Breakdown of Когда они узнали новость, они были в ступоре.
они
they
в
in / to (direction)
быть
to be
когда
when
новость
news
узнать
to find out, to learn
ступор
stupor
Questions & Answers about Когда они узнали новость, они были в ступоре.
Why do we use в ступоре (prepositional) here instead of using the instrumental case after были?
While были often takes the instrumental case for roles or temporary physical states, mental and emotional states are treated like physical locations in Russian. You are metaphorically 'inside' the state. So, we use в + Prepositional, just like you would for being in a room. Other examples include в шоке (in shock) or в панике (in a panic).
новость is the direct object here. Why doesn't its ending change to look like a typical accusative noun?
It actually is in the accusative case! новость is a feminine noun that ends in a soft sign, which makes it a 3rd declension noun. For these nouns, the accusative form is exactly the same as the nominative form.
Why is the perfective verb узнали used here instead of the imperfective узнавали?
The perfective aspect узнали is used because finding out this news was a single, completed event that instantly triggered their reaction. The imperfective узнавали would mean they were in the process of finding out or found out repeatedly, which doesn't fit the suddenness of going into a stupor.
In English, 'news' looks plural but acts singular. How do we choose between the singular новость and plural новости in Russian?
Russian uses both, but with a clear distinction. The singular новость means one specific piece of news or a single update. The plural новости refers to the news in general, multiple updates, or a news broadcast on TV. Since they heard a specific fact that shocked them, the singular is used here.
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