Want to travel to Latvia and integrate into the lives of the locals? Learning the most commonly used Latvian slang words and phrases can significantly improve your chances of being involved in the community immediately.
Today, slangs are an essential part of any conversation in any language. Latvian slang words and phrases are weird expressions and sayings, helpful in all kinds of casual situations. Whether an experienced or a beginner or Latvian speaker, you want to improve your mastery of Latvian slang!
“Slang” refers to informal words that are usually not found in dictionaries. Well! many of these slang terms have multiple meanings, so you must understand and pay close attention to the context of the conversation to use them correctly. It makes it a good idea to practice your Latvian slang with friends before using Latvian slang with strangers!
Famous Latvian Slang Words (2020-2021)
Please read today’s post where we will talk about a comprehensive list (with their meanings), including those that can be used in daily conversation.
| Latvian Slang Words | English Meanings |
| kuce | Bitch |
| maize | Bread |
| Padauza | Slut |
| Arthur | Bear-like |
| Jūs (Latin word) | Right |
| Chill/chill out | Calm down |
| Chick | A girl or young woman. |
| Chicken | Coward |
| Wasted | Intoxicated |
You may also notice that many synonyms or related slang terms are offensive, sexist, racist, or downright appalling-this is mainly due to the lovely community on Urban Dictionary. Ling app crawls the web and collects millions of different slang terms, many of which come from the Urban Dictionary, and the results are awful and insensitive (I think this is the essence of urban slang). I hope that the synonyms related words and related words of “Baltic Latvian” are milder than average.
Latvian Slang Words And Phrases For Daily Speaking
Here are the new and some old Latvian slang words and phrases and their meanings below.
| Latvian Slang Words and Phrases | Slangs In English | Literal Meanings |
| Dīvāns | Couch potato | A lazy person |
| Chill | Chill | Relaxed or calm |
| Bumba | Bomb | Really good |
| Dinamīts | Dynamite | great, awesome |
| Stilīgs | Cheesy | cheap, outdated |
| Balīšu zvērs | Party animal | One who loves parties |
| Atpūsties | Hang out | spend time together in a place frequently |
| Nokaitināts | Pissed off | extremely annoyed |
| Ej bekot | Go pick mushrooms | Leave me alone |
| Atpūsties | Hang out | To spend time with others |
| Parādīties | Show up | Arrive at an event |
| Pūst pīlītes | To blow ducks. – Literal translation | To talk nonsense or to lie. |
| Tu esi zīmulis./ Zīmēties | You are a pencil. /To draw | You are a show-off. /To flaunt |
| Cūka ārā | Pig out | To eat a lot |
| Salaist grīstē | Screw up | To make a mistake |
| Tas iesūcās | It sucked | It was bad/poor quality. |
| Atviegloties | Lighten up | Relax |
| Bezmaksas | Freebie | Something free |
| Izvilkšana | Rip-off | A very overpriced purchase |
| Īsā laikā | In no time | Very soon. |
| Kas notiek? | What’s up? | Hey, what are you doing? |
| Mana vaina | My bad | My mistake |
| Ak mans Dievs! | Oh my God! | (Used to describe excitement or surprise) |
| Nekas sevišķš | No big deal | It’s not a problem. |
| Aukle | Babysitter | a bodyguard of someone |
| Nometiet ķermeni | Drop the Body | to die |
| Nāc uz lipīgu galu | Come To a Sticky End | dying in an unpleasant or extremely messy way |
| Pūā | In the Poo | in a lot of trouble |
| Iestrēdzis | Jammed Up | full of food or drink |
| Gaļas vagons | Meat Wagon | ambulance |
| Tvaiki | Vapors | a sickness or fainting spell |
| Vankers | Wanker | idiot |
| Yeaster | Yeaster | beer drinker |
| Lit | Lit | When something is perfect, enjoyable, or exciting, you can say it’s “lit.” |
| Galviņa/ grāvis. | Bail/ ditch. | Bail and ditch both mean to have to break or cancel the plans with someone |
| Nelec augstāk par savu dirsu | Don’t jump above your own ass | don’t overestimate yourself |
| Ne pisējs, ne karognesējs | Neither a fucker, nor a flagbearer | a shitty quality man or a man who can’t commit |
| miglu mērkaķis | fog monkey | strange person, idiot |
King Of Latvian Slang Word
While preparing to write the article, I read about “forši,” the king of Latvian slang. Today, its meaning is roughly the same as the English term “cool.”
The word “forši” was introduced into Latvian in the late 19th century. It comes from the German “Forsch” slang. This German word is also called slang, probably because it is the German version of the French word “force” with a similar meaning in the English language. Therefore, when it appears in Latvian, it is used to mean “brave,” “brisk,” “powerful,” “excellent,” “forcefully,” or splendidly.
Say Latvian Slang Like A Native
Remembering these Latvian slang words and phrases and their meanings will bring you closer to the locals and their pronunciation. Young people mostly use slang. So, you must be careful when using them, especially when talking to elderly or middle-aged Latvians.
It is impossible to learn Latvian essential words and phrases and other language structures only with textbooks! Listening to local speakers and understanding social references is key to making these slang words and phrases sound natural. You can also listen to these words in Latvian music, movies, and TV for better understanding. Don’t forget to imitate what you hear! In addition, Latvian videos are an excellent choice for building Latvian language vocabulary.
Master Yourself In Latvian With Ling App
We hope to find all the translations you need for Latvian slang words when we get to this part of the post. Also, to expand your vocabulary in this language or 60+ foreign languages such as Finnish and Czech, we highly recommend that you check out the Ling app.
Ling App is a free language learning application by Simya Solutions that guarantees you to transition from a beginner to a confident speaker. It is suitable for travelers and language enthusiasts and provides you with all the information you need about learning Latvian.
One Response
Good blog! Thanks! Still want to know what a couple of words mean that my wonderful mother-in-law,(including best pirag-maker),used to say when something or a situation was either wonderful or awful. In English I would spell it as ‘vie foosh !’ or ‘vy foosh !’ Anyone know? Maybe ask some very elderly folk. Would be 105 now if alive-bless her soul!