Questions & Answers about Вчера было двенадцатое апреля?
Why are the words было and двенадцатое in the neuter form?
When stating the date in Russian, there is an invisible word that guides the grammar: число (date/number). Because число is a neuter noun, the past tense verb "was" becomes the neuter было, and the ordinal number "twelfth" takes the neuter ending -ое (двенадцатое).
Why does апреля end in -я instead of its normal dictionary form, апрель?
The month is in the genitive case, which often translates to the English word "of". So, двенадцатое апреля literally translates to "the twelfth [date] of April". Since апрель is a masculine noun ending in a soft sign, that soft sign changes to -я to form the genitive case.
How do you change this sentence from a question to a normal statement?
In writing, you simply replace the question mark with a period: Вчера было двенадцатое апреля. In Russian, you don't need to change the word order or add extra words to ask a yes/no question. When speaking, you just raise the pitch of your voice on the key word to signal that you are asking a question.
If I want to say "Tomorrow will be the twelfth of April", do I still use было?