жи́л-бы́л жил-был

expression

Meanings

  1. once upon a time, there was a …
  2. there was, there lived, once upon a time there wasonce

Examples

  • Жил-был коро́ль в ста́ром замке.
    There lived a king in an old castle.
  • Жил-был коро́ль по и́мени Альфред.
    Once there lived a king whose name was Alfred.
  • Жил-был когда-то один стари́к.
    Once upon a time, there lived an old man.