Breakdown of Нам было очень тяжело в связи с непредвиденными обстоятельствами.
мы
we
очень
very
быть
to be
тяжело
hard / heavily
Questions & Answers about Нам было очень тяжело в связи с непредвиденными обстоятельствами.
Why do we use the instrumental case for непредвиденными обстоятельствами here?
It is governed by the compound preposition в связи с (due to / in connection with). The с part of this preposition dictates the instrumental case, making the phrase literally mean "in connection with unforeseen circumstances."
How does в связи с differ from из-за to mean "due to" in this context?
The difference is mainly stylistic. В связи с is formal and often used in official, business, or journalistic contexts. Из-за (which requires the genitive case) is standard for everyday speech and often carries a slightly negative tone, like "because of" or "at the fault of." While both work here, в связи с makes the sentence sound like a formal explanation.
Why is the sentence structured as Нам было очень тяжело instead of Мы были очень тяжелые?
To express a person's emotional or physical state, Russian uses an impersonal construction. The experiencer is put in the dative case (нам), and the state is expressed with an adverb-like neuter word (тяжело). If you said Мы были очень тяжелые, it would literally mean "We were very heavy" in terms of physical weight.
How is the adjective непредвиденными constructed?