Learn Russian: Это было очень давно.

Это было очень давно.

This was a very long time ago.

Breakdown of Это было очень давно.

Questions & Answers about Это было очень давно.

Why do we use the neuter form было here instead of был or была?

When это is used by itself to mean "this" or "it" (referring to a general situation or event, not a specific masculine or feminine noun), it acts as a neuter word. Because of this, the past tense verb must match it, so we use the neuter form было.

Does the single word давно translate to the whole phrase "a long time ago"?

Yes! Russian doesn't have a direct equivalent for the English word "ago". The adverb давно points to a time far in the past, so it naturally translates to "a long time ago".

Could I use долго instead of давно here?

No, because they mean completely different things. You use давно when talking about how far back in the past something happened ("a long time ago"). You use долго when talking about the length of an action ("for a long time"). Since we are talking about when the event happened, давно is the correct word.

Why does the "о" at the end of было sound like an "a"?

This happens because of a Russian pronunciation rule called vowel reduction. The stress in the word is on the first syllable (бы́ло). When the letter "о" is unstressed, it is pronounced like a short "a".