Breakdown of Директор сказал, чтобы вы были на заседании.
вы
you (plural or formal)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
директор
director
быть
to be
Questions & Answers about Директор сказал, чтобы вы были на заседании.
Why does заседании end in -ии instead of the usual Prepositional case ending -е?
The dictionary form of the word for meeting or session is заседание. Because it ends in -ие, it follows a special rule: nouns ending in -ия, -ие, and -ий take -ии in the Prepositional case rather than the standard -е.
Why do we use the preposition на instead of в for being at a meeting?
We use на because заседание is an event or gathering, not a physical building or enclosed space. Just like you would say на концерте (at a concert) or на уроке (at a lesson), you use на for meetings.
Why does the sentence use the past tense были when the English translation says you 'should be' there?
Could I use что instead of чтобы in this sentence?
If you used что, it would change the sentence from a command into a statement of past fact. Директор сказал, что вы были на заседании would mean 'The director said that you were at the session'. The word чтобы is what gives it the meaning of an order or requirement.