Breakdown of Вчера было одиннадцатое февраля.
вчера
yesterday
быть
to be
февраль
February
одиннадцатый
eleventh
Questions & Answers about Вчера было одиннадцатое февраля.
Why does the ordinal number одиннадцатое end in -ое?
In Russian, dates use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.). We use the neuter ending -ое because the neuter word число (date) is grammatically understood in the sentence, even though it is left out. It is like saying 'Yesterday was the eleventh (date)...'
Why is the verb было used here instead of the masculine был?
Why does the month change from февраль to февраля?
To express 'of February', you need to use the Genitive case. Since февраль is a masculine noun ending in a soft sign, the soft sign is dropped and replaced with -я, making it февраля.
Why does одиннадцатое have a double нн in the spelling?
Russian teen numbers are built by adding на (on) and дцать (an old word for 10). For eleven, you combine один (one) + на + дцать. The н from один and the н from на meet, creating a double нн. Remember that the д in the middle is silent when you speak!
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