Tutorial
In Course: Russian A1

Past Existence and Possession

Master spoken Russian constructions for past possession, non-possession, and past existence using past forms of быть and the negative phrase не было.

A close-up, top-down shot of a single, aged Russian train ticket with faded Cyrillic text, resting on a dark, textured wooden surface. Soft, directional light from the left highlights the creases and paper fibers, emphasizing its history and tactile quality, composed for a 3:2 landscape frame.
en-GB → ru-RU

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Deck Contents

45 Cards
Lesson#1
In Russian, talking about what you had or what existed in the past uses the past tense of the verb to be. You will learn to express having something, not having something, and describing past events or weather. This will help you recount your day and explain what was around you.
Lesson#2
To say that you had something in Russian, use the preposition 'У' with a genitive pronoun, followed by the past tense of 'быть', which agrees with the item possessed. For a masculine noun, use 'был'. For example, 'У меня был билет' means 'I had a ticket', and 'У брата был новый телефон' means 'My brother had a new phone'.
Quiz#3
Translate into Russian: 'I had a ticket.'

У меня был билет

Quiz#4
Translate into Russian: 'My brother had a new phone.'

У брата был новый телефон

Lesson#5
When the object possessed is a feminine noun, the verb form becomes 'была'. For example, 'У неё была машина' means 'She had a car', and 'У нас была хорошая комната' means 'We had a good room'. Questions keep the same word order with rising intonation.
Quiz#6
Translate into Russian: 'She had a car.'

У неё была машина

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