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После занятия мы заехали на заправку, потому что в баке почти не было бензина.

После занятия мы заехали на заправку, потому что в баке почти не было бензина.
After the lesson we stopped by a gas station because there was almost no gasoline in the tank.

Breakdown of После занятия мы заехали на заправку, потому что в баке почти не было бензина.

в
in
быть
to be
на
to
не
not
потому что
because
мы
we
после
after
почти
almost
занятие
lesson
заехать
to stop by
заправка
gas station
бак
tank
бензин
gasoline
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Questions & Answers about После занятия мы заехали на заправку, потому что в баке почти не было бензина.

Why is it После занятия and not После занятие?

Because после requires the genitive case.

  • занятие (nominative) → занятия (genitive)
    So после занятия = after the lesson/class.
What exactly does занятие mean here—lesson, class, or activity?

Занятие is a general word meaning a class/lesson/session (often a scheduled study class, training session, etc.).
Depending on context it can be class, lesson, or session. In this sentence, После занятия most naturally means After class / after the lesson.

Why is the verb заехали used instead of something like поехали?

Заехать means to stop by / drop in (somewhere) on the way, often briefly and as an extra stop.
So мы заехали на заправку implies: we were going somewhere (or coming from somewhere) and made a stop at the gas station.

Is заехали perfective or imperfective, and why does that matter?

Заехали is perfective (from заехать). It presents the stop as a completed event: we stopped by and (implicitly) then continued.
The imperfective partner is often заезжать:

  • Мы заехали = we stopped by (once, completed)
  • Мы заезжали = we were stopping by / we stopped by (emphasis on process, repetition, or background)
Why is it на заправку (accusative) and not на заправке (prepositional)?

Because на + accusative is used for motion toward a destination (where you go).

  • заехать на заправку = to drive in/stop by to a gas station
    на + prepositional would describe location (where you are):
  • Мы на заправке = We are at the gas station.
What’s the difference between заправка and заправочная станция?
  • заправка is the common everyday word for a gas station (also can mean “refueling,” depending on context).
  • заправочная станция is a more formal/explicit phrase meaning filling station.
    In normal speech, на заправку is the most natural.
Why is потому что used, and can it be replaced with something else?

потому что means because and introduces a reason clause in a straightforward way.
Common alternatives include:

  • так как = since / because (often a bit more “formal” or explanatory)
  • поскольку = since / insofar as (more formal)
    Example: ..., так как в баке почти не было бензина.
Why does it say в баке (prepositional) instead of в бак?

Because в + prepositional is used for location (“in/inside”), while в + accusative is for motion into.

  • в баке = in the tank (location/state)
  • в бак = into the tank (movement), e.g. залить бензин в бак (to pour gas into the tank)
What is the grammar behind почти не было бензина? Why not почти не был бензин?

This is the common Russian pattern for “there was/were not (any) …”:

  • не было + Genitive = there wasn’t/weren’t any
    So не было бензина literally means there was no gasoline (i.e., not enough / none).

You don’t use бензин as the grammatical subject here. Instead, it’s an existential construction:

  • В баке не было бензина = There wasn’t any gas in the tank.
Why is было neuter singular even though we’re talking about gasoline?

In не было + genitive existential sentences, было doesn’t agree with бензин because бензин isn’t the subject in nominative. было acts like an impersonal past-tense form meaning there was/there existed.
So в баке было/не было stays neuter singular.

Why is it бензина (genitive) and not бензин?

Two reasons overlap here: 1) Existential negation: не было + genitive → не было бензина
2) Quantity/amount nuance: genitive often suggests some/any amount.

So почти не было бензина means there was almost no gas (i.e., the amount was very low).

Does почти не было бензина mean “there was almost no gas” or “there was almost not gas” (scope of почти)?

It means there was almost no gas.
Here почти modifies the whole negative idea (не было), producing the natural “almost none” meaning:

  • в баке почти не было бензина = the tank had very little gas left.