Breakdown of Тебе будет пятьдесят лет, и твоя старость будет спокойной.
и
and
ты
you (singular)
твой
your [informal] (твой, твоя, твоё)
год
year
быть
to be
спокойный
calm
пятьдесят
fifty
старость
old age
Questions & Answers about Тебе будет пятьдесят лет, и твоя старость будет спокойной.
Why do we use тебе (to you) instead of ты (you)?
In Russian, age is expressed using the Dative case. Instead of saying "you will be fifty," the structure literally translates to "to you fifty years will be." That is why we use тебе (the Dative form of ты).
Why do we use the singular verb будет if we are talking about fifty years?
When expressing age in the past or future, the verb быть (to be) acts impersonally. It does not agree with the number of years. For the future, you will always use будет, and for the past, you will always use the neuter было.
Why is the word for years лет here instead of года?
When counting years in Russian, the word you use depends on the last digit. For numbers ending in 0 and 5 through 9 (like пятьдесят), you must use лет, which is a special Genitive plural form. You only use года for numbers ending in 2, 3, or 4.
Why does the adjective спокойной end in -ой? Isn't старость a feminine noun?
Yes, старость is feminine! However, when an adjective describes how something will be using the future tense verb будет, it typically takes the Instrumental case. The Instrumental feminine ending for спокойная (calm) is спокойной.
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