Breakdown of Завершение урока было приятным.
быть
to be
приятный
pleasant
урок
the lesson
завершение
the completion
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Questions & Answers about Завершение урока было приятным.
What part of speech is Завершение and how is its gender determined?
Завершение is a noun formed from the verb завершить with the suffix -ение, which in Russian always produces neuter nouns. Therefore Завершение is neuter.
Why is урока in the genitive case?
In завершение урока, the noun завершение (completion) is an action noun that takes its object in the genitive. Thus урока is genitive singular, meaning “completion of the lesson.”
Why is приятным in the instrumental case and not the nominative?
When you use the past-tense form of the copula быть (in this case было), the predicative adjective normally appears in the instrumental case to express “to be something.” Here приятным is the instrumental singular neuter form of приятный, matching the gender of завершение.
Could we say Завершение урока было приятное instead?
No. приятное is nominative neuter, but after было the predicate adjective must be instrumental. That’s why приятным is correct; приятное would be a case error.
Can we use the adverb приятно instead of the adjective приятным, as in Завершение урока было приятно?
You can say было приятно as an impersonal statement (“it was pleasant”), but then the focus shifts: приятно behaves like an adverb and there’s no explicit noun in instrumental. If you want to keep завершение урока as the subject and use a full copular construction, you need приятным in instrumental.
What’s the difference between завершение and окончание? Are they interchangeable?
Both mean “completion” or “ending.” окончание often just marks the point when something ends, while завершение can imply bringing a process to a proper or formal finish. In many contexts they overlap, but завершение can sound a bit more formal or process-oriented.
Is it possible to omit было and keep приятным?
No. If you drop быть, you normally use a dash and put the adjective in the nominative:
Завершение урока – приятное.
You cannot omit было and still use the instrumental form приятным.
Why does приятным end in -ым rather than -им?
The ending -ым is the standard instrumental singular neuter (and masculine) ending for hard-stem adjectives like приятный. Adjectives with a soft stem (for example синий) take -им (синим).