominative case.
Why is правильным in the instrumental case instead of nominative правильное?
With the verb быть in the past (and future) tense, the predicate noun or adjective usually takes the instrumental case to express the role or quality of the subject. Hence правильным is the instrumental singular neuter of правильный.
Could I say Действие было правильное or is that wrong?
Prescriptive grammar prefers the instrumental form (правильным) after быть in past/future. Using nominative (правильное) in that position is colloquial and less formal. In the present tense you would normally say Действие правильное (dropping было).
How do I decline действие in the singular?
Singular declension of действие:
Nom – действие
Gen – действия
Dat – действию
Acc – действие
Instr – действием
Prep – действии
Where is the stress in действие and правильным?
In действие the stress is on the first syllable: ДЕ́йствие [ˈdʲejstvʲɪjə].
In правильным the stress is on the second syllable: правИ́льным [prɐˈvʲilʲnɨm].
What role does было play in this sentence?
Было is the past-tense form of быть (“to be”) for all genders in the singular. It acts as a copula linking the subject (действие) with its predicate (правильным).
Can I express a general truth about the action in the present tense?
Yes. You would use the present tense and nominative adjective: Действие правильное (“The action is correct”). You can also introduce it with это: Это правильное действие (“This is the correct action”).
What’s the difference between действие and поступок?
Действие is any action or operation (neutral, abstract). Поступок often implies a moral or socially judged deed—focuses on personal behavior or conduct.
Can I invert the sentence for emphasis (e.g. Правильным было действие)?
Yes. Russian word order is flexible. Putting правильным first highlights the correctness. The cases remain the same: действие in nominative, правильным in instrumental.