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Russian frequency list

No. 26 in Russian

был

"Был" means "was" (past tense of "to be" for masculine singular).

In a sentence

  • Он был в парке.

    He was in the park.

    The word 'был' indicates past tense for 'was' and agrees with masculine singular subject 'он'.

  • Это был хороший день.

    It was a good day.

    The word 'был' serves as the past tense 'was' for the subject 'это', referring to a singular event.

  • Был снегопад ночью.

    There was snowfall at night.

    The word 'был' functions to establish the existence or occurrence of an event, in this case 'снегопад ночью', in the past.

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