После похвалы он улыбнулся, но всё равно выглядел смущённым.

Because the preposition после always takes the genitive when it means after.

• Dictionary form: похвала = praise
• After после: после похвалы = after the praise

So this is a normal preposition + case pattern that you simply learn together:

• после урока = after the lesson
• после работы = after work
• после похвалы = after the praise

Похвала means praise or words of approval.

In this sentence, после похвалы means something like after being praised or after the praise.

It is a noun, not a verb. So instead of saying after someone praised him, Russian here uses a noun phrase:

• после похвалы = after the praise

A more explicit version could be:

• после того как его похвалили = after they praised him

But the original sentence is shorter and very natural.

Улыбнулся is the past tense of улыбнуться, which means to smile.

The -ся ending is part of the verb itself. In many Russian verbs, -ся is often called the reflexive marker, but with улыбнуться / улыбаться it is simply the normal form of the verb meaning to smile.

So:

• улыбнуться = to smile once / to give a smile
• улыбаться = to be smiling / to smile repeatedly or over time

In this sentence, улыбнулся means he smiled.

Russian often uses the perfective here because the smile is seen as a single completed action.

• улыбнулся = he smiled once
• улыбался = he was smiling / he smiled for some time / he used to smile

In this sentence, the idea is:

1. he received praise,
2. he smiled,
3. but he still looked embarrassed.

That quick, one-time reaction fits улыбнулся very well.

Here всё равно means still, all the same, or nevertheless.

So this part:

• но всё равно выглядел смущённым

means:

• but he still looked embarrassed
• but he looked embarrassed anyway

It shows contrast: even though he smiled, the embarrassment did not go away.

Also note that in normal Russian writing, ё is often written as е, so you may also see:

• все равно

But it is still pronounced as всё равно.

Но means but and introduces a stronger contrast.

Here the contrast is:

• he smiled,
• but he still looked embarrassed.

That makes но the most natural choice.

Russian а can also contrast two ideas, but it often feels more like whereas, while, or a milder contrast. In this sentence, но works better because the second part goes against what you might expect after the first.

Because выглядеть means to look / to appear, not to be.

So:

• выглядел смущённым = looked embarrassed
• был смущён = was embarrassed

These are close, but not identical:

• выглядел смущённым focuses on his outward appearance
• был смущён focuses more directly on his state

The Russian sentence is specifically about how he appeared.

After выглядеть, Russian often uses the instrumental case for the description of how someone looks.

So:

• выглядеть смущённым = to look embarrassed
• выглядеть усталым = to look tired
• выглядеть счастливым = to look happy

The dictionary form is:

• смущённый = embarrassed

But after выглядел, it becomes:

• смущённым = embarrassed (instrumental, masculine singular)

This is a very common pattern.

Смущённый usually means embarrassed, flustered, or self-conscious.

Depending on context, it can sometimes feel a bit like:

• shy
• awkward
• uneasy

In this sentence, embarrassed is probably the best translation, because someone can be praised, smile, and still feel uncomfortable or self-conscious.

Yes, Russian can often omit pronouns when the meaning is clear from the verb form or context.

So both are possible:

• Он улыбнулся...
• Улыбнулся...

But including он can make the sentence clearer, more natural in context, or slightly more explicit. Russian often includes pronouns when:

• the subject is being contrasted,
• the speaker wants extra clarity,
• or the sentence simply sounds better that way in context.

So он is not required in every sentence, but it is perfectly normal here.

In Russian, past tense agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Since он means he, the verbs are masculine singular:

• улыбнулся
• выглядел

If the subject were она (she), you would get:

• После похвалы она улыбнулась, но всё равно выглядела смущённой.

So Russian past tense gives you information that English past tense usually does not.

Yes. Russian word order is fairly flexible, although different orders can sound more or less natural depending on emphasis.

The original sentence:

• После похвалы он улыбнулся, но всё равно выглядел смущённым.

is very natural and neutral.

You could also say:

• Он после похвалы улыбнулся, но всё равно выглядел смущённым.
• Он улыбнулся после похвалы, но всё равно выглядел смущённым.

These are all understandable, but the original version flows especially well because it sets the time context first: after the praise.

Because но joins two clauses, and in Russian a comma is normally used before coordinating conjunctions like но when they connect separate clauses.

Here the two clauses are:

• После похвалы он улыбнулся
• но всё равно выглядел смущённым

So the comma is standard Russian punctuation.

Literally, it is after the praise. But in natural English, the idea is often better expressed as after being praised.

Russian often uses a noun where English might prefer a clause or passive idea.

So all of these are close in meaning:

• после похвалы = after the praise
• after praise
• after being praised
• after he was praised

The exact English wording depends on what sounds most natural in translation.