Learn Russian: Мама рано обедала?

In the Russian past tense, the verb changes to match the gender of the subject. Since Мама is feminine, we take the past tense base (обедал) and add an -а to make it feminine: обедала. If it were a masculine subject like dad, it would just be обедал.

What is the dictionary form of обедала, and how did we make it past tense?

The dictionary form (infinitive) is обедать (to have lunch). For regular verbs, you form the past tense by dropping the -ть at the end and replacing it with -л. Then, you add the correct ending for gender or plural (like the -а for feminine).

There is no word for 'Did' in Russian here. How do we make this a question?

Russian doesn't use helper words like 'do' or 'did' to ask questions. You just take the normal statement (Мама рано обедала - Mom had lunch early) and raise your tone of voice on the word you are asking about. In writing, you just add a question mark!

Why does the word рано come before the verb instead of at the end like in English?

In Russian, adverbs (words that describe when or how an action happens, like рано) usually sit right before the verb they describe. So, saying рано обедала (literally 'early had lunch') is the most natural word order.