No. 42 in Russian
была
"Была" means "was" (feminine past tense of "to be").
In a sentence
Вчера была ужасная погода.
Yesterday, the weather was terrible.
Here, 'была' is used as the past feminine singular form of the verb 'быть,' meaning 'was,' agreeing with the feminine noun 'погода.'
Была когда-то маленькая деревня здесь.
There used to be a small village here.
In this sentence, 'была' conveys an existential past tense, meaning 'there was,' and it introduces the existence of the noun 'деревня' (a village).
Она была врачом в прошлом.
She was a doctor in the past.
'Была' functions here as the past feminine singular form of 'быть' indicating occupation, matching the subject pronoun 'она' (she).
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