Breakdown of После шторма на корабле почти не осталось пресной воды.
не
not
вода
water
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
почти
almost
Questions & Answers about После шторма на корабле почти не осталось пресной воды.
The current lesson is about 'в течение' (during). Could we use 'в течение шторма' here instead of 'после шторма'?
Grammatically, yes! It would change the meaning to 'During the storm, almost no fresh water remained.' The compound preposition в течение takes the Genitive case just like после does, so шторма would remain exactly the same.
Why is the verb осталось in the neuter singular instead of the feminine осталась to match вода?
This is an impersonal construction. Because the sentence focuses on the quantity (or lack) of water, пресной воды is in the Genitive case. When the logical subject is in the Genitive to show quantity, negation, or absence, the past tense verb defaults to the neuter singular осталось.
Does пресной воды refer to water that is fresh, clean, and newly poured?
No, пресная вода specifically means 'freshwater' (unsalted water), which is a vital distinction on a ship surrounded by seawater. If you want to describe a fresh, crisp, or recently poured glass of water, you would use the adjective свежая instead.
Why use the negative construction почти не осталось rather than just saying осталось мало (little remained)?
While both convey a similar idea, почти не осталось (almost none remained) places a much stronger focus on the critical depletion of the water. The particle не strongly emphasizes the absence, which pairs naturally with the Genitive of quantity seen here.