Latvian grammar

 

Latvian belongs to the class of inflected languages which are most complex from morphological viewpoint. It has following parts of speech: nouns, adjectives, numerals, pronouns, verbs, participles, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, particles and interjections.

Nouns

Main article: Latvian declension

Latvian nouns can be divided into declinable and indeclinable nouns. Most of Latvian nouns are declinable. Declinable nouns in Latvian are divided into seven regular declensions and three irregular. The declension of noun is determined by its ending and gender.

Adjectives

Main article: Latvian adjectives.

Adjectives in Latvian have two types of endings: the indefinite endings and definite endings. The case generation of adjectives is determined by gender and type of ending. The masculine adjectives with indefinite ending are declined as nouns of first declension, the feminine nouns with indefinite ending are declined as nouns of fourth declension. The endings of indefinite adjectives are showed in following table and endings of definite adjectives are showed in next table. The declension rules for superlative and comparative degrees are similar.

Indefinite declension

Gender	Number	Nomin.	Gen.	Dat.	Acc.	Loc.	Voc.
masc.	sing.	-s	-a	-am	-o	-ā	-
masc.	plur.	-i	-us	-iem	-us	-os	-
fem.	sing.	-a	-as	-ai	-u	-ā	-
fem.	plur.	-as	-u	-ām	-as	-ās	-

Definite declension

Gender	Number	Nomin.	Gen.	Dat.	Acc.	Loc.	Voc.
masc.	sing.	-ais	-ā	-ajam	-o	-ajā	-ais
masc.	plur.	-ie	-o	-ajiem	-os	-ajos	-ie
fem.	sing.	-ā	-ās	-ajai	-o	-ajā	-ā
fem.	plur.	-ās	-o	-ajām	-ās	-ajās	-ās

In some cases the definite endings for adjectives with suffix -ēj- differs.

Gender	Number	Nomin.	Gen.	Dat.	Acc.	Loc.	Voc.
masc.	sing.	-ais	-ā	-am	-o	-ā	-ais
masc.	plur.	-ie	-o	-iem	-os	-os	-ie
fem.	sing.	-ā	-ās	-ai	-o	-ā	-ā
fem.	plur.	-ās	-o	-ām	-ās	-ās	-ās

Examples

Indefinite declension

	Masc., sing.	Fem., sing.	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	zil-s	zil-a	zil-i	zil-as
Genitive	zil-a	zil-as	zil-u	zil-u
Dative	zil-am	zil-ai	zil-iem	zil-ām
Accusative	zil-u	zil-u	zil-us	zil-ās
Locative	zil-ā	zil-ā	zil-os	zil-ās
Vocative	-	-	-	-

Definite declension

	Masc., sing.	Fem., sing.	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	zil-ais	zil-ā	zil-ie	zil-ās
Genitive	zil-ā	zil-ās	zil-o	zil-o
Dative	zil-ajam	zil-ajai	zil-ajiem	zil-ajām
Accusative	zil-o	zil-o	zil-os	zil-ās
Locative	zil-ajā	zil-ajā	zil-ajos	zil-ajās
Vocative	zil-ais	zil-ā	zil-ie	zil-ās

Definite declension with suffix -ēj-

	Masc., sing.	Fem., sing.	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	vidēj-ais	vidēj-ā	vidēj-ie	vidēj-ās
Genitive	vidēj-ā	vidēj-ās	vidēj-o	vidēj-o
Dative	vidēj-am	vidēj-ai	vidēj-iem	vidēj-ām
Accusative	vidēj-o	vidēj-o	vidēj-os	vidēj-ās
Locative	vidēj-ā	vidēj-ā	vidēj-os	vidēj-ās
Vocative	vidēj-ais	vidēj-ā	vidēj-ie	vidēj-ās

Pronouns

Main article: Latvian pronouns.

Most of Latvian pronouns are declined as nouns of first (masculine pronouns) or forth declension (feminine pronouns). Exceptions are es (I), tu (you, singular), mēs (we), jūs (you, plural), sevis (myself), kas (who), tas (that, masculine), tā (that, feminine), šis (this, masculine), šī (this, feminine), pats (myself, masculine), pati (myself, feminine).

Examples

Nominative	viņ-š	viņ-i
Genitive	viņ-a	viņ-u
Dative	viņ-am	viņ-iem
Accusative	viņ-u	viņ-us
Locative	viņ-ā	viņ-os

Nominative	viņ-a	viņ-as
Genitive	viņ-as	viņ-u
Dative	viņ-ai	viņ-ām
Accusative	viņ-u	viņ-as
Locative	viņ-ā	viņ-ās

Paradigms of irregular pronouns

Declension of some personal pronouns es (I), tu (you, singular), mēs (we), jūs (you, plural), reflexive pronoun sevis (myself), relative pronoun kas (who), demonstrative pronouns tas (that, masculine), tā (that, feminine), šis (this, masculine), šī (this, feminine), definite pronouns pats (myself, masculine), pati (myself, feminine) differs from declension of other pronouns.

Declension of personal pronouns

Nominative	es	tu	mēs	jūs
Genitive	manis	tevis	mūsu	jūsu
Dative	man	tev	mums	jums
Accusative	mani	tevi	mūs	jūs
Locative	manī	tevī	mūsos	jūsos

Declension of reflexive pronoun sevis

Nominative	-
Genitive	sevis
Dative	sev
Accusative	sevi
Locative	sevī

Declension of relative pronoun kas

Nominative	kas
Genitive	kā
Dative	kam
Accusative	ko
Locative	kur

Declension of demonstrative pronouns

Nominative	tas	tā	šis	šī
Genitive	tā	tās	šī, šā	šīs, šās
Dative	tam	tam	šim	šai
Accusative	to	to	šo	šo
Locative	tajā, tai, tanī	tai, tajā, tanī	šai, šajā, šinī	šai, šajā, šinī

Nominative	tie	tās	šie	šīs
Genitive	to	to	šo	šo
Dative	tiem	tām	šiem	šām
Accusative	tos	tās	šos	šās
Locative	tais, tajos, tanīs	tais, tajās, tanīs	šais, šajos, šinīs	šais, šajās, šinīs

Declension of definite pronouns

Nominative	pats	pati	paši	pašas
Genitive	paša	pašas	pašu	pašu
Dative	pašam	pašai	pašiem	pašām
Accusative	pašu	pašu	pašus	pašas
Locative	pašā	pašā	pašos	pašās

Numerals

Main article: Latvian numerals.

In Latvian there are two types of numerals: cardinal numerals and ordinal numerals. Cardinal numerals are declinable or indeclinable. Declinable cardinal numerals are declined as indefinite adjectives and ordinal numerals are declined as definite adjectives. Exceptions are numerals trīs (three), pusotra (one and a half), pustreša (one and a third), pusceturta (one and a fourth). If numeral is compound then each constituent of numeral is declined separately.

Indeclinable are numerals which has no ending

• desmit;
• numerals 11-19: vienpadsmit, divpadsmit, trīspadsmit, četrpadsmit, piecpadsmit, sešpadsmit, septiņpadsmit, astoņpadsmit, deviņpadsmit;
• compounds with desmit: divdesmit, trīsdesmit, četrdesmit, piecdesmit, sešdesmit, septiņdesmit, astoņdesmit, deviņdesmit;
• compounds with simt: simt, divsimt, trīssimt, četrsimt, piecsimt, sešsimt, septiņsimt, astoņsimt, deviņsimt;
• compounds with tūkstoš: tūkstoš, divtūkstoš, trīstūkstoš, četrtūkstoš, piectūkstoš, seštūkstoš, septiņtūkstoš, astoņtūkstoš, deviņtūkstoš, etc.

Examples

Declension of cardinal numerals

	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	div-i	div-as
Genitive	div-u	div-u
Dative	div-iem	div-ām
Accusative	div-us	div-ās
Locative	div-os	div-ās

Declension of ordinal numerals

	Masc., sing.	Fem., sing.	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	otr-ais	otr-ā	otr-ie	otr-ās
Genitive	otr-ā	otr-ās	otr-o	otr-o
Dative	otr-ajam	otr-ajai	otr-ajiem	otr-ajām
Accusative	otr-o	otr-o	otr-ajos	otr-ajās
Locative	otr-ajā	otr-ajā	otr-ajos	otr-ajās

Declension of cardinal numeral trīs

	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	trī-s	trī-s
Genitive	trij-u	trij-u
Dative	tri-m, trij-iem	tri-m, trij-ām
Accusative	trī-s	trī-s
Locative	trij-os, trī-s	trij-ās, trī-s

Declension of cardinal numeral pusotra

	Masc., sing.	Fem., sing.	Masc., plur.	Fem., plur.
Nominative	-	-	-	-
Genitive	pusotr-a	pusotr-as	pusotr-u	pusotr-u
Dative	pusotr-am	pusotr-ai	pusotr-iem	pusotr-ām
Accusative	pusotr-u	pusotr-u	pusotr-us	pusotr-as
Locative	pusotr-ā	pusotr-ā	pusotr-os	pusotr-ās

Verbs

Main article: Latvian conjugation.

Verbs in Latvian are divided into three conjugations. The the first conjugation belong all monosyllabic infinitive verbs and their compounds. To the second conjugation belong verbs which are derived with suffixes -ā, -ē, -o, -ī, -alē, -aļā, -elē, -uļo >and has lengthening syllable in imperfect and in present tenses. To the third conjugation belong verbs which are derived with suffixes -ā, -ē, -ī, -inā and has lengthening syllable in imperfect tense. Besides there are irregular verbs: būt, iet, dot. There are three simple tenses: present tense, imperfect tense and future tense and three perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, future perfect. Latvian verbs are used into five moods: indicative, imperative, conditional, conjunctive and debitive mood. The relations between tenses and moods are shown into following table.

	Indicative	Imperative	Conditional	Conjunctive	Debitive
Simple present	+	-	+	+	+
Simple imperfect	+	-	-	-	+
Simple future	+	-	-	+	+
Present perfect	+	-	+	+	+
Past perfect	+	-	-	-	+
Future perfect	+	-	-	+	+

For verb conjugation the three base forms, i.e., infinitive form, present stem and past stem are used. The following table shows correspondence between base stem and tense/mood.

Stem	Modes and tenses, which are derived from the stem
Present stem	All modes of present tense, except conditional mood; imperative mood, debitive mood.
Past stem	Imperfect tense.
Infinitive stem	Future tense, present tense of conditional mood, present tense of conjunctive mood.

Passive is not very common in Latvian.

Participles

Main article: Latvian participles.

• Past active
• Past passive
• Present active in -dams
• Present active in -ošs
• Present active in -ot
• Present passive

References

• J.Endzelīns "Latviešu valodas gramatika", 1951
• "Mūsdienu latviešu literārās valodas gramatika", LPSR ZA izdevniecība, 1959
• T.G.Fennell, H.Gelsen "A Grammar of Modern Latvian", Mouton Publishers, 1980, vol. 1-3
• B.Ceplīte, L.Ceplītis "Latviešu valodas praktiskā gramatika", Zvaigzne, 1991
• Pietro U.Dini "Le Lingue Baltiche", La Nuova Italia Editrice, Scandicci (Firenze), 1997
• K.Karulis "Latviešu etimoloģijas vārdnīca", Avots, 2001

External links

• Latvian language materials (en/lv)
• J. Lelis - Basic Latvian - Grammar: Introduction (en)
• Overview of the Latvian Language (en)
• V. Plūdons. Practical Latvian Grammar (Cēsis, 1922) (lv)
• Introduction in History of Latvian Language (lv)
• Andronov A.V. Materials for Latvian-Russian dictionary (rus)
• Ineta Polanska. Zum Einfluss des Lettischen auf das Deutsche im Baltikum (Inaugural-Dissertation, Bamberg, 2002) (de)
• TITUS Texts: Old-Latvian Corpus (en/de/lv)

Donate to Wikimedia