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Вчера я случайно удалил таблицу, поэтому теперь делаю копию файла перед правкой.

Вчера я случайно удалил таблицу, поэтому теперь делаю копию файла перед правкой.
Yesterday I accidentally deleted a table, so now I make a copy of the file before editing.

Breakdown of Вчера я случайно удалил таблицу, поэтому теперь делаю копию файла перед правкой.

я
I
вчера
yesterday
перед
before
делать
to make
теперь
now
файл
the file
случайно
accidentally
поэтому
so/therefore
правка
the editing
удалить
to delete
таблица
the table
копия
the copy
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Questions & Answers about Вчера я случайно удалил таблицу, поэтому теперь делаю копию файла перед правкой.

Why does the sentence start with Вчера? Is that required?

No—starting with Вчера is a choice of emphasis and flow. Russian word order is flexible, so Вчера is often placed first to set the time frame right away: “Yesterday, …”
You could also say Я вчера случайно удалил таблицу… with nearly the same meaning, just slightly different emphasis.

Do I need to include я? Could it be omitted?

Often я can be omitted because the verb ending shows the person: удалил (past masc. singular) and делаю (1st person singular).
So Вчера случайно удалил таблицу… can work in context. But including я makes it clearer and more conversational, especially at the start of a new statement.

What does случайно mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

случайно means “accidentally / by accident.”
It’s commonly placed before the verb: случайно удалил. You can move it for emphasis:

  • Вчера я удалил таблицу случайно (more like “I deleted it accidentally.”)
    But случайно before the verb is the most neutral.
Why is it удалил and not удалял?

удалил is perfective past: it presents the deletion as a single completed event (the table ended up deleted).
удалял is imperfective past: it would suggest an ongoing/repeated process or focus on the action itself (less natural here unless you’re describing the process or repeated deletions).

Why does удалил end in -л, and what determines its form?

In Russian past tense, verbs agree in gender and number:

  • удалил = masculine singular (“I” = a male speaker, or speaker uses masculine form)
  • удалила = feminine singular
  • удалили = plural (or formal you)
    The person (I/you/he) is usually shown by context or pronoun; the past tense form itself doesn’t show person.
Why is it таблицу and not таблица / таблицы?

Because удалить takes a direct object in the accusative case.
таблица (dictionary form) → accusative singular таблицу.
So удалил таблицу = “deleted the table.”

Why is there a comma before поэтому?

Because there are two clauses: 1) Вчера я случайно удалил таблицу
2) поэтому теперь делаю копию файла перед правкой
Russian typically uses a comma to separate clauses, and поэтому (“therefore/so”) often follows that comma.

What’s the difference between поэтому and так что (both kind of “so”)?

Both can translate as “so/therefore,” but:

  • поэтому is more direct and “logical”: “therefore / that’s why.”
  • так что is often more conversational and can feel like “and so / so then,” and it more clearly links to the result clause.
    In this sentence, поэтому fits well because it’s a clear cause → result.
Why is it делаю (present tense imperfective) for “I’m making a copy”?

Russian present tense forms are typically imperfective. делаю suggests a habitual/current practice: “now I (usually) make a copy…” or “now I’m making it a rule to make a copy…”
If you wanted a one-time action (“right now I’m making a copy”), you might still use делаю, or choose a more specific verb like копирую depending on context.

Why is it копию файла—what case is файла, and why?

копию is the direct object (accusative) of делаю: “I make a copy.”
файла is genitive singular and means “of the file”: “a copy of the file.”
This is a common Russian pattern: копия чего? → genitive.

What does перед правкой mean grammatically? What case is правкой?

перед (“before”) requires the instrumental case.
правка (“editing / making changes”) → instrumental singular правкой.
So перед правкой literally means “before (the) editing / before making changes.”

Why isn’t я repeated in the second part (…поэтому теперь делаю…)?

Russian often drops repeated subjects when it’s obvious they’re the same. Since the first clause has я, the second clause can omit it naturally.
You can repeat it for emphasis or clarity: …поэтому теперь я делаю копию…, but it’s not required.