Breakdown of Анна выбежала было на улицу, но спохватилась.
улица
street
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
Анна
Anna
но
but
Questions & Answers about Анна выбежала было на улицу, но спохватилась.
Why is the neuter word было used here when the subject, Anna, is feminine?
Here, было is not the past tense of the verb to be. Instead, it acts as an invariable particle of thwarted action. When paired with a past tense verb, it indicates that an action was started or just completed, but was immediately interrupted or cancelled. Because it acts as a particle here, it never changes its ending to match the subject.
Does выбежала было mean she actually made it outside, or just intended to?
Because выбежала is a perfective verb, it implies she actually performed the action and likely crossed the threshold. The particle было tells us this completed action was instantly reversed or made irrelevant. She ran out, but immediately stopped or went back in. If an imperfective verb were used instead, it would mean she was only on the verge of running out before stopping.
What is the exact meaning of the verb спохватилась?
Спохватиться is a very common and expressive perfective verb. It means to suddenly remember something you forgot to do, or to catch yourself making a mistake. It provides the perfect sudden realization needed to interrupt the action in the было construction!
Does the particle было always have to go directly after the verb?
In almost all cases, yes. The particle было firmly attaches to the specific action that is being interrupted or reversed, so placing it immediately after the past tense verb (выбежала было) is the standard and most natural word order.