Learn Hardcore Russian: Документ проверяется менеджером перед отправкой. - The document is checked by the manager before sending.

The suffix -ся on проверяется turns the verb into a passive construction. Проверяется is the 3rd-person singular present tense of проверяться, meaning “is being checked” or “gets checked.” Instead of saying “Менеджер проверяет документ” (“The manager checks the document”), the passive shifts focus to the document itself.

What case is менеджером, and why is that case used here?

Менеджером is in the instrumental case. In Russian passive sentences with -ся, the agent (the one who performs the action) appears in the instrumental. So менеджером literally means “by the manager.”

Why is документ in the nominative case, and what role does it play grammatically?

Документ is the grammatical subject of the sentence and therefore appears in the nominative case. Even in passive constructions, the thing undergoing the action remains the subject and stays nominative.

What case does the preposition перед require, and why is отправкой in that case?

The preposition перед (“before”) requires the instrumental case when indicating time or an event. That is why отправка becomes отправкой. Together перед отправкой means “before sending.”

Can you change the word order in this sentence without changing its meaning?

Yes. Russian allows flexible word order for emphasis. All these say the same thing:

Документ проверяется менеджером перед отправкой.
Менеджером проверяется документ перед отправкой.
Перед отправкой документ проверяется менеджером. The emphasis shifts (e.g. starting with перед отправкой stresses the timing), but the core meaning stays identical.

How would you say “after sending” instead of “before sending”?

Use после + genitive. You get после отправки, literally “after the sending.”

How can you express “before sending” using a verb instead of the noun отправка?

You can use a subordinating conjunction plus an infinitive:

Прежде чем отправить документ… (“Before sending the document…”)
До того как отправить документ… (“Before one sends the document…”)

Why isn’t there an article like “the” before документ?

Russian does not have articles (no “a” or “the”). Definiteness or indefiniteness is usually understood from context. Here, документ is assumed known from prior discussion, so it functions like “the document.”