Thread: 5 practice sentences - is my translation correct?

Another way is to say the same "он был арестован" - "he was arrested", but it is a bit bookish, official way.

True, but I think it's more fitting to the original phrase "[he] was arrested", as opposed to what you more had in mind "they arrested him".

Thanks for the replies and corrections

Originally Posted by Valda

True, but I think it's more fitting to the original phrase "[he] was arrested", as opposed to what you more had in mind "they arrested him".

Thanks for the replies and corrections

You're direct translating rather than rendering. It's perfectly find to render "его арестовали" in English as "He was arrested". Simple impersonal constructs as mentioned by it-ogo are a normal way of speaking. You can use a participle if you want to, but it makes it sound like you're writing a news article rather than telling a story to someone in a less formal setting.

It's good to know the different ways you can say it, but it's also good to know how something is said in different contexts.