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verb · A1 · very often · UK/US

быть

were

Meaning of быть

были, находились (форма прошедшего времени множественного числа)

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A1very often

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Pronunciation
RU[bɨtʲ]
were
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быть with English translation

быть usage examples

🇬🇧EN🇷🇺RU

They were at the party last night.

Они были на вечеринке прошлой ночью.

🇬🇧EN🇷🇺RU

If I were you, I'd leave now.

Если бы я был на твоём месте, я бы ушёл сейчас.

Learn by topic

быть belongs to the topic "Top 5000". Start with a short 7-word set so the word is easier to remember in context.

бытьwere
готовитьcook
менятьchange
завязыватьtie
следоватьfollow
задаватьset
убиратьremove

быть synonyms

Related words worth learning together

был
Masculine past tense form: “was” for he/I in Russian context.
было
Neuter past tense form, often impersonal: “was/there was”.
находиться
Emphasizes location: “to be located / situated”.
существовать
Means “to exist”: refers to something’s existence, not state or location.
являться
Means “to be / to be considered as”: links a subject with a role, feature, or category.
Learn 5 related words for free
Б
🇷🇺ru
был

Masculine past tense form: “was” for he/I in Russian context.

A1Very Often
Б
🇷🇺ru
было

Neuter past tense form, often impersonal: “was/there was”.

A1Very Often
Н
🇷🇺ru
находиться

Emphasizes location: “to be located / situated”.

A2Often
🇷🇺ru

Means “to exist”: refers to something’s existence, not state or location.

A2Often
Я
🇷🇺ru
являться

Means “to be / to be considered as”: links a subject with a role, feature, or category.

A2Often
О
🇷🇺ru
оставаться

Means “to remain / stay”: continue in the same state or place despite changes.

A2Often
Н
🇷🇺ru
называться

Means “to be called / named”: gives a name or title.

A2Often

What's the difference

Related words and lists for быть

How to pronounce быть and what this word means

быть means were. This page includes translation, pronunciation, transcription, audio, usage examples and related words.

how to pronounce быть

[bɨtʲ]

быть translation

were

быть examples

They were at the party last night.

быть transcription

[bɨtʲ]

Questions about this word

быть meaning: what does it mean?

были, находились (форма прошедшего времени множественного числа)

быть pronunciation: how do you pronounce it?

быть is pronounced as [bɨtʲ]. Audio is available on this page when the word has a recording.

быть definition and sentence examples: how is it used in a sentence?

They were at the party last night. Translation: Они были на вечеринке прошлой ночью.

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