Past and future: short, nominative, or instrumental
An overt copula expands the options, especially for long predicates.
- Short forms remain unchanged for case. Long predicates commonly use instrumental after был/бу́дет and change-of-state verbs; nominative long forms also occur in identity, classification, colloquial, or contextually anchored readings.
| Pattern | Example | Robust interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| short | Он был мо́лод. | property predicated; compact/literary-neutral |
| long instrumental | Он был молоды́м. | state/characteristic in past frame |
| long nominative | Он был молодо́й. | possible; discourse/register-sensitive |
| change of state | Он стал споко́йным. | instrumental strongly selected |
| future short | Он бу́дет гото́в. | short remains non-case form |
Read the model
3.14 · Past and future: short, nominative, or instrumental · table 1
short · Он был мо́лод. · property predicated; compact/literary-neutrallong instrumental · Он был молоды́м. · state/characteristic in past frameMini-check
Build: The task was difficult (short). Build with стать: The city became big.
Apply this next
- Say the Russian examples aloud, cover the model, and retrieve the pattern once before continuing.