В тексте была маленькая ошибка.

There was a small mistake in the text.

Breakdown of В тексте была маленькая ошибка.

• маленький: small
• в: in
• быть: to be
• текст: the text
• ошибка: the mistake

Questions & Answers about В тексте была маленькая ошибка.

Why is it в тексте and not в текст?

Because it describes location (in the text), so в takes the prepositional case: текст → в тексте. The accusative (в текст) is used for motion/placement into something, e.g., вставить в текст (to insert into the text).

Why is it была and not был or было?

The verb agrees with the subject ошибка, which is feminine singular. Past forms of быть are:

• masculine: был
• feminine: была
• neuter: было
• plural: были

Where is the subject in this sentence?

The subject is ошибка. In Russian existential sentences (“there was X”), the subject often comes after the verb: В тексте была [ошибка] = “There was [a mistake] in the text.”

Why is ошибка in the nominative if it comes after the verb?

It’s still the grammatical subject, so it stays in the nominative: ошибка. The prepositional phrase в тексте just sets the location.

Does маленькая agree with ошибка?

Yes. маленькая is feminine nominative singular to match ошибка (fem. nom. sg.). Agreement is mandatory for adjectives in Russian.

Is маленькая the most natural way to say “small/minor mistake”?

It’s fine, but for “minor,” Russians often prefer:

• небольшая ошибка (a minor mistake)
• незначительная ошибка (an insignificant mistake; a bit formal) Use маленькая when you literally mean “small,” or colloquially. Avoid малая ошибка here—it sounds bookish/odd.

Why not use есть?

есть is the present-tense “there is/are.” For the past, you need был/была/было/были. So:

• Present: В тексте есть маленькая ошибка.
• Past: В тексте была маленькая ошибка.

Can I drop была like we often drop есть in the present?

Generally no. In the past, the verb is normally required: В тексте была маленькая ошибка. Dropping it would sound ungrammatical or very elliptical.

How do I negate it: “There was no mistake in the text”?

Use the existential negative with genitive and neuter verb:

• В тексте не было ошибки (no mistake)
• В тексте не было ошибок (no mistakes, general) Here не было is neuter; the “subject” becomes genitive in this construction.

Why is it не было and not не была when negating?

In existential negation (“there was no X”), Russian normally uses neuter не было + genitive. Using не была would suggest a different structure (e.g., a specific known subject not being somewhere), which isn’t the case here.

Could I say Маленькая ошибка была в тексте?

Yes. It’s grammatical and shifts emphasis onto маленькая ошибка (topic-first). The neutral, most common order is В тексте была маленькая ошибка, highlighting location/existence first.

What’s the difference between ошибка and опечатка?

• ошибка = mistake/error (general: logical, factual, grammatical, etc.)
• опечатка = typo (typing/spelling slip) So for a typo: В тексте была маленькая опечатка.

Why not был since текст is masculine?

The verb agrees with the subject ошибка (feminine), not with the noun inside the prepositional phrase. В тексте is just the location; it doesn’t control agreement.

How do I make it plural: “There were small mistakes in the text”?

Use plural agreement and plural adjective:

• В тексте были маленькие ошибки. Negated: В тексте не было ошибок (genitive plural with neuter не было).

Why в and not на here?

With content like texts, articles, books, you use в for “in(side)”: в тексте, в статье, в книге. на is for surfaces or certain set phrases (e.g., на странице, “on the page”).

Could it be во тексте?

No. во is used before certain consonant clusters or words starting with в/ф for easier pronunciation (e.g., во Франции, во вторник). Here, standard is в тексте.

How do I say “There was one small mistake in the text”?

Add одна (feminine “one”):

• В тексте была одна маленькая ошибка. This highlights the number “one.”

Is there a more formal alternative to была?

Yes, e.g. имелась or наблюдалась:

• В тексте имелась небольшая ошибка. (formal/official tone)

How would I say “in this text” or “in that text”?

• в этом тексте (in this text)
• в том тексте (in that text)
• More formal: в данном тексте (in the given text)

Pronunciation tips?

• В тексте: stress on те́ксте [TEK-ste], soft “k-s-t” cluster.
• была́: stress on the last syllable [by-LA].
• мале́нькая: stress on ле́н, the ньк sounds like “nyk.”
• оши́бка: stress on ши́.