Breakdown of У курицы было мокрое перо на хвосте, потому что утром шёл дождь.
быть
to be
на
on
потому что
because
дождь
the rain
Questions & Answers about У курицы было мокрое перо на хвосте, потому что утром шёл дождь.
Why is it у курицы instead of just курица?
Russian often expresses possession with у + genitive plus a form of быть.
So У курицы было мокрое перо literally means something like By the chicken there was a wet feather, but in natural English that becomes The chicken had a wet feather.
Here:
- курица = chicken
- у курицы = by the chicken / in the chicken’s possession
After у, the noun goes into the genitive case, so курица becomes курицы.
How do I know whether this means the chicken or a chicken?
Russian has no articles, so there is no direct equivalent of a or the.
That means курицы could refer to:
- a chicken
- the chicken
- sometimes even the hen, depending on context
You decide from the situation, the previous sentence, or the translation you have been given.
Why is it было, not была?