Breakdown of Разговор между менеджером и профессионалом длился несколько минут.
и
and
минута
the minute
несколько
several
между
between
менеджер
the manager
профессионал
the professional
разговор
the conversation
длиться
to last
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Questions & Answers about Разговор между менеджером и профессионалом длился несколько минут.
Why are менеджером and профессионалом in the instrumental case?
The preposition между always requires the instrumental case for its objects. That’s why both nouns end with -ом.
What does the verb длился mean?
It’s the past tense, third-person singular of the imperfective verb длиться, meaning “to last” or “to take (time).” Here it describes how long the conversation lasted.
What is the function of the -ся ending in длился?
The -ся makes длиться reflexive, turning it into an intransitive verb (“to last”). Without -ся, длить would mean “to make something last.”
Why is the imperfective aspect used (длиться), rather than a perfective form?
The imperfective aspect emphasizes an ongoing or continuous action—in this case, the duration of the conversation. A perfective form would focus on the completion or result, not the process.
Why is несколько минут in the genitive case?
The quantifier несколько (“several”) always governs the genitive plural. So “minutes” becomes минут in genitive.
Why is длился masculine singular?
Past-tense verbs in Russian agree in gender and number with the subject. Разговор is a masculine singular noun, so the verb is длился. If the subject were feminine (e.g., встреча), it would be длилась.
What is the subject of the sentence?
The subject is разговор (“conversation”). It sits at the beginning and determines the verb form.
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible for emphasis or style. For example:
Несколько минут длился разговор между менеджером и профессионалом.
The meaning stays the same, but the focus shifts slightly.
How is между different from среди?
между means “between” and is used for distinct, individual entities.
среди means “among” and is used when referring to a group or mass without focusing on specific items.
Why isn’t there an article before разговор?
Russian has no definite or indefinite articles (like “the” or “a”). Context alone tells you whether something is specific or general.