Do you want to learn some basic Latvian verbs and conjugations? If your answer is yes, then you are at the right place. From simple tenses to Latvian grammar, you will get to know a lot about the Latvian language.
Knowing a second language is very useful for your future. To work in a multinational company, some require bilinguals, and that’s how a second language might help you there. Also, you might be needing an excellent knowledge of a second language if you are moving to another country. So, if you are moving to Latvia or want to pursue a career in Latvia, you should know the Latvian language, including verbs in Latvian and conjugations.
Latvian, also called Lettish, is spoken in Latvia. Since 1918, it has been an official language there. It is related to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European family and is spoken by nearly 1.5 million people. If you want to learn this language, you can use the Ling app, a great language learning app.
Learn Latvian Verbs With Verb Conjugations In Three Simple Tenses
Latvian Grammar
To have a better grip on Latvian grammar, first, you have to study its basics. Latvian verbs, conjugations, adjectives, adverbs, and other additional terms are essential in learning this language.
Latvian Verbs
How to detect a verb in a tense? The answer to this question is straightforward. A verb is a word that does the action; it changes according to the tense in which it is used. Let us discuss some of the common Latvian verbs and their usage in different tenses.
Present Tense Verb (Pašlaik saspringts darbības vārds)
The present tense indicates that the action performs daily, and the state of current existence also indicates present tense. The verb changes for simple tenses as well as for present perfect tenses. Some of the present tenses and the present verbs used in it are as follows:
| Present Tense Verb | Latvian |
| I walk | ES eju |
| We walk | mēs ejam |
| He walks | viņš staigā |
| We speak | Mēs runājam |
| He speaks | viņš runā |
| I speak | ES runāju |
Past Tense Verb (Pastāvošs darbības vārds)
Past tenses show actions that are existed in the past. The verb used in past tense or past perfect tense changes accordingly. We can write the above verbs as following:
| Past Tense Verb | Latvian |
| I walked | ES staigāju |
| We walked | Mēs gājām |
| He walked | Viņš gāja |
| We spoke | Mēs runājām |
| He spoke | Viņš runāja |
| I spoke | Es runāju |
Future Tense Verb (Nākotnes saspringtais darbības vārds)
Future tense shows the action that is going to happen in the future. Verbs used in future tenses are shown in the following table:
| Future Tense Verb | Latvian |
| I will walk | Es staigāšu |
| We will walk | Mēs staigāsim |
| He will walk | Viņš staigās |
| We will speak | Mēs runāsim |
| He will speak | Viņš runās |
| I will speak | ES runāšu |
Verb Conjugation – List of Latvian Conjugate Verbs
Conjugation is the method to change a verb’s form to reflect tense, conditional mood, imperative or debitive mood or person, etc. In English, verbs alter depending on who they are used with (you, I, us) and when used at different times (now, later, before). Conjugate verbs mean transforming them into various forms to offer context.
| English Verb Sentences | Latvian Verb Sentences |
| They suggested a better plan. | Viņi ieteica labāku plānu. |
| What happened to his dog? | Kas notika ar viņa suni? |
| She heard the baby cry. | Viņa dzirdēja mazuļa raudāšanu. |
Latvian verbs are divided into three conjugations, namely, first, second and third conjugation.
- The first conjugation has all verbs in infinitive form with their compounds included.
- The second conjugation has verbs that have been derived from suffixes -aļā, -elē, -uļo -ā, -ē, -o, -ī, -alē, with lengthening syllables in present tenses.
- Verbs with suffixes -ī, -inā, -ē, and lengthening syllables in imperfect tenses make up the third conjugation.
Moreover, there are three irregular verbs in Latvian, including būt, iet, and dot. For verb conjugation, three base forms are used. These base forms include past stem, present stem, and infinitive stem. The imperfect tense is derived from the past stem, while all modes of the present stem except debitive, conditional, and imperative mood are derived from the present stem. Likewise, the present tense of conjugative mood, present tense of conditional mood, and future tense are derived from the infinitive stem.
Use Of Latvian Verbs In Active And Passive Voice
For better understanding, let us use Latvian verbs in the active and passive voice of the present stem.
| English Active Voice | Latvian Active Voice | English Passive Voice | Latvian Passive Voice |
| Teachers teach new students | Skolotāji māca jaunos studentus | New students are taught by teachers. | Jaunos studentus māca skolotāji. |
| They sell the fish | Viņi pārdod zivis | The fish is sold by them | Zivis viņi pārdod |
Some Common Latvian Verbs You should Know
Following are some basic Latvian verbs that might help you in the future:
| English Verbs | Latvian Verbs |
| happen | notikt |
| speak | runāt |
| sell | pārdot |
| develop | attīstīt |
| create | izveidot |
| hear | dzirdēt |
Learn Latvian With Ling App
I hope you now have a better understanding of Latvian grammar with simple tenses to conjugation verbs. But if you didn’t get enough information about the Latvian language, we suggest visiting Simya Solution’s Ling app. It is a language learning app that will help you to learn more about Latvian. With its spaced repetition games and writing tests, you will learn basic Latvian grammar quickly.
To explore more about the Latvian Language, you can read these blogs “Introducing Yourself in Latvian” and “Say sorry in Latvian.” Visit the Ling app today and learn more about your target language now!
