The first day of school is always a scary and nerve-racking moment for everyone, especially if you face a new country and a new language. To help you adapt to this new reality, in this article, we’re going to explore Latvian School vocabulary that you can use during your first day at school that will help you mingle with your new colleagues!
Everybody needs friends, especially when you move to a new country. You don’t know anyone, you don’t know the city, and knowing people can make that feeling of being an outcast go away.
One major obstacle you may find while making new friends is actually one very simple and obvious one: language. When you move to a new country, you’re faced with a new language, and learning it may be the critical move you can make to feel embraced and integrated into your new home. Especially if you’re starting in a new school, learning, for example, some Latvian vocabulary is very important to make this process so much easier. I would have loved it if someone had told me this when I first moved to a new country because everything changed once I started learning the local language!
That’s why I’m here! I want to give you what I never had, a guide to school-related vocabulary in the Latvian language that you can use with your new colleagues and start making new friends the second you step into your new school! Believe me, with these simple words; you’ll see that you’ll be able to get around much easier and start connecting with people that you may even call friends in a very short time!
If you want to learn more about Latvian grammar or other interesting topics about Lithuanian, make sure you check our blog, where we have incredible articles about the Latvian language, such as how to say how are you, airport vocabulary, or sports.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at these terms!

How To Say School, Teacher, And Student In Latvian
What would a school be without a teacher and students? An empty building filled with chairs and desks, that’s all. Your first day of school will be very simple, you, students (students), along with many other Kolēģi (colleagues), are going to sit on your krēsli (chairs), put your grāmatas (books) on the tabula (table) and learn what the skolotājs (teacher) has to teach you. Just like that, I’ve summed up how your first moments in school will be, and you just learned 6 new words you can use during that first day!
And how do you actually say School in Latvian? Maybe this is the most important word you should learn, and in Latvian it’s translated as skola. As you can see, the similarities are remarkable, and this is a very good sign that learning Latvian is actually not as hard as we might have thought.

Useful Words To Use On Your First Day
Besides these 7 words I’ve just taught you, so many more will be incredibly useful for your first day in school. Make sure you read them, practice them, and if you forget any of them, just come back to this article and refresh your memory!
Latvian | English | Pronunciation |
pamatskola | elementary school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pamatskola[/Speechword] |
vidusskola | middle school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]vidusskola[/Speechword] |
vidusskola | high school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]vidusskola[/Speechword] |
universitāte | university | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]universitāte[/Speechword] |
pabeigt skolu | graduate school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pabeigt skolu[/Speechword] |
pārpildīta skola, privāta akadēmija | cram school, private academy | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pārpildīta skola, privāta akadēmija[/Speechword] |
bērnudārzs | kindergarten | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]bērnudārzs[/Speechword] |
koledža | college | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]koledža[/Speechword] |
valodas skola | language school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]valodas skola[/Speechword] |
internātskola | boarding school | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]internātskola[/Speechword] |
profesors | professor | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]profesors[/Speechword] |
skolas skolotājs | school teacher | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]skolas skolotājs[/Speechword] |
skolotājs | teacher | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]skolotājs[/Speechword] |
students | student | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]students[/Speechword] |
vidusskolas skolēni | middle school students | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]vidusskolas skolēni[/Speechword] |
vidusskolēni | high school students | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]vidusskolēni[/Speechword] |
sākumskolas skolotāja | primary school teacher | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]sākumskolas skolotāja[/Speechword] |
pamatskolas skolotāja | elementary school teacher | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pamatskolas skolotāja[/Speechword] |
klasesbiedriem | classmates | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]klasesbiedriem[/Speechword] |
priekšmets | subject | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]priekšmets[/Speechword] |
matemātika | mathematics | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]matemātika[/Speechword] |
Fizika | Physics | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]Fizika[/Speechword] |
Ķīmija | Chemistry | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]Ķīmija[/Speechword] |
Art | Art | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]Art[/Speechword] |
Fiziskā audzināšana | Physical Education | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]Fiziskā audzināšana[/Speechword] |
zinātne | science | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]zinātne[/Speechword] |
nodaļa | department | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]nodaļa[/Speechword] |
klasē | class | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]klasē[/Speechword] |
eksāmens | exam | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]eksāmens[/Speechword] |
pārbaude | test | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pārbaude[/Speechword] |
projektu | project | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]projektu[/Speechword] |
auditorija, aktu zāle | auditorium, assembly hall | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]auditorija, aktu zāle[/Speechword] |
skolas kafejnīca | school cafeteria | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]skolas kafejnīca[/Speechword] |
klasē | classroom | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]klasē[/Speechword] |
sporta zāle | gym | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]sporta zāle[/Speechword] |
medmāsas kabinets | nurse’s office | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]medmāsas kabinets[/Speechword] |
pakāpe | grade | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pakāpe[/Speechword] |
izglītība | education | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]izglītība[/Speechword] |
bibliotēka | library | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]bibliotēka[/Speechword] |
semestris | semester | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]semestris[/Speechword] |
gadā | year | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]gadā[/Speechword] |
zīmulis | pencil | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]zīmulis[/Speechword] |
pildspalva | pen | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]pildspalva[/Speechword] |
papīrs | paper | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]papīrs[/Speechword] |
mācību grāmata | textbook | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]mācību grāmata[/Speechword] |
grāmatu | book | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]grāmatu[/Speechword] |

Important Verbs Related To School
Besides the words mentioned above, you can also learn a few verbs related to your school activities, such as learn and study. Let’s learn how to write and read them. If you want to know how to pronounce them, just press the little blue play button and practice!
Latvian | English | Pronunciation |
mācīt | to teach | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]mācīt[/Speechword] |
mācīties | to learn | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]mācīties[/Speechword] |
trenēties | to practice | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]trenēties[/Speechword] |
mācīties | to study | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]mācīties[/Speechword] |
izglītot | to educate | [Speechword voice=”Latvian Male” isinline]izglītot[/Speechword] |
Let’s Put Them Into Practice
English – Latvian
- This is my school – Šī ir mana skola
- I study hard because I want to get into a good university – Es cītīgi mācos, jo vēlos iekļūt labā augstskolā
- My favorite subject is biology – Mans mīļākais priekšmets ir bioloģija
- I was excellent in my last semester – Manā pēdējā semestrī bija izcili
- I have 13 classmates – Man ir 13 klasesbiedri
- I take three classes a week in a private academy – Es apmeklēju trīs nodarbības nedēļā privātajā akadēmijā
- My mom is coming to get me after school – Mana mamma pēc skolas nāk pēc manis
- Do you know where my school is? I study at… – Vai jūs zināt, kur atrodas mana skola? Es mācos…
- I’m late for school – Es kavēju skolu

Learn More Latvian With Ling App
You’ve just taken the first step into learning Latvian. You already learned a little Latvian vocabulary, but how about you keep learning more and more and eventually have an entire conversation in Latvian? That’s the dream, right?
Well, not to brag, but I have a tool to make that dream come true. It is called Ling app, and it is a language learning application where you can learn over 60 languages from all over the world from a fun and engaging perspective. This application is filled with great lessons with lessons created by native language speakers, along with fun games and puzzles where you can practice your Latvian speaking skills.
Available for iOS and Android, this application is the perfect way for you to learn Latvian, and it is just a little click away! Download the app and start your journey today!