Breakdown of Результаты эксперимента записаны в отчёте.
в
in
результат
the result
отчёт
the report
эксперимент
the experiment
записать
to record
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Russian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Результаты эксперимента записаны в отчёте.
What grammatical cases are used in Результаты эксперимента, and why?
In Результаты эксперимента you have two nouns:
- Результаты is in the nominative plural (it’s the subject of the sentence).
- Эксперимента is in the genitive singular, acting as an attributive genitive (“of the experiment”). The genitive case here shows possession or relation (“results of the experiment”).
Why is эксперимента singular rather than plural?
Because the sentence refers to one specific experiment. If you meant several experiments, you would say результаты экспериментов (genitive plural).
What part of speech is записаны, and how does it function here?
Записаны is a short-form passive past participle (краткое страдательное причастие прошедшего времени) derived from записать. It serves as the main predicate in a passive construction, describing the state/result (“are recorded”). It agrees in number (plural) with the subject результаты.
Why isn’t the auxiliary verb были used (as in были записаны)?
In Russian, when you use a short-form passive participle in the past or present, the copular verb быть is often omitted. Saying Результаты эксперимента были записаны is grammatically correct and more explicit, but the simpler Результаты эксперимента записаны is perfectly natural and common in formal or scientific contexts.
What is the role and case of в отчёте?
В отчёте is a prepositional phrase indicating location or container: в + отчёте (prepositional singular of отчёт, “report”). It answers “where?” — “in the report.”
Why is отчёте spelled with ё and stressed on that syllable?
The letter ё always marks a stressed “yo” sound. The base word отчёт has stress on the second syllable, so in all its forms the stress stays on ё: в отчёте.
Can you change the word order? How would that affect emphasis?
Yes. Russian word order is relatively flexible. For example:
- В отчёте записаны результаты эксперимента. Here в отчёте is fronted for emphasis on where the results are recorded. The meaning stays the same.
How does записаны differ from using содержатся in a similar sentence?
- записаны (“are recorded”) highlights the action of writing or entering data.
- содержатся (“are contained”) simply states that the report contains the results, without focusing on the act of recording.
Who or what is the subject of this sentence?
The subject is Результаты эксперимента (“the results of the experiment”). They are what has been recorded.
What’s the difference between записаны and записали in this context?
- Записаны is the passive form (“are recorded”), focusing on the results themselves.
- Записали is the active past tense, 3rd-person plural (“they recorded”), which would imply someone recorded them. In scientific writing you usually prefer the passive to keep the agent unspecified.