simple grammar question

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Original Message:
-----------------
From: Nola oothappam at EARTHLINK.NET
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 07:38:36 -0700
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: [SEELANGS] simple grammar question


I hope the members of this group will excuse my intrusion with my simple
grammar question. I have asked two kind and helpful people but still can't
really understand this, and hope that among you scholars there will be
somebody who can explain this in a way that my thick head can comprehend-
It is about  åñòü\íåò, and áûòü in the past and future. 
Ó Ñàøè áÛËÀ ìàøèíà. Sasha had a car.

Ó Ñàøè íå áûëî ìàøèíû. Sasha didn't have a car.

Ok-I understand the explanation in this case about áûëî \áûëà. In the first
sentence, Sasha had a car and it's positive so Sasha is genitive because of
the Ó but HAD is áûëà, matching gender of ìàøèíà. And in second sentence,
Sasha is in genitive case again, car is now genitive because of negative
existence,  but áûëî is neuter, because when the existence of something in
the past is negative, you use the neuter form of áûòü.

But see this-------

 Îëüãà íå áûëà ñåãîäíÿ â ìàãàçèíå. Olga was not in the shop today

Òîãäà  å¸ íå áûëî â Ìîñêâå. At that time, she wasn't in Moscow.

OKAY! What gives here?Both times Olga simply wasn't at a place...but in one
case  áûòü matches Olga's gender and in the next it's neuter...I cannot see
what would be the reason for this. 

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Nola - thick headed student










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