Teach Yourself Latvian

teachT yourself
latvian
tereze svilane bartholomew
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loti patikami nice to meet you you will learn some some common greetings and goodbyes, to say who you are, how to introduce someone, about asking questions and to talk about nationality vai jus runajat latviski?
do you speak Latvian?

you will learn more about introducing people to each other, to say which languages you speak, to say where you live and work and to exchange personal information iepazTsimies! let's get acquainted you will earn how to catch someone's attention or open a conversation, to ask for someone's name, address and telephone number, to spell something, to express incomprehension and ask for clarification and the numbers 1-20 mes dzivojam netalu no stacijas
we live not far from the station

you will learn to say where you are from, to find out where someone else is from, to talk about proximity, how to address
someone (Mr or Mrs) and more numbers: counting up to 100 05 T ir mana gimene this is my family you will learn to talk about members of the family, age, marital status, to ask how much or how many, to express having something and about parts of the body and how to describe people's appearance 64
06
naciet ciemos come and visit us you will learn the days of the week, about ordinal numbers, to describe where you live (rooms, furniture) and about accepting and declining invitations
86
07
labu estgribu! bon appetit! you will learn to order food and drink in a restaurant or bar, about requesting things, how to describe food and what is on the table and to say what you like or dislike about food or drink
106
08
ejam iepirkties! let's go shopping! you will learn about buying quantities of things, about buying clothing (asking about prices and sizes), to express necessity and to talk about likes and dislikes (not food)
128
09
cikos vi zvanlja?
at what time did he ring?

you will learn to talk about time, about making telephone calls and to make arrangements 10 taisni uz prieku straight ahead you will learn about travelling and transport, asking for directions, obtaining travel information and buying tickets
148
169
11
par naudu nevar nopirkt vesefibu
money can't buy health

you will earn to describe health problems, to buy medication from a pharmacy and about dealing with other services (hairdresser, bank, post office) 12 vai, cik skaisti! oh, how nice! you will learn about the weather and the seasons of the year, about festivals and personal celebrations, how to say dates (months and years) and to describe how you feel 13 pastastiet par sevi tell us about yourself you will earn to chat about your educational background, to talk about your work and profession, to chat about your hobbies and pastimes and to talk more about yourself 14 laimlgu ce|u! have a nice trip! you will learn about using the car, travelling around Latvia, a bit about history and more on dates key to the exercises Latvian-English glossary grammar reference talcing it further
190
211
237
262
286 294 318 328
Welcome to Teach Yourself Latvian. This book is intended for learners with no previous knowledge of Latvian. It can also be used as a refresher course for those who have some knowledge of Latvian, and wish to revise and consolidate their language skills. Many people have contributedboth directly and directly, to this book. I would like to thank, firstly, my students who, over the years, have taught me so much. In addition, a big thanks and acknowledgement is owed to various colleagues for their advice and encouragement, as well as to Helen Vick and Ginny Catmur at Teach Yourselfwithout whose support this project would not have been realized. Thanks also to my husband Martin.
General remarks about the Latvian language

Latvian is an unusual European language, sometimes described as archaic, because over time it has changed less than other languages. Formally, Latvian belongs to the IndoEuropean branch of languages, however the only other language that is really similar to it is Lithuanian. Beyond that - a p a r t from Slavic and German influences the next kin language is Sanskrit. There aren't many Latvian speakers in the world and it is always a pleasant surprise for Latvians to discover that a foreigner is making an effort to speak their language. The chief difference from English is the absence of articles: there is no a and no the in Latvian.
Nouns (words for things, ideas and people) have gender: they are either masculine or feminine. Only living creatures, however, are referred to as he or she. If you want to refer to a feminine noun such as iela (street), or a masculine noun such as galds able"), you will have to say ta for iela and or tas for galds (tas and ta can mean either that or it). The Latvian language makes use of casesthat is, the endings of nouns, pronouns, adjectives and numerals will change not only because they are masculine or feminine, but also because of their function, the way they are used in a sentence. Lastly, whilst in English there are different forms of the verb in the present tense (for exampleI eat and I am eating)^ in Latvian there is only the one form es edu. This one form of present tense in Latvian has both indefinite and continuous meanings: it can express I eat meat (generally I do - I am not a vegetarian) or I am eating meat fright nowor currently).
How to use this book

Read the introduction in English at the beginning of each dialogue before vou read or listen to the dialogue. The sections marked with Q are on the recording which accompanies the book. We strongly recommend that you use the recording alongside the book. The dialogues attempt to reflect the language as it is really spoken in various everyday situations. See how much you can understand without consulting the vocabulary, because it is useful to learn to deduce or to guess the meaning of what is being said from the context - as you build up your stepping stones' of words. Getting the gist of the conversation without necessarily understanding every single word is what actually happens when you are learning to use a foreign language in real life. Then study the dialogue. The word list after the dialogue gives the meanings of new words and the main phrases. If you cannot find a wora in the vocabulary box, it will be in the glossary at the back of the book. There are also language points explanations about the grammar and about the way the language works. Because of the differences between languages, some of the points may not be immediately obvious. Allow yourself time to absorb the information. It's natural for things to fall into place gradually.
The Let's practise' sections are for practising your speaking skills by reading out loud, and also for listening to the recording, if you have it. Any reading out loud is extremely b e n e f i c i a l - i t helps you get used to the sounds and will help your confidence with speaking and pronunciation. There are also exercises at the end of each unit. These may help you to consolidate your knowledge before you move on to the next unit. These are only suggestions. Everyone has their own completely unique way of learning.
Symbols and abbreviations

Q This indicates that the recording can be used for the following section. Q Information about the country or a particular theme
Abbreviations used in this book are: masc. or m. masculine, fem. or f. feminine, sing. singular, pi. plural acc. accusative, dat. dativegen. genitive, loc. locative imp.imperative, dim. diminutive, coll. colloquial.
The alphabet and pronunciation guide

The Latvian alphabet is similar to the English, but it differs in two respects: there is no qw, x or yand there are three sorts of diacritical marks or accents, which modify the sound of the letter they are on or under. We give examples of all these accented letters in Listen and practiselater in this section. The first accent is a horizontal line, which sits on top of the vowels a, eI, and n. It extends the vowel sound, and makes it longer. That's why sometimes it is called a long. The other two work only with consonants. One is a tiny v (called a jumti^s, or 'little roofin Latvian). This sits on top of the letters cs, and z and gives the consonant sound a kina of crunch chsh and zh. The other is like a comma. It sits underneath the letters k9 1,and 9 and above the letter g. The effect is similar to adding a y, so n sounds like the ny of cawyon. When this y sound is added the sound of the original letter is slightly changed. This will all become clearer in Listen and practise'.
present, as in She gave me a present and I will present you to my

friend and other examples.
The accents or diacritical marks are very significant, because by altering the sounds they can completely alter the meaning of the word. A typical example would be the word V19Swhich means he. Change a few accents to obtain vins, and now it means wine. Another example is the word for wedding kazas. Lose the accent (kazas) and, instead of talking about a wedding, you may find yourself talking about goatsl In fact the same thing happens in English, except it is harder because the change in pronunciation is not shown with a written accent think of
l r Xm t o c u c t i o n
Word stress
As a general rulestress is on the first syllable. However some of the first words you will be learning, such as greetings and thank you are exceptionswith the stress on the second syllable. Just remember that this is unusual.
Q Listen and practise

1
Latvian letter a a long b c c d
English equivalent sound like u, in cup as in aaagh
English Latvian example words meaning Anglija, galds mate, masa briti, brlis cilveks, cukurs 6etri, 5ipsi dividurvis
as ts' in rats like 'ch'
England, table mother, sister Brits (British people) brother person, sugar four, crisps two, door
e* e long* f 9 g h i i long j k k 1 1 m n
1)as 2) as 1)as 2) as
in in in in
bet cat air fan
as in gold
d+ y , as in dew as in sit
as in feet as in yellow as in king
es ledus est, mes tevs, dels fotografija, filma gramata, gads imenekuis hallo, hokejs Igaunija, istaba trfs, Tret ja, jGs kafija, kresls îploks, rekins labs, laiks |oti, bijete menesis, maja ne, nedeja ijemt, astoni ola, koks
/
ice to eatwe father, son photograph, book, year family, ship hello, hockey Estonia, room three, to rent / hire yes, you (plural) coffee, chair garlic, bill good, time / weather very, ticket month, house film
s introduction X
t+ y , as in
Tuesday
as in Latvia
T + y , as in
million
as in normal
no, week to take, eight egg, tree / wood waiter
0*
'n' + y , like in new 1)round, as

in whooa
2) open, like awe P r s rolled, like the Scots Y

as in soft
oktobris, oficiants October, pilseta, pul<e, puikstenis rits, restorans sieva, soma odien, sei teja, teatris un, upe, uguns udens, jura vakars, virs
town, clock
flower,
morning, restaurant wife, bag today, six tea, theatre and, river, fire water, sea evening, man / husband
t u u long v** z
like sh
as in full as in fool
as in zoo l zh\ as in
leisure
zale, ziema grass / hall, winter iurnals, bagaza magazine, luggage
^Note that the Latvian ee and o are pronounced in two different ways. There is no way of predicting the pronunciation of the different e and e sounds, but the pronunciation of o depends on the origin of the word. If it has come into Latvian from another language (words like oktobris o ficiants and fotografija, for example) it will have the open awe sound. T h e consonant v after vowels is pronounced like au, the word nav (isn't) will sound like nau, similarly divpadsmit (twelve) will be pronounced diupadsmit. Sometimes the combination dz and dz are treated as a single sound and presented as part of the alphabet: dz as in adds d as in badge dzivoklis, dzert, daudz
flat / apartment, much / many jungle to drink,
dzemperis, dzungji jumper,
Diphthongs
Diphthongs are combinations of vowel sounds: aiau, eii eui . There are lots of these open sounds in the language, which is probably why Latvians sing so much. You'll find that you need to use your jaw and lips a lot. fake your time and enjoy them.
Q Listen and practise

ai as in eye maize, gaisma, kaimins saule, nauda meita, veikals iela, diena, viens puisis
breadlight, neighbour
au like ow ei ie ui like ay like 'ea'

in idea
sun, money daughter, shop
street, day, one

youth, lad
like 00followed by 'ee'
Building up vocabulary
Try to learn new words as you meet them. In this way you can accumulate the building blocks you need to communicate, to get
the message across. Everyone has their own system of memorizing words. From the above pronunciation i l stfor exampleyou can put them into separate groupsli ke words to do with family, or foodor according to word type (such as verbs - doing words or action words). Write them on pieces of paper to create flashcards. These are handy as little reminders and for testing yourself. Build your own personal vocabulary list in a notebook or on the computer.
Watch those word endings!

When you learn a new word in Latvian you will be given it in its dictionary form, in the singular. This happens in English too: you won't find 'houses' in the dictionary; you'll find house There are three different types of masculine singular nouns in Latvian ones that end with an -san -is ormore rarely, -us. Although words like virs {man / husband)^ bralis (brother) and tirg^s {market) are all masculine nouns, they wil occasionally behave differently, i.e. their endings will change in different ways, not only between singular and plural forms, but also among the various cases. (These will be explained in more detail later on.) Note that nouns such as kaimins (neighbour)^ which end in a -s, behave as if they had an -s ending. There are also three different endings for feminine nouns. These too change between singular and plural forms, and in the different cases. The most common are -a and -ewith a handful of feminine nouns that end in an -s. So the words puke (flower), masa (sister) and nakts {night) are all feminine nouns. There are only very few feminine nouns that have this last ending -si n fact they could be considered to be exceptions, because far more usually this is a typical masculine noun ending. It may be a good idea to pay particular attention to these exceptions when you first come across them, so that you can remember them.
Vocabulary
All new words will always be listed in a vocabulary list, with the gender given (m. masculine, f. feminine, also pi.-plural). Anglija (f.) astopi bagaza (f.) bijete (f.)
England eight luggage ticket
bralis (m.) brother briti (m. pi.) Brits, British people detri four cilveks (m.) person dipsi (m. pi.) crisps cukurs (m.) sugar daudz much / many dels (m.) son diena (f.) day divi two divpadsmit twelve durvis (f. pi.) door dzemperis (m.) jumper dzert to drink dzTvoklis (m.) flat / apartment dungji (m. pi.) jungle AC I est to eat filma (f.) film fotografija (f.) photo gads (m.) year gaisma (f.) light galds (m.) table îmene (f.) family gramata (f.) book hallo hello hokejs (m.) hockey iela (f_) street Igaunija (f.) Estonia Tret to rent / hire istaba (f.) room ja yes jura (f.) sea jus you kafija (f.) coffee kaimin (m.) neighbour îploks (m.) garlic koks (m.) tree / wood kresls (m.) chair kuîs (m.) ship labs good (m.) laiks (m.) time / weather ledus (m.) ice |oti very maize (f.) bread
maja (f.) masa (f.) mate (f.) meita (f.) menesis (m.) mes muita (f.) nakts (f.) nauda (f.) nav ne nede|a (f.) nemt oficiants (m.) oktobris (m.) ola (f.) pilseta (f.) puisis (m.) puke (f.) puikstenis (m.) renins (m.) restorans (m.) rits (m.) saule (f.) sei sieva (f.) odien soma (f.) teatris (m.) teja (f_) tevs (m.) tirgus (m.) trls udens (m.) uguns (f.) un upe (f.) vakars (m.) veikals (m.) viens virs (m.) zale (f.) ziema (f.) zurnals (m.)
house sister mother daughter month we customs night money isn't no week to take waiter October egg town lad flower clock bill restaurant morning sun six wife today bag theatre tea father market three water fire and river evening shop one man or husband grass or hall winter magazine
Exercises
1 In amongst the pronunciation word list there were some numbers. Arran \em in the right order. Is it possible to count up to ten ich number(s) are missing? 2 The following are names of places in Latvia. Read and practise pronouncing them. If you can, read them out loud and get your facial muscles used to the new sounds - this will help increase your confidence. Riga Jelgava Ogre 3 Ventspils Jekabpils Daugavpils Sigulda Ainazi Ape Liepaja Bauska Rezekne Madona Tukums Cesis
Masculine or feminine? The following words are all nouns. By looking at the ending on the word, work out which ones are masculine and which ones are feminine. galds, gramata, avlze, zurnals, rits, vakars, diena, nedeja, menesis, gads, skapismaja, dzivoklis, kaimi^s, koks, pulê, zale, darzs, ola, veikals, tirgus, gimene, virs, sieva, bernsdels, meita, bralis, masa, automaslna, divritenis iela, cejs, pase automaTna (f.) avTze (f.) bems (m.)
ce| (m.)
car newspaper child

road
darzs (m.) divritenis (m.) pase (f-) skapis (m.)
garden bicycle passport cupboard
( U 4 Listen to, or read, these Latvian words, then match them to the pictures.
r d s v i s u s
iv y vi
i: u 0
vii kiploks VUl puJ
gramata kugis kresls
gal^led
nala A
Jaks
mo k
xii
IXxxi
oficiants
5 Listen to, or read, these Latvian words, then match them to the correct English translations in the right-hand column. i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi pilseta renins puikstenis restorans upe uguns udens jura vakars virs ziema zurnals bagaza maize saule nauda
) k
1 m
n
o
evening clock sea winter bill water magazine town man fire sun money bread restaurant baggage river
Odd one out. Read out loud the following groups of words and circle the one which doesn't belong with the others. daudz, est, dzert, êmt tevs, mate, puikstenis, masa cipsi, kugis, kiploks, maize galds, kresls, dels, durvis gads, soma, nedeja, menesis juraledus, upe, bralis teja, gimene, udens, kafija nauda, uguns, gaisma, saule zurnals, gramata, ola, filma rits, vakarsdi ena, kaimiris meita, pilseta, maja, iela zale, puke, cukurs, koks dzivoklisIret, istaba, ziema dzungji, oficiantsreki ns, restorans
a b c d e f 8h i jk I n n
o u nice0meety
l o t
r p a t k a T m
In this unit you will learn some common greetings and goodbyes to say who you are how to introduce someone about asking questions to talk about nationality
Dialogue 1
David has just arrived in Latvia. His friend and colleague Karlis has invited him to a party. David sees a woman standing on her own, so he walks up to her and introduces himself. David Ilze David llze David llze David Labvakar! Es esmu Deivids. Labvakar! IpOti patikami. Es esmu llze. Vinu? Alu? Sulu, ludzu. LGdzu. Paldies. Nav par ko. labvakar es esmu |oti patlkami vlns (m.)* alus (m.)* sula (f.)* ludzu paldies nav par ko
good evening 1 am pleased to meet you (lit. very pleasant, it's a pleasure) wine beer juice please thank you don't mention it
2 loti
p a t f k a m i 0 1
David brings her a glass of juice.
*See the note about word endings on p. 4.
Transcript
David llze
Good evening. I'm David. Good evening. Pleased to meet you (literally; very it's a pleasure). I am llze.
pleasant,
David Wine? Beer? llze Juiceplease. David There you are (literally; please). llze Thank you. David Dont mention it
Language points
Greeting people
The word for good evening, labvakar, is actually made up of two separate words: labs (good) and vakars {evening). Good day and good morning are labdien and labrit. There is no Latvian expression for good a f ternoonalthough there is a word for afternoon pecpusdiena (literally: after midday). Sveiki or sveicmati is a slightly less formal kind of greeting, but not as informal as the English hi. Often, friends will greet each other with a cau, which is similar to the Italian ciao\
Saying 'goodbye'
The most common way of saying goodbye is uz redzesanos. It literally means to when we see each other. Visu labu (all the best, literally: everything good) is also something that is said on departureas i s the more i nformal or familiar ata. A very casual greeting is cau, which can be said on leaving as well. Arlabvakar is a kind of goodbye which is said in the evening. Last thing at night you may hear an arlabunakti (good night).
Courtesy phrases
Ludzu most often means please, but it is also used when handing or offering things to people, as a there you are or you're welcome. Paldies is simoly thank you. If you want to thank someone very much, you say liels paldies a big thank you.
O Let's practise!
Read the following words out loud. Repeat them a few times until you feel comfortable saying them. Try to remember the meaning without looking at the explanations above. Labvakar! Labdien! Labrit! Sveiki! Sveicinati Cau! }oti patlkami Arlabvakar! Uz redzesanos! Visu labu! Arlabunakti! ludzu i pald es liels paldies nav par ko
Word endings tell us about their function

When David was offering a drink to Ilze, he said vinu and alu instead of the way it appeared in the vocabulary list (vins and alus). This is because in this particular situation where the wine and the beer he was offering was the direct object of the sentence - he had to put a different ending on the nouns because they have a parti cular function. We call this a case (the accusative casei n thi s example). Using different endings on words to express different cases is a typical feature of the Latvian language. We will continue to learn more about cases in the next chapters.
4 loti
p a t l k a m i O J
Dialogue 2
At the party Karlis is spotted by Mara who has met him before but she isn't sure of his name Mara Kaiiis Mara Karlis Karlis John Karlis Labvakar. Vai jus esat Karlis? Sveiki. Jes esmu Karlis. Un jQsIGdzu? Es esmu Mara. Mans vards ir Mara. Sis ir mans virs Dzons. ôti patlkami. Vai jus esat amerikanis? Ne, es neesmu amerikanis. Es esmu anglis. Mana sieva, protams, ir latviete. Mana sieva Laima ari ir latviete. Mes abi esam latviesi. Bet mans draugs Deivids ir skots. Tur vins ir. jus esat vai ja un mans, mana vards is ir amerikanis (m_) es neesmu anglis (m.) sieva (f.) protams ir latviete (f.)
Karlis turns to John.
you are (pi. or formal) question word yes and my (m f.) name this (m.) is an American (masc.) I am not an Englishman wife of course is a Latvian (fem.)
arl
also
mes esam
abi (m. pi.) d r a u g s (m.) s k o t s (m.) tur
we are
both friend a Scotsman there
vin
he
Transcript
Mara Karlis Mara Karlis Karlis John Karlis
Good evening. Are you Karlis? Hi. Yes, I'm Karlis. And you, please? I am Mara. My name is Mara. This is my husband John. Pleased to meet you. Are you [an] American No, I'm not American. I am English (literally: an Englishman), but my wife of course is a Latvian. My wife also is Latvian. We both are Latvians, but my friend David is a Scot There he is.
Language points
Persona pronouns
A pronoun i s a word that replaces a name or a noun. es tu viijs vina you (sing.) he she
mes jus viî viijas
you (pi. or formal) they (all male or mixed group) they (all female)
we
Tu and jus9 the two forms of you

As i n many other languages, there are two words for yow, the formal and the informal. Which form you use depends on who you are talking to. The singular and informal tu (you) is used when addressing a childa fri end or a member of the family. The plural or polite jus (you) is used not only for more than one person, but also when addressing strangers or adults who are not close rnends.
Doing something: using verbs or action words

Sometimes it is said that the motor of a language is its verbs the words which express an action or the process of doing something. Here is a table for the verb but to be: es esmu I am mes esam we are tu esi you are (sing.) jus esat you are (pi.) vi^s / vina ir he / she is vini / vinas ir they (m. 1 f.) are Did you notice that the he, she and they pronouns all use the same form of the verb (ir)? In this respect Latvian is different to English, where it changes: he is, they are. The he, she and they pronouns are often referred to as 'the third person'. You could almost call it the not me and not youform.
6 loti
l p a t k a i m
01
Not doing something - negating the verb

To form the negative of the verbaad ne- in front of it. This works for any verb in Latvian. Here it is in action with the verb to be: es neesmu I am not mes neesam we are not tu neesi you are not (sing.) jus neesat you are not (pi.) vi^s / vina / viiji / vinas nav he / she is not, they (m. / f.) are not There is one exception here (and it is the only such exception in the entire language!), it is the third person form nav, pronounced now. So varbut ir, varbut nav means maybe it is maybe it isn't. D a little about Latvia Latvia is one of the smaller states of the European Union. In size it is considerably larger than Denmark or the Netherlands, but slightly smaller than Ireland or the Czech Republic. With a total population of about 2.4 million, it is a highly centralized country, because almost 1 million inhabitants live in the capital city, Riga. The second largest city - Daugavpils - lies approximately 230 km to the southeast of Riga, and has a population of about 108,000. Since Latvia joined the EU in 2004, many tens of thousands have emigrated in search of better-paid employment, mostly to the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the Channel Islands. Geographically Latvia is largely flat: the highest mountain or, more precisely, hill (there isn't a separate word in the language for mountain) is the 312 m high Gaizin. There are many lakes, especially in the eastern part of the country. The chief river is the Daugava, which rises beyond the border with Belarus and flows into the Gulf of Riga by the capital city.
O Dialogue 3
At the party David and Ilze come over and join the group. David John David Kaiiis David Karlis Labvakar! Mani sauc Deivids. ir llze. IpOti patlkami. Es esmu Donsun si ir mana sieva Mara. O, Dons. JGs varbut esat anglis? Ja, vins ir anglis. JGs abi esat briti. Un Mara ir angliete? Ne, vina nav angliete. Vina ir latviete. llze un Mara vinas abas ir latvietes. mani sauc Tir varbut angliete (f.) briti (m. pi.) abas (f. pi.) latvietes (f. pi.)
I'm called this (f.) is perhapsmaybe Englishwoman British (people) both Latvians
7 loti
l p a t k a i m
Transcript
David John David Karlis
Good evening. I'm called David. This is llze. Pleased to meet you. I am John, and this is my wife Mara. Oh, John. Perhaps you are English? Yes, he's English. You both are British.
David
Kaiiis
And Mara is English?

No, she's not English. She is Latvian, both are Latvian. llze and Mara they
3 Let's practise!
es esmu ... sis ir Deivids silr Mara mani sauc sis ir mans virs si ir mana sieva mans vards ir sis ir mans bralis si ir mana masa sis lr mans draugs si ir mana gimene
Language points
More than one - forming the plural of
You already know the noun endings in the singular, and that there are three different endings for each gender. Forming the plural of masculine nouns endings are easy: they all end with an -i. More than one man (or husband) will be viri, more than one clock - pulksteni and a number of beers will be ali (but you don't hear this last one being said very much). virs puikstenis alus viri pulksteî ali
8 loti
p a t l k a m i O J
Take special note of masculine -is nouns. In the plural form the consonant before the -i ending is usually altered. divritenis menesis bralis latvietis skapis divriteni menesi brali latviesi skapji
Feminine plurals are also quite simple. For the ones that end in a vowel you just add an -s (pukes, masas). The unusual feminine nouns (those which end in an -s in the singulare.g. nakts (night)^ have the plural ending -is (naktis). There aren't many of these excepti onsbut they can be words which are used quite regularlyfor example another i s the word pils (castle). It often appears in Latvian place names, e.g. Ventspils, Jekabpils, Daugavpils. The formal place of work of the president of Latvia is Rigas pils (the castle of Riga). Compare: pulê masa nakts, pils pukes masas naktis, pilis
Nouns that exist only in the plural

Certain nouns exist in the plural form only. In English, for example, you can't talk about a trouser or a scissor you have to say trousers and scissors. There are quite a few of these 'plural-only' nouns in Latvian too. One you have already met is
the feminine plural noun durvis (it is as if you were talking about a pair of doors). In factyou can sti ll see a lot of these rather old fashi oned double-doors on unmodernized buildings in Riga, Ventspils and elsewhere in Latvia. The Latvian word for trousers is bikses, also a plural word, as is brilles (glasses or spectacles). By looking at the ending we can tell that it is a feminine word, like pukes. Another plural noun is the word for news zinas, like masas. Occasionally a noun in the plural may take on a different meaning. Maja means house, but in its plural form majas it has two possible meanings: it can be more than one house, or it may mean home. The meaning will be obvious from the context. Mealtimes brokastis (breakfast)^ pusdienas (lunch) vakarinas {evening meal) - are all feminine plural nouns. Another feminine plural noun was mentioned Introduction. It was the word for weaatng kazas. pecpusdiena (f_) nakts (f.) pils (f.) bikses (f. pi.) brilles (f. pi.) maja (f.) zipas (f_) majas (f. pi.) brokastis (f. pi.) pusdienas (f. pi.) vakaripas (f. pi.) kazas (f. pi.)
afternoon night castle trousers glassesspectacles house news houses, home breakfast lunch dinner wedding
9 loti
p a f r k i i o
and the
in
Q Asking questions
As in English, you can generally ask questions by raising the pitch of your voice: Un jus? And you? More frequently, questions begin with question words:
Kas tas ir?
Kas jus esat?
Who (or what) are you?
What is that?
Simple statements can be turned into questions by putting the question word vai at the beginning: Vai jus esat Dzons? Are you Johnf This only works for questions which can be answered with a yes or a no. For examplei f you wanted to check whether John is English, you would say:
10lotg p i a i0 m
J
V a i m o n s i r a n g l i s ?
On the other hand, the following question could be answered in many ways: Kas Dzons irr Dzons ir anglis. Dzons ir brits. Dzons ir virs. Dzons ir arsts.
1 i t e r a l l y :
Who (what) is John? John is English. John is a man. John is a doctor.
John is British (literally: a British person).
Nationalities
Normally there is for nationality a male version and a female versionas well as their plural forms. When talking about a mixed group of people, or when we don't know what gender they are, it is usual to use the masculine plural form. Male
a Latvian an English person an American a Canadian an Irish person a Scots person a Welsh person a British person an Australian
Female latviete angliete amerikaniete kanadiete iriete skotiete velsiete

-
Collectively latviesi ang|i amerikani kanadiesi iri skoti velsiesi briti australiesi
latvietis anglis amerikanis kanadietis Irs skots velsietis brits australietis
australiete
Exercises
^ J 1 What form of greeting would you use at the following times of day
l l 1 1 o t i p a t k i
0 1
2 What would you say to a Latvian when you were leaving? What would you say late or last thing at night? 3 Here is a list of people. All names in Latvian are given masculine and feminine endings. Even foreign names are written phonetically (or 'Latvianized'). Some of the following are English names which have been Latvianized. Listen to the recording or read the names out loud, and add the relevant Latvian pronoun according to whether the name is masculine or feminine, for example: Fiona Deivids a b c d e f Laima Mara Naidzels Karlis Millija Carlzs Viâ ir Fiona. Vins ir Deivids.
ga
Use the correct question word (Vai or Kas "?) at the beginning of each of the following questions: a Are you KarltsT = jus esat Karlisr tas ir? jus esat latviesi? vina ir Mara? ta ir Ilze? vins lr? vins lr arsts?
b What is it? c Are you Latvian^ d Is she Mara? e Is that Ilze? f Who / what is he? g Is he [the / a] doctor?
Masculine or feminine? We have seen that some words that end in -is are masculine (singular), others are feminine (plural). See if you can remember which is which from the following list: teatris, divritenis, naktis, brokastis, durvis, puikstenis, dzivoklis, pilis What will be the plural form of these nouns? gramata, avize, zurnals, diena, nedela, menesis, gads, maja, kaimins, koks, puke, zale, gimene, berns, delsmei ta, bralis, masa, skapi smasi na, iela, pilseta, skots, brits, anglis, latvietis, latvi etepui si s, draugs Rearrange these mixed up sentences so that they make sense. a b c d e Deivids esmu es. Sauc mani Karlis. Mans Ilze vards ir. Sis mans ir virs. Ir sieva si mana.
8 You may find yourself in the following situations when in Latvia. Answer the following questions. a b c You have just walked into a hotel dining room to have breakfast. How would you greet your fellow diners? You have just been introduced to a Latvian. Tell the person that you are pleased to meet them, What would you ask someone to find out whether they are Latvian?
d e f 9 a b c d
Somebody has just done you a big favour. How do you express your thanks? You give the money for your purchase to the shop assistant. She says thank you. How do you respond? How would you tell someone that you are not Latvian? I am you (formal) are he is she is e f g h we are we aren't they (m.) are they (f.) are
13lotipatlkii
Write the Latvian for the following:
In this unit you will learn more about introducing people to each other to say which languages you speak to say where you live and work to exchange personal information
O Dialogue 1
Fiona is out with her children when she bumps into her new friend Zanewho is together with her colleague Karlis. Zane Fiona Kaiiis Fiona Kaiiis Fiona Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona Sveika, Fiona! Sis ir mans kolegis. Vai jGs esat pazistami? Ne, mes neesam pazlstami. Es esmu Fiona Brauna. A, jus esat Deivida sieva. ôti patlkami. Mani sauc Karlis Ozolins. Vai tie ir jGsu berni? Ja, sie ir mani berni. Tas ir Harijs un ta ir Millija. Vai vini runa latviski? Diemzel berni nernna latviski. Vini runa tikai angliski. Bet vini saprot diezgan daudz. Un jGs? Vai jGs runajat latviski? Ja, es mazliet runaju latviski. Es runaju latviski, angliski, krieviski un vaciski. JGs esat loti gudrs! ko s (m.) pazlstami tie jusu ie mani tas, ta viiî runa (runat) latviski diemzel tikai y\t)i saprot (saprast) diezgan jus runajat (runat) mazliet es runaju (runat) angliski krieviski vaciski gudrs
colleague acquainted those(they) your, yours these, (they) my that (m f.) they speak Latvian (language) unfortunately only they understand rather, quite you speak a little bit I speak English (language) Russian (language) German (language) clever
< a 1 5
l OS m n t t j a t
p atviski?o
Transcript
Zane
Rona
Hi Fiona. This is my colleague. Do you know each other? (Literally: Are you known to each other? or Are you acquainted?). No, we don't know each other. I am Fiona Brown.
Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona
Oh, you're David's wife. Pleased to meet you. I'm called Karlis Ozolins. Are those your children? Yes, these are my children. That's Harry and that's Milly. Do they speak English? Unfortunately, the children don't speak Latvian. They speak only English. But they understand quite a lot. And you? Do you speak Latvian? Vies, I speak a little bit of Latvian. I speak Latvian, English, Russian and German. You're very clever!
n j a t l a t v i s k i ? C P 16<a_. BM m t t l
Language points
$is un tas This and that' - demonstrative pronouns
When you are talking about this or that, or these or thoseyou are usi ng demonstrati ve pronouns. In Latvian these pronouns have masculine and feminine forms. For masculine people and things you use sis and tas. When talking about feminine people or things you say si and ta: is ir mans dels Harijs. 1 ir mana meita Millija. Vai tas ir jusu virs? Vai ta ir jusu sieva? is ir kresls. Tas ir galds. 1 ir bijete. T a ir pase. This is my son Harry. This is my daughter Milly. Is that your husband? Is that your wife? This is a chair. That is a table. This is a ticket That is a passport.
The corresponding plural forms are sie and tie (m.) and sis and tas (f.) Vai tie ir jusu berni? ie ir mani berni. is ir musu meitas. Tas ir manas draudzenes. Are they / those your children? These are my children. These are our daughters. Those are my (female) friends.
Latvian and Latvian

There are different ways of saying Latvian. A Latvian person is a latvietis (male) or a latviete (female). The Latvian people are latviesi. The Latvian language is latviesu valoda (literally, language of the Latvians).
When someone speaks Latvianhoweverthey are speaki ng i n the Latvian manner: latviski. That is why latviesi runa latviski, and angli runa angliski
17<a
(Latvians speak Latvian, English people speak English).
a s m n a a t atviski?oNa
Dialogue 2
Another friend, Mara, introduces Fiona to her friend Peteris. Mara Peteris Fiona Peteris Fiona Peteris Fiona Feteris Fiona Peteris Fiona Peteris Fiona Fiona, sis ir Peteris. Peteri, si ir Fiona Brauna. Labdien, Fiona.oti patikami. Vai jGs stradajat kopa? Ne, mes neesam koleges. Mes esam draudzenes. Vai jGs dzivojat Riga? Ja. Es esmu angliete, bet pasreiz mes dzivojam Latvija. Ak, ta. Kur jGs stradajat? Es nestradaju. Es vel studeju. Kur jQs studat? Londonas Universitate. Tatad jGs dzivojat Latvija un studejat Anglija? Ja, tiesi ta. Bet kapec tad jus dzivojat Riga? Tapec, ka mans virs Deivids strada Latvijas Banka. jus stradajat (stradat) koleê (f.) draudzene (f.) jOs dzivojat (dzlvot) pareiz vel es studeju (studt) Londonas Universitate tatad tiei ta kapc tapec ka Latvijas Banka
you work colleague friend you live at present, currently still 1 study at the University of London therefore, hence exactly so why because at the Bank of Latvia
Transcript
Mara Fionathis is Peteris. Peteri, this is Fiona Brown. Peteris Good dayFiona. Pleased to meet you. Do you together? Rona No, we're not colleagues. We are friends.
work
eteris iona eteris iona eteris iona eteris iona eteris iona
Do you live in Riga? Yes. I'm English, but currently we are living in Latvia. I see. Where do you work? I don't work, I'm still studying. Where are you studying? At the University of London. S o you're living in Latvia and studying in England? Yes, exactly (literally: just so). But then why are you living in Riga? Because my husband David is working at the Bank of Latvia.
< g jj os l a t v i s k i ? 18
Language points
Someone once said that the richness of the Latvian language is in the verbs'. There are many of them and it is worth spending a bit of time learning them by rote, especially the irregular ones. Regular verbs behave in a constant and predictable way. Irregular verbs don't conform to expected patterns. (In Unit 1 we learnt the irregular verb but.) For conveni encewe have arranged the regular verbs into three 'families'. Verbs which are in the same family behave in the same way and follow a set pattern. If you know how one verb of a particular family worksthen you can fi gure out how all the other verbs in the same family will behave. This way of classifying verbs is not what you would see in a formal Latvian grammar book: we are using it here as a learning tool, to make it easier to learn how the different verbs work. The first verb family we will call the runat family: runat (to speak) es runa-ju I speak tu runa you speak vins / vina / vini / viijas runa mes runa-jam we speak jus runa-jat you (pi) speak heshe, they (m,)they (f:) speak
The bit before the hyphen is called the stem of the verb, and the bits after, in boldare the endi ngs. These i nterchanges i n verb endings are called conjugati ons. The stem was obtained by dropping the last letter - the t - from the infinitive (or to ... form of the verb). In the vocabulary boxes this will be given in brackets. Dzivot (to live) and stradat (to work) are two verbs which follow the same pattern: if the first person singular is es runa-ju,
then for the other two verbs it is es dzivo-ju and es strada-ju, and so on. Many verbs belong to this family. Some others are: studet {to study), iret (to rent), celot (to travel)^ domat (to think), atkartot (to repeatspelet (to play, lidot (to fly), tulkot (to translate, jautat (to enquire)^ and lietot (to use).
Let's practise!
es dzivoju es runaju mes dzivojam mes runa jam es stradaju mes strada jam Kur jus dzivojat? Kur jus stradajat? Vai jus runajat angliski? Es nerunaju latviski.
O Of ships and sharks Latvia's coastal border extends 531 kilometres from the north by Estonia, down to Lithuania in the south. This extensive seaboard has been both a blessing and a curse. K has opened up possibilities for the earliest Latvian tribes to travel, yet at the same time it has made Latvia the target for foreign invaders seeking their window to the West'. The ancient Courlander tribes were not to be taken lightly, however. There is a church in Denmark with an inscription in runic writing: 'God protect us from the fearsome Courlanders.' Later on, intrepid inhabitants of the Duchy of Courland travelled as far abroad as Tobago and Western Gambia, setting up colonies in both countries. The inland sea of the Baltic can be a treacherous stretch of water. Apparently, the composer Richard Wagner wrote the tempestuous overture to his opera The Flying Dutchman after a stormy voyage across the Baltic Sea. He did work for a time in Riga, where today there is a street and a chamber concert hall named after him. A famous Englishman who experienced the foibles of the BaKic Sea (and the people that live around it) was Arthur Ransome, author of the Swallows and Amazons books for children. Having picked up his Latvian-built boat Racundra in Riga, he sailed around the Baltic and then went on to tell the tale of his
adventures in his book Racundra's
First Cruise.
Ransome's journey was later repeated, in the same boat but this time under a different name Annette IIby the mariner K. Adlard Coles. His book Close-Hauled is a seafaring classic. The actual identity of the yacht was not disclosed for some 30 years, because Ransome had sold her to Coles for a bargain sum of 200 guineas on the condition that Coles would not mention her original name in his book. Coles' yarn is a light-hearted story, despite the hardships of sea and weather that he and his wife endured. He also provides an amusing account of the steamship journey to Latvia and a fascinating description of Riga at the time. The exchange rate then was somewhat different to now: one English pound was worth 25 lats. In addition there were two currencies in circulation roubles as well - which called from some quick thinking when conducting financial transactions with the locals.
Dialogue 3
On her way to work in the morning Mara meets Fiona in the street. Mara Fiona Mara Fiona Mara Fiona Mara Fiona Labrit, Fiona. Ka iet? Paldies, labi. Kur Deivids? Darba, biroja? VarbGt vins pasreiz ce|o? Ne, Deivids ir majas. Sodien vins strada majas. Skaidrs. Un kur ir berni? Skola Anglija? Ne, berni nav skoia, vii ir tepat Latvija, brivdienas. Pasreiz vini ir jurmala kopa ar aukliti. Bnnisklgi! Sodien ir saulains laiks. Jasodien ir skaista diena. kaiet? labi darba (m.) varbut ce|o (cejot) majas (f. pi.) strada (stradat) skaidrs skola (f.) tepat
how are you? (literally: how's it going?) well at work perhaps he travels / he is travelling at home he works / is working clear at school right here
brlvdienas (f. pi.) jurmala (f.) kopa ar aukllte (f.) brIniI^Tgi odien saulains skaista
on holiday at the seaside together with nanny (diminutive word auklej wonderful today sunny beautiful
r 2 1 < Q ) j jo u n i j t t t lfi)tvwki->>OK^
of the
Transcript
Mara Fiona Mara Fiona Mara Fiona
Good morning, Fiona. How are you? Well, thank you. Where's David? At work, in the office? Perhaps he's travelling at the moment? No, David is at home. Today he's working at home. Right (literally: clear). And where are the children? At school in England? No, the children aren't at school, they are right here in Latvia, on holiday. Currently they are at the seaside together with (their) nanny. Wonderful! It's sunny weather today. Yes, it's a beautiful day today.
Mara Fiona
Language points
Cases
In many languages, when you change the ending of the noun, you alter the function of the word. This is what is known as a case. Each case has a question word that belongs to it. There are seven cases in Latvian, but five the nominative, locative, accusative, dative and genitive - are considered to be the main ones. The nominative is the standard form of the noun. In the dictionary, nouns always appear in the nominative case. In a sentence it is the subject noun or the main doer of an action, the 'who?' or what?i s acti ng or doi ng somethi ng. The locative expresses location: 'where?'. For example: Anglija (in England)^ darba (at work). Often the locative is
used to express when?(that i sthe wherei n ti me). For example, oktobri means in October, ziema means in winter and vakara is in the evening. The accusative is the direct object (or target) of the subject's action. It is the thing (or person) having an action carried out on it. For example, in the sentence vins dzer sulu (be + is drinking / drinks + juice), the he is the subject which is carrying out an action (drinking) on the juice. Therefore the juice is the direct object. We make that clear by putting it into the accusative case sulu. The dative is used for the indirect object of the sentence answering the question to whom?'or 'for whom?. We can see how it works in the sentence vins dod sulu araugam (he + gives + juice + to his friend), where the juice is the direct object and the friend is the indirect objecta ki nd of fi nal recipient on the recei vi ng end of thi ngs. The genitive expresses ownershi pthe 'whose' (sometimes also of whom' or of what'). It often coincides with words that in English have an apostrophe. For example, Fiona's children will be Fionas berni, and David's colleague will be Deivida kolegis. The other two cases are the vocative case and the instrumental case. The vocative is used when addressing a person directly. It works only with singular nouns, and is formed by dropping the ending of the nominative. This is particularly obvious with masculine names, for example Deividswhen di rectly addressed wi ll be Deivid!, likewise Peteris will be Peteri! The instrumental is basically the accusative in use with the preposition ar, meaning with.
^v a i
l l l j o sm n f j s . t v i s k _ ?o o a
Kur Where? the locative case

Nouns i n the locati ve case answer the question kur? (where?) so you don't need to use the prepositions in and, sometimes, at and on. For example, if someone is in the bank (banka), you use the word for bank with a locative case ending: banka. See how the endings change for each of the six types of nouns: Masculine darbs teatris tirgus darba teatri tirgu Feminine jurmala upe pils jurmala upe pill
Notice that nouns in the singular locative case always end with a long vowel. These endings are also used for proper names and place names of towns and countries. For example, if London is Londona, then in London will be Londona, in England will be Anglija and in Great Britain will be Lielbritanij^. There is only one locative ending -os for masculine nouns in the plural: veikali veikalos teatri teatros tirgi tirgos For feminine nouns in the plural, you add -s to the singular locative ending: brivdienas brivdienas upes upes pilis pilis Remember that the locative is also used to express where in time, effectively answering the question kad? [when?)^ as in oktobri, ziema or vakara.
M vtti
l j c s
l n t t j a t m
atviski?o
O Let's practise!
Mes esam Latvija. Vai jus dzivojat Riga? Mes dzivojam Anglija. Mans virs ir darba. Vms strada banka. Mana sieva ir brivdienas. Berni ir skola. Viî stude universitate.
A little about place names

In Latvian, some place names which normally appear as two words in English are run together into one word. Even the word for capital city is galvaspilseta, made up of two words: galva (head) and pilseta (town). Great Bri tai nfor examplei s known as Lielbritanija. Here are some more examples: Ziemellrija Dienvidafrika Dienvidamerika Ziemejamerika Vidusazija Vidusjura Northern Ireland South Africa South America North America Central Asia Mediterranean Sea
The United States of America remains as three words: Amerikas Savienotas Valstis (or ASV for short).
^v a i
jQs
Eiropas Karte A map of Europe
a t v i s k i ? mnjat -
Q N >
Exercises
1 Looking at the map above, say which countries the following capital cities are in. You'll need to use the locative case. a b c d e f Helsinki ir galvaspilseta ... ViJâ ir ... Tallina ir ... Londona ir ... Stokholma ir ... Minska ir ...
Reply to these questions in Latvian. We've done the first one for you. a b c d e f Vai Riga ir Somija? Vai Vai Vai Vai Vai Ne, Riga nav Somija. Riga ir Latvija.
Maskava ir Vacija? Oslo ir Polijar Berline ir Krievija? Varsava ir Latvija? Kopenhagena ir Angnjar
3 The following are all places or locations for things. Read the words out loud and / or listen to them on the recording. Then read them out loud once morebut thi s ti me put the words i nto the locati ve case. For example viesmca (hotel) will become viesmoi (in the hotel).
a b c d e f g
viesnica hotel parks park vestnieciba embassy ledusskapis refrigerator birojs office mezs forest aptieka pharmacy
h baseins i kafejnica j garaza k stadions 1 bars m[ k r o g s n gulta
swimming pool cafe garage stadium bar pub bed
l v a i jos r u n t t j a t l a t v _ s k i ?
Put the correct ending on the word in the brackets. Remember to use the locative. Nauda ir (banka). (Upe) ir kugis. Vai (kafejnlca) ir teja? (Darzs) ir pukes un zale. Pase un bijetes ir (soma). (Ledusskapis) ir tikai vins un alus. Vai valsts prezidents dzivo (pils)? Mes esam (krogs). (Gimene) ir astoni berni. Mana sieva strada (aptieka). (Ziema) (jura) ir ledus.
ab c d e f s h i jk
a Put together the following phrases by adding the correct form of sis / si (this, m. and f.) or tas / ta (that, m. and f.) to words you already know: i this ticket ii that tea iii that house iv this coffee v this chair vi that water vii that restaurant viii this bread ix this flat / apartment
b Now try the plurals sie / sis (these, m. and f.) or tie / tas
(those, m. and f.)
i these children iii those eggs ii those shops iv those flowers 6

a fa c d e f s h i
v these bags vi these photographs
How would you tell a Latvian speaker the following? You (sing.) are in the hotel. The hotel is not at the seaside. The hotel is in Riga. Your wife is at (in) the shop. She speaks a little Latvian. You (sing.) live in Latvia, but the family lives in England. Your husband is at work. He doesn't speak Latvian. The children are on holiday. You (pi.) don't live in Riga, you (pi.) are travelling.
Fill in the following verb table with the correct forms. es tu vin, a mes jus vvipas stradajam domajat stude runaju dzivo cejo
% vai
jos
a t v _ s k i ?o o mnj& l
l t e
t a t sg a e e c q u i d n
In this unit you will learn how to catch someone's attention or open a conversation to ask for someone's name, address and telephone number to spell something in Latvian to express incomprehension and ask for clarification numbers 1-20 to describe things
Dialogue
l i e p a z s i i e s ! m
David and Fiona have just arrived in Latvia and will live in a hotel until they move into their flat. They check in to the hotel. Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist Sakiet, IGdzukads ir jusu vards? Piedodiet, es nesaprotu. LGdzu, atkartojiet. Kads ir jGsu vards? Ka jus sauc? Ak ta, mans vards. David. Ka to raksta? De - a - ve - 1 - de. Paldies, un jusu sievas vards? Fiona. Ef - i - o - en - a. Paldies. Un kads ir jusu uzvards? Brown. Be er o dubultve - en. A, jus esat amerikanis? Ne, es esmu skots. No Skotijas? Ne, faktiski mes parasti dzivojam Anglija, Londona. 0jus dzivojat Anglija. Londona ir liela pilseta. Kada ir jusu adrese? Seit Latvija? Kaleju iela 5dzivoklis 4. Kads ir jGsu telefona numurs? Mans telefona numurs ir 2976 8731. Jusu pasi, ludzu. Ludzu. Pase ir joti veca. Mja, fotografija ari ... Nu, labi. Te ir pildspalva. Parakstiet eit, ludzu!
03
sakiet (saclt/teikt) kads vards Ka jus sauc? (saukt) Ka to raksta? (rakstlt) uzvards (m.) Skotija (f.) faktiski parasti liels, liela adrese (f.) eit (m.) iveca arl
say (imp.) what name What are you called? How does one write that? surname Scotland in fact usually large (m., f.) address here telephone number old (m f.) also
nu labi OK
te
2 9jepaNISimies!o."l
here
pildspalva (f.)
parakstiet (parakstit)
pen
sign (imp.)
Transcript
Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
Tell me, please, what is your name? Sorry, I don't understand. Please repeat What's your name? What are you called? Oh, my name. David. How is it spelt? (Literally: how does one write it?).
David
Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
D - a - v - i d.
Thank you, and your wife's name? Fiona. F - i - o - n - a . Thank you. And your surname Brown. B - r - o - w - n . Ah, you're American?
David
Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
No, I'm a Scot

From Scotland? No, actually we usually live in England, in London. Oh, you live in England. London is a big city. What is your address? Here in Latvia? Kaleju iela 5, flat 4. What is your telephone number? My telephone number is 2976 8731. Wheres your passport? Here you are. The passport is very old. Mmm, yes. The photo too ... OK. Here is a pen. Please sign here.
Language points
Saying the English alphabet the Latvian way
Although the letters w, x and y don't feature in the Latvian language, there are expressions for them in the phonetic alphabet. \ m Listen and repeat uve, dubultve, i ksi grekzet
a, becede, eefgaha, I, je, k a , el, em, en, ope, kuer, es, te,
Opening a conversation
When Latvians wish to open up a conversation or to catch someone's attention, instead of saying 'excuse methey are more likely to say: Sakiet, ludzu! This literally means say! or tell (me)! The verb form used is the imperative mood. Although the imperative is often used to tell or ask someone to do something, and can be used for commands and i nstruct i onshere i t functions as a poli te request for some sort of response. The imperative was used when the recepti oni st asked David to sign the documents: Parakstiet sei tludzu!
30-epazfsimies!o
Numbers 1-20
You may already know some of these. First read and listen to the numbers, then see if you can count up to ten without looking. viens divi trls cetri pieci 6 7 8 9 10 sesi septirii astoîi deviiii desmit
Now practise counting from 10 to 20. fhe suffix -padsmit is like the English -teen, so in a way 11 becomes one-teen,12 - twoteen, and so on. That is why when Latvians talk about teenagers they will sometimes call them padsmitnieki. 11 12 13 14 15 vienpadsmit divpadsmit trispadsmit cetrpadsmit piecpadsmit sespadsmit septi^padsmit asto^padsmit devinpadsmit divdesmit
67 8 9 o 11112
The word for zero or nought is nulle. Numbers too have to match the noun in both gender and case. If the noun is masculine, then the number must be masculine as in viens gads, divi gadi {one year, two years). Likewise, feminine nouns have feminine numbers: viena diena, divas dienas (one daytwo days). The number three (tris) is an exception. It may change, but doesn't have to. At this stage it's probably simpler to leave it as it is. The numbers ending with a -t (the teens and the tens) don't change either, except when telling the time. We'll find out more about that later.
O Dialogue 2
Having completed formalities, the receptionist hands over the keys to David. Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Te ir jGsu atslegas. Jusu istaba ir tresaja stava. Kur, ludzu? Atvainojiet, es nesaprotu. Ludzu, lenak. Tre-sa-ja sta-va. Numur tris nulle devini. Tris nulle devini. Paldies. Kur ir lifts, ludzu? Tur, gaitena gala. Kur ir jGsu bagaza? Vai ta ir jusu soma? Ne, ta nav mGsu soma. MGsu bagaza ir tepat arat masina. Masinu jus varat atstat garaza, ja gribat. Paldies. atslega (f.) treaja stava (m.) numurs (m.) lifts (m.) tur gaitenis (m.) gals (m.) atstat ara ja
key on the third floor number lift there corridor end to leave outside if
Transcript
Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
Here are your keys. Your room is on the third floor. Where, please? Excuse me, I don't understand. More slowly, please. Thi-rd flo-or. Number three zero nine. Three zero nine. Thank you. Where's the lift? There, at the end of the corridor. Where is your luggage? Our luggage is right here outside, in the car. You may leave the car in the garage, if you want.
David
Thank you.
Language points
Expressing incomprehension and asking for clarification
If you want to apologize, you say piedodiet (sorry) or atvainojiet {excuse me). Es nesaprotu literally means I don't understand. You may want to ask someone to repeat something: ludzu atkartojiet, or to go more slowly: ludzu lenak (something which may come in handy in a taxi as well, because Latvian driving is notoriously fast, and some drivers in Riga seem to think that they are competing in Formula 1).If you simply wish to find out what something means, you may ask Ko tas nozime?
Q Let's practise!
Piedodiet! Atvainojiet! Ludzu lenak! Es nesaprotu. Ludzu atkartojiet! Ko tas nozlme?
Varet To be able' and other verbs

The second large family of verbs we will call the varet (to be able) family. They work (or are conjugated) differently to the runat family of verbs. es var-u tu var-i viijs, vina, vini, viijas var mes var-am jus var-at
The verbs gribet (to want) and drikstet (to be allowed) are also in this verb family. Here they are, written out in full. Compare with the above and see how the pattern works. es tu viijs, viâ, viî, viijas mes jus gribu gribi grib gribam gribat drikstu driksti drikst drikstam drikstat
Mans vai tavs? 'Mine or yours?' possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns express whosethat i s possessi on or ownership: mine, yours and so on. This is the type of pronoun you are using also when you say my name or your family. Often
it can replace a proper noun or name with an apostrophe: instead of John's friend, you can say his friend. These are the possessive pronouns:
3 3iepaN simies!p%
l l , ? o 5 1
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mans / mana {my, minem. / f.) tavs / tava (your, yours, m. / f.) viâ (his) viîas (her, hers) musu (our, ours) (your, yours) jusu (their, theirs) viiû (their, theirs) vinu
/V /V /IV
When together with a noun the possessive pronouns mans / mana and tavs / tava (or first and second person singular) follow whatever the noun is doing: whether it is masculine or feminine, singular or pluraland also whi ch case i t i s i n. We therefore can say that these possessive pronouns are always in agreement with the noun in gender, number and case. mans vards mana soma
/
This is not always obvious. mans alus my beer mana adrese my address mans pui ksteni s my watch manas bi kses my trousers
Hence mans and tavs change together with the noun, but they are the only ones to do so. This does not apply to the other possessive pronouns musu, jusu, vina, vi nas and vinu which resolutely i gnore the noun and stay as they are. Compare the followi ng: mana bagaza mans vards manas atslegas mans li etussargs mani oerni my my my my luggage but: musu bagaza name jusu vards keys i v na atslegas umbrella i v llas lietussargs my children i v nu berni our luggage your name his keys her umbrella their children
Dialogue 3
David has a few more questions for the receptionist of the hotel. David Receptionist David Sakiet, IGdzu, kur ir banka? Tepat viesnica, pirmaja stava. Vai banka tagad ir atverta?
e s m
s3 >
Bjusvi5f
\ /V /V /l\
s s >1a
my name my bag
mani dokumenti my documents manas atslegas my keys
Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
Ja, noteikti. Paldies. Vai viesnica ir bars? Ja, protams. Kur tas ir? Kur ir bars? Redziet tas gaismas? Tur. Vai bara drikst smeket? Ne, diemzel nedrikst. leksa smeket ir aizliegts. Smeket var tikai ara, darza. pirmaja stava tagad atverts, atverta noteikti redziet (redzet) tur smelcet eka aizliegts
on the first floor now open (m., f.) definitely see (imp.) there to smoke inside forbidden
e p a z f s i i e s ! m i
Transcript
David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist David Receptionist
Tell me please, where is the bank? Right here in the hotel, on the first floor. Is the bank open now? Yes, definitely. Thank you. Is there a bar in the hotel? Yes, of course. Where is it? See those lights? There. Is one allowed to smoke in the bar? No, unfortunately it is not allowed. It is forbidden to smoke inside. (One) can only smoke outside, in the garden.
Language points
Varet To be ablegribet to want, drikstet to be allowed
These three verbs are parti cularly handy because you can use them together wi th other verbs (in the infinitive) without having to know how they work in detail, that is how they are conjugated:
Vai drikst smeket? Es gribu est. Es negribu dzert. Jus varat atstat. Here some other examples: Vai jus gribat sedet? Vai jus arl gribat nakt? Vai drikstu ienakt? Es gribu iet. Es nevaru gulet.
Is (one) allowed to smokef I want to eat. I don't want to drink. You can leave.
Do you want to sit? Do you want to come too? May I come in? I want to go. I cannot sleep. (sedet to sit) (nakt to come) (ienakt to come in) (iet to go) (gulet to sleep)
Other verbs, even ones in the same family such as dzirdet (to hear) and redzet (to see)cannot be used i n the same way as varet, gri bet and dri kstet.
O Latvians and f l o w e r s Latvians have a special relationship with flowers. Flowers or ziedi -literally meaning blossoms are given on just about any occasiorv, to men as well as to women: flowers when invited to dinner, for a name day (varda diena), for a birthday (dzimanas diena), for any anniversary (jubileja), and no concert ends without the musicians muziî getting some ziedi. Riga may be one of the only cities in the world to have 24-hour flower shops (ziedu saloni). Those who have a garden (darzs) will be very proud of it. Those who don't have a darzs may make up for its absence with telpaugi (indoor plants). Even the most unprepossessing public buildings can house spectacular jungles of telpaugilovingly tended by the darbinieki (employees) themselves or by the apkopeja (cleaning lady). It is customary to give flowers in bunches of odd numbers. Even numbers are only for beres (funerals), so don't give anyone a dozen red roses (11 is preferable).
Dialogue 4
David and Fiona are out with some local rriends. They are at a restaurant, and have just had dinner.
David Draugi Draugi David Draugi David Fiona Draugi Fiona Draugi David
Garslgas vakarinas. Sis ir labs restorans. Ja, restorans ir dargs, bet labs. Kada ir jusu viesnica? Skaista, erta, moderna ... Un istaba? Kada ir jusu istaba? Ja, ari laba.iela, saulaina ... bet... Bet es nevaru gulet. Kapec? Cieta gulta? Ne, gulta ir miksta un erta, bet... ara liels troksnis - cilveki, maslnas, tramvaji, satiksme... Bet jusu viesnica tacu ir klusa iela? Nakti ne. Blakus ir iru krogs. gargsgarga dargs, darga labs, laba ertserta modemsmoderna saulains, saulaina ciets, cieta mlksts, miksta troksnis (m.) tramvajs (m.) satiksme (f_) tadu kluss, klusa blakus
tasty (m.t f.) expensive (m.f f.) good (m., f.) comfortable (m.f f.) modern (m.f f.) sunny (m f.) hard (m.f.) soft (m f.) noise tram traffic (tag word) quiet (m.f f.) next to, beside
i e p a N I S i i e s ! 0 3 6 m
The friends want to find out all about their hotel.
Transcript
David Draugi
Tasty dinner. This is a good restaurant Yes, the restaurant is expensive, but good.
Draugi David Draugi David
What fs your hotel like? Beautiful, comfortable, modern ... And your room? What's your room like? Yes, that's good too. Large, comfortable
but
Fiona
Draugi
But I cannot sleep.

Why? Hard bed?
Fiona Draugi David
No, the bed is soft and comfortable, but... there's lots of noise outside: people, carstrams, traffic ... But your hotel is in a quiet streetisn't it? Not at night Next (door) there's an Irish pub.
MQ i e p a N I S i i e s & m
Language points
Kads? What? What kind of?
Kads is a question word which literally means what kind of / type of / sort of Often i t i s used for aski ng what's it like?: Kads laiks sodien? What's the weather like today? However, someti mesas i n the di alogue, i t i s used i n places where you would si mply use what i n English: Kads ir jusu vards? What's your name? Kads changes to match the thing or person which it is asking about: vards, numurs are masculine Kads ir jusu vards? What's your name? Kads ir jusu telefona numurs? What's your telephone number? adreseviesnica are feminine Kada ir jusu adrese? Whafs your address? Kada ir jusu viesnica? What's your hotel (like)? This question word changes not only with genderbut also wi th number and case. That means i t wi ll have a di fferent endi ng so as to match nouns i n the plural or nouns i n di fferent cases.
Q Let's practise!
Kads ir jusu vards? Kads ir jusu uzvards? Kads ir jusu dzivoklis? Kada ir jusu adrese? Kads ir jusu telefona numurs? Kada ir jusu viesnica? ir?
Describing things: Kads tas ir? Kada ta useful adjectives
Adjectives are words that descri be nouns: an interesting booka small porti on, a large cheque, a tall tree and so on.
In the previous dialogue there was a tasty dinner, a good but expensive restaurant, the hotel room was beautiful, comfortable, modern, the room was large and sunny, and the bed was soft and comfortable. Here are some of the more commonly used adjectives:
38iepaNISimies!oop
gars / Iss (tall / short)
vecs / jauns {old / young)
skaists / negllts (beautiful / ugly)
The adjective jauns can mean either young or new. The adjective gars also has two different meanings: it can mean long (gara iela a long street, gars vi lci ens a long train) or tall (gars virietis tall man, gara meitene tall girl).
Adjectives always agree

Like the possessive pronouns mans and tavs, adjectives always agree with the noun they are attached toor are describing. Here are some examples: Londona ir skaista pilseta. London is a beautiful town. Viija ir skaista meitene. She is a beautiful girl. Rundale ir skaista pils. In Rundale there is a beautiful castle. A vital point to remember is that although in the nominative there are three different feminine noun endings (-a, -eand -s)
there is only the one ending for a singular feminine adjective (-a). So even if you have pilset-a, meiten-e or pil-s, the adjective with a feminine nominative noun will always be skaist-a. Similarly, there is only the one nominative masculine ending for adjectives (-s). Hence it will be liels virs, liels kugis, liels tirgns. The 'adjectives always agree(AAA) principle also applies to nouns in the plural: Parka ir skaistas pulses. Parka ir lieli koki. In the park (there) are In the park (there) are large trees.
e p a z f s _ i e s ! o o m i
beautiful flowers.
And in different cases, here in the locati ve Viesnica i r klusa iela. The hotel is in a quiet street. Mes dzlvojam maza maja. We live in a small house. Mes dzivojam liela dzlvokli. We live in a large flat.
Krasas Colours
sarkans oranzs dzeltens za}s zils violets
red orange yellow green blue violet
bruns melns baits peleks roza
brown black white grey pink
When asking about colour, although the locative case is used: Kada krasa? (In what colour?)^ the tendency is to answer in the nominative.
her
So if the question is: Kada krasa ir vinas mati? (What colour is hair?)and the answer i s brown, the answer wi ll be bruni (the bruni referring to the mati (hair)).
Just as an adjective that describes the noun is always the same gender, number and case as the noun, colours also agree with the noun: sarkans abols oranzs apelsins dzeltens dzintars za{as lapas zilas acis bruni mati violetas vinogas peleki makoî red apple orange orange yellow amber green leaves blue eyes brown hair purple grapes grey clouds sarkana pildspalva oranza aprikoze dzeltena saule za)a zale zila jura bruna govs violets krekls pelekas peles red pen orange apricot yellow sun green grass blue sea brown cow purple shirt grey mice
40
melns lietussargs black umbrella baits sniegs white snow
melnas usas baltas bikses
black moustache / whiskers white trousers
Because the word roza does not have a typical ending, it does not change to match the the noun it is describing. roza sampanietis pink champagne roza vaigi pink cheeks To modify colour adjectives you use the adverbs gaisi (light) (literally: lightly) and tumsi (dark) (literally: darkly).
D Dialogue 5
Ilze is at an art gallery together with her colleague Karlis. llze Ta ir skaista glezna. lespaidlga. Man |oti patik krasas. Skaties - peleki makoni, dzeltena saule, baits ledus. Interesanta gaisma. Ka to gleznu sauc? Ezers ziema. Mmmm ... es domdju, ka ta glezna ir mazliet garlaiclga. Man labak patik i. Skaties - ir vakars. Svecu gaisma. Uz galda vaze baltas lilijas, sarkans abols un pudele vina. Romantiska glezna... glezna (f.) iespaidfgsiespaidiga man oti patlk (patikt) krasa (f.) skaties (skatlties) interesants, interesanta ezers (m.) garlaiclgs, garlaiclga svece (f ) vaze (f _) lilija (f.) abols (m.) pudele (f.) vlns (m.) romantisks, romantiska
painting impressive (m.f f.) 1 like very much colour watch, look (imp.) interesting (m.f f.) lake boring (m.f f.) candle vase lily apple bottle wine romantic (m.f f.)
Karlis llze Karlis
Transcript
llze
Karlis
That's a beautiful painting. Impressive. colours. Look grey clouds, yellow Interesting light What is the painting called?
I really like the sun, white ice.
r J I
llze
Karlis
Lake in Winter.
Mmm ... I think that that painting is a little boring. I prefer (lit I like better) this one. Look - evening. Candlelight On the tablewhite lilies in a vase, a red apple and a bottle of wine. A romantic painting.
Exercises
1 Write down the following numbers as figures. a b c d e a b c d e f g septini cetrpadsmit divdesmit pieci septinpadsmit viens + tris = septini cetri = piecpadsmit + divi = divpadsmit + astoni = divi + sesi = astoripadsmit pi eci = vienpadsmit - devini = g devini cetri trispadsmit desmit vienpadsmit
Can you do these sums?
3 Listen to the telephone numbers of the following and write them down in figures. a b c d e f g h RestoransStaburags (Restaurant Staburags) Bernu slimnica (Children's Hospital) Rigas taksometru parks (Riga Taxi Depot) Nacionalais teatris (National Theatre) Skonto stadions (Skonto Stadium) Valsts opera (State Opera) Kafejnica PIrags" [Cafe Pirdgs) Lielbritanijas vestnieciba (British Embassy)
4
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Which possessive pronoun would you use when talking about the following? a b c d e f g h i j k 1 your your your your your your your your your your your your name house street money flat keys chair luggage children map passport address m n o p q r s t u v our car the i r (m.) flat his children their (f.) keys his house her map our street his chair their (mixed group) passports your (pi.) money
Remember adjectives always agree. How would you say the following in Latvian? a {bad) laiks b (boring) gramata c (beautiful) darzs d (interesting) cilveks e (old) fotografija f (new) automasina g (good) kaimiîi h (large) dzivoklis i (long) iela j (tall) koks k {short) bikses 1 ( s m a l l ) berni m (sunny) diena
Circle the correct form of the verbthat i s the one whi ch belongs to the pronoun. a es varu / varat / vararn b vi i js i gr bam / gri bu / gri b c mes i dr kstat / dri kstam / dri kstu d vi i jas var / varu / varat e jus i dr kst / dri kstat / dri kstam f tu i gr bat / gri b / gri bi
How would you say the following to someone?

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I don't want to eat. Do you want to drink? Where is the bar? May I? May we go?
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b Dialogue
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Language points
Ka? 'Whose?' the genitive case
There are many uses of the genitive case. Here are some of them: 1 The genitive case is another way to express possessi on ownership or belongi ng. It i s often used where i n English you would use an apostrophe: Deivida darbs Ilzes bralis Laimas soma bernu skola 2 Brivlbas i ela Teatra i ela Kaleju iela Doma laukums David's work / job Ilze's brother Laimas bag the children's school from from from from briviba f ( reedom) teatris {theatre) kaleji {blacksmiths) Doms (cathedral)
^ 4 n o s t a c i j a
l l l L 6 e sd z v o j t t e t t t u m m n
It i s used in names of Latvian streets and squares:
If you are in Riga, look around you at the street names. The names are all in the genitive case! 3 It is used where in English you would use of: Londonas Universitate Rigas karte pasaules karte Latvijas Banka 4 University oj London map of Riga map of the world Bank of Latvia
It is used where in English the use of an apostrophe or the word o , would be logical, but is not done in practice: telefona numurs masinas atslegas makslas muzejs
dzivokja durvis
telephone car keys art gallery

apartment
number
door
It is also used to describe what things are made of: koka galds adas soma zelta auskari apelslnu sula wooden table (literally: table of wood) leather bag golden earrings orange juice (literally: juice of oranges)
Note that the noun i n the geni ti ve always precedes the word (noun) that i t i s descr ib i ng or attr i butable to. Once the relationship has been establi shed, the geni ti ve does not change, but the noun that i t descri bes may change i n casegender or number Vai si i r Bri vlbas i ela? Is this Brivlbas iela? Mes dzi vojam Bri vlbas i ela. We live in Brwibas iela. Tas i r Bri vlbas pi emi nekli s. That is the Freedom Monument. The functi on of the geni ti ve i s often very close to the adjecti ve, so someti mes the relevant questi on word could be kads? Kada sula? What kind of juice? Apels i nu sula. Orange juice.
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Genitive noun endings

The possessi ve pronouns vi nas (her), vi na (his) and vi nu (their) (see previ ous uni t) gi ve some clues as to what geni ti ve case endings are li kely to be. In the si ngular: Masculine i i Fem n ne her, hers - vi âs Fiona's Fionas Ilze's - Dzes his - vi i ja David's - Dei vi da Kdrlis's Karja
The excepti ons are masculi ne -us endi ng nouns (e.g. ledus, alus, tirgus) and femi ni ne -s endi ng nouns (e.g. nakts, pi ls, valsts), which remai n the same as the nomi nati ve. You often see this in compound words or particular word combinations. ledusskapis refrigerator alus glaze beer glass tirgus laukums market square naktsklubs nightclub pilskalns castle mound valsts galva head of state
In the plural, there is only the one ending, -ufor both masculi ne and femi ni ne geni ti ve nouns: apelsini (nom. m.) apelslnu sula pusdienas (nom. f.) pusd i enu lai ks (lunch time)
Here it is in table form: Nominative Singular masculine vir-s bral-is tirg-us siev-a meiten-e pil-s vir-i bra|-i tirg-i siev-as meiten-es pil-is vir-a bra|-a tirg-us siev-as meiten-es pil-s vir-u braj-u tirg-u siev-u meiten-u piu Genitive
430 stacijttM C J .
l L 8 id N I V O j a e t a u mn
feminine
Plural masculine
feminine
When we looked at the plural form of nomi nati ve masculi ne nouns wi th an -i s ending, we saw that the consonant just before the end i ng changes (bra/ i s bra/i, pulkstems pulkstem, menesis - menesi , etc.). Formally this is known as palatali zati on. The same thi ng happens when we use the geni ti ve case: bra/i s bra/a, skapi s skapja. With masculi ne plural words i n the geni ti ve the consonant change has already happened, so no more changes are necessary bra/i bra/u, latvi esi -latvi esu and so on. We see these i n acti on when we talk about latvi esu valoda - the Latvian language or about the famous War Cemetery just outside Ri ga, Bralu kapi .
How to address people

Surnames in Latvian are given masculine and feminine endings. Even foreign names are written phonetically (or Latvi ani zed see Unit 1). The words for Mr and Mrs are kungs and kundze. Unli ke many other languages, these come after the surname. In addi ti on, the surname i s i n the geni ti ve case.
So Mrs Fiona Brown (or Fiona Brauna i n Latvianized form) will be called Braunas kundze and Mr Davi d Brown (or Dei vi ds Braun^) wi ll be Brauna kungs. The Brown fami ly collecti vely will be known as the Brauni or the Braun^ gi mene. Unless known to be marri ed, the Latvi an equi valent of Miss jaunkundze i s used only for women up to the age of 30 or so. Older women wi ll all be addressed as kundze, regardless of whether they are marri ed or not.
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O Dialog ue 2
The hotel receptionist meets a guest from England. She is always interested in her guests and likes to have a chat.
Receptionist Nigel White Receptionist Nigel White Receptionist A, Vaita kungs, jus esat no Anglijas. Vai no Londonas? Ja, es esmu no Londonas. Es dzivoju Londonas centra, netalu no Trafalgara laukuma. Mans bralis ari dzivo Anglija. Vins dzivo pie draudzenes, Braitona. Ja? Vai viris stude Anglija? Ne, vins strada slavena restorana. Tas ir visdargakais restorans Londona. Vins ir tabs pavars. Londona ir daudzi labi restorani. Bet es parasti edu majas. Kur ir Braitona? Vai ta ir talu no Londonas? Braitona ir Anglijas dienvidos pie juras, apmeram 52 (piecdesmit divas) judzes no Londonas.
Nigel White Receptionist Nigel White
centrs (m.) netalu laukums (m.) slavens, slavena visdargakais pavars (m.( es edu (est( talu dienvidos (m. pi.( pie apmeram jOdze (f.(
centre not far squareplace famous (m.f f.) the most expensive chef I eat far in the south by, at about, approximately mile
50 O < D i | | 3 I,
Transcript
Receptionist Nigel White Receptionist Nigel White Receptionist Nigel White Receptionist Nigel White
Ah, so you're from England. From London? Vies, we're from London. I live in the centre of London, not far from Trafalgar Square. My brother also lives in England. He lives with his girlfriend (lit at his girlfriend's) in Brighton. Vies? Is he studying in England? No, he works in a famous restaurant It's the most expensive restaurant in London. He's a good chef. There are many good restaurants in London, but I usually eat at home. Where's Brighton? Is that far from London? Brighton is in the south of England by the sea, about 52 miles from London.
Language points
D Numbers up to 100
You already know how to count to 20. After that, it is simple just li ke i n English: 21 is divdesmit viens, 22 is divdesmit divi and so on. 21 22 23 24 25 divdesmit divdesmit divdesmit divdesmit divdesmit viens divi trls cetri pieci 26 27 28 29 divdesmit divdesmit divdesmit divdesmit sesi septini astoni devini
Just like 20 is divdesmit, or literally two tens, so the other tens follow the same pattern (one hundred of course has a word of its own): trlsdesmit cetrdesmit piecdesmit sesaesmit 70 80 90 100 septi^desmit astondesmit devindesmit simts
oo o o 34 5 6
99 red balloons = devindesmit devmi sarkani baloni
The power of the preposition

When preposi ti ons are used together wi th nouns, the nouns change case. It i s sai d that the preposition governs the noun. With the preposition no (f rom)9 a singular noun i s always in the genitive case. no Londonas (nom. Londona) no bi ro j a no Pari zes (nom. Pari ze) no teatra (nom. bi rojs) (nom. teatri s)
l l A I s d z v o j t t e t t t u 1m T mn 53o s t f i ) c j j Q
Another preposi ti on that takes the geni ti ve case i s pie. Thi s has two meani ngs: i t can mean by pie juras pie parka by the sea by the park (nom. jura) (nom. parks)
> ( 0 c s
Or i t can have a meani ng si mi lar to the French chez, i .e. at the house o f someone or with someone: pie draudzenes pie arsta uz (on) at (a) girlf riend's at the doctor's (nom. draudzene) (nom. arsts) on the table / on the street behind the park / behind the opera without sugar / without milk under the tree / under the bed above the apartment / above the house
Other preposi ti ons whi ch take the geni ti ve are as follows: uz galda / uz ielas aiz {behind) aiz skapja / aiz operas bez (without) bez cukura / bez piena zem (under) zem koka / zem gultas virs (above) virs dzivokja / virs majas
Q Dialog ue 3
l e sd N I V O J a e t a u m mn n o s t a c i j t t c o G ^ l
At a company party, Lai ma wants t o fi nd out more about David. She's heard a lot about hi m from her husband Karli s, but n o w she wants t o f i nd out for herself and also t o gi ve hi m a chance t o practi se hi s Latvi an. Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima No kurienes jus esat? Kuriene? Es nesaprotu. Kas tas ir - kuriene Es esmu no Rigas, no Latvijas. No kurienes jGs esat? No kuras vietas? Es esmu no Skotijas. Ak ta, no Skotijas. No kuras pilstas? Es esmu no Glazgovas, bet tagad musu gimenes majas ir Londona. Vai jusu virs Karlis ari ir no Rigas? Ne, vins nav ridzinieks, vins ir no Daugavpils. Mana vira gimene tevs, mate, bra|i visi dzivo Daugavpill. Atvainojiet, ka es nezinu, bet kur ir Daugavpils? Diezgan talu no Rigas - Latvijas austrumos, netalu no Lietuvas robeas. Vai ta ir liela pilseta? Ja, Daugavpils ir otra lielaka pilseta Latvija. Sakiet, kas tur ir? Tur ir Daugavas upe, veikali, cietoksnis un makslas muzejs. Gleznotajs Marks Rotko ir dzimis Daugavpill.
kur, kura vieta (f.( ka nezinu (zinat( austrumos (m. pi.( robeia (f.( otra lielaka cietoksnis (m.( maksla (f.( muzejs (m.( gleznotajs (m.(
which (m., f.) place that 1 don't know in the east border second largest fortress art gallery painter
Transcript
Laima David Laima
Where are you from? Kuriene? I don't understand. What's that, kuriene I am from Riga, from Latvia. Where are you from? From which place?
David Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima David Laima
I m from Scotland. Oh I see, from Scotland. From which town? l,m from Glasgow, but now our family home is in London. Is your husband Karlis also from Riga? No, he's not a Rigan, he's from Daugavpils. M y husband's family father, mother, brothers - all live in Daugavpils. Pardon me that I don't know, but where is Daugavpils? Rather far from Riga _ in the east of Latvia, not far from Lithuania's border. Is it a large town? Yes, Daugavpils is the second largest town in Latvia. Tell me, what do you have there? What's there? There's the River Daugava, shops, a fortress and an art gallery. The artist Mark Rothko was born in Daugavpils.
l l z v o j t t e t i u T msd mn n o s t a c i j t t o ) d
Language points
KurS? Which?
The question word kurs? (masculine form) means which f Like the question word kads, this too changes according to gender number and case. When used together wi th the preposi ti on no, the word kurs or kura also takes on geni ti ve case endi ngs (no kumno kuras). This i s how i t works: Kura pi lseta? (nominative) + no pilsetas No kuras pilsetas?
Which town?
from town
(no + genitive)
From which town?
Kuriene, turiene un Sejiene and jhere' as a place
Wherethere
(no + which + genitive)
When the questi on word kur i s used together wi th a preposi ti on (from or to), i t becomes a ki nd of unnamed place and behaves like a noun, hence no kuri enes. From here as a place i s no sejienes^ si mi larly f rom there wi ll be no turi enes.
There are always exceptions - the unusualnouns

In Latvi an, as you knowmasculi ne nouns i n the nomi nati ve singular have three types of endings: -s (-s), -is and -us. There are only a few words wi th the latter endi ng:
ledus lietus klepus
ice i t rgus rain i v dus cough
market middle
alus medus
beer honey
i s dNTVOJam n e t s u n o stacija C H
Feminine nouns also have three possi ble endi ngs: -a, -e and -s. T h e thi rd endi ng i s not very prevalent, but appears i n some commonly-used words: pils acs govs pllts
castle eye cow stove
valsts auss zivs
state ear fish
nakts sirds krasns
night heart oven
It helps t o learn and practi se these. N o t e that i n the si ngular these all retai n the same form both for the nomi nati ve and the geni ti ve case.
O Latvian revolutionaries The notion of 'hot-headed Latvian' seems a contradiction in terms, but over the centuries there has been a fair number of Latvians passionate about a cause, including the riflemen who fought to protect Lenin at the Winter Palace in 1917. In the early twentieth century, when Latvia was under the rule of Tsarist Russia, supporters of left-wing ideas were forced to seek refuge outside the country in Switzerland, Norway and elsewhere. The debate and distribution of sympathies amongst Latvian writers of the time about the 1905 revolution is the subject of a separate essay, although it was not only intellectuals who supported revolutionary causes, naturally. More often than not, these political refugees ended up in England. The activities of East European revolutionaries in London has been the theme of several fictional works, notably Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent and more recently, Ken Follett's The Man from Leningrad. The tales of the colourful exploits and adventures of Latvian revolutionaries are not all fiction, however. In the book Latviesi Lielbritanija (Latvians in Great Britain) various authors describe some of the more visible rebels not all of them rogues - who populated London in the early years of the last century. Perhaps the most prominent is Peter the Painter, who figured in the socalled Siege of Sidney Street in London's East End. Peter the Painter aka Peter Piatkow may not be a personality other Latvians would be most proud of, nevertheless his escapade certainly hit the headlines in 1911and even involved Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary in Lloyd-Georqe's government.
O Dialog ue 4
J o h n has been i nvi ted t o a football match. H e i s on the way to the stadi um, but i sn't qui te sure where i t i s, so he asks a passer-by. ohn asser-by ohn asser-by ohn ohn Sakiet, ludzu, vai jus zinat kur ir Skonto stadions? Diemel es nezinu. Es neesmu no sejienes. Es neesmu vietejais. Es esmu no Zviedrijas. Es ari esmu arzemnieks. Kura viesnica jGs dzivojat? Es nedzivoju viesnica, es dzivoju pie drauga Saulkrastos. Bet tas ir talu no sejienes. Ne, ne parak talu. Ar vilcienu 30 minGtes. Mana drauga maja ir tuvu pie dzelzceja stacijas. Bet kur jGs dzivojat? Mes dzivojam veca dzivokli Teatra iela, Rigas centra aiz kanala, netalu no operas. Vai jGs zinat, kur tas ir? Ja, es zinu. Vai tas ir jusu dzrvoklis? Ne, tas ir mGsu draugu dzivoklis. Ziema vini dzivo laukos. Kas notiek Skonto stadiona? Futbola macs? Ne, ledus hokejs. Ledus hokeja spele. jOs zinat (zinat) ejiene (f.) vietejais (m.) arzemnieks (m.) parak minute (f.) tuvu dzelzce| (m.) stacija (f_) kanals (m.) lauki (m. pi.) Kas notiek? futbols (m.) mads (m.) ledus hokejs (m.) spele (f.)
53o s t f i ) c i j f i ) o > C 4
5mes
l l a d I O J V ^ N e t t t u^ mn
ohn asser-by ohn
you know here, this place (see note) local foreigner too, overly minute near railway station canal countryside What's happening? football match (coll.) ice hockey match, game
Transcript
John Passer-by
Tell me, please, where is the Skonto stadium? Unfortunately, I don't know. I'm not from here. I'm not a local. I'm from Sweden.
ohn asser-by ohn asser-by ohn
I'm a foreigner too. Which hotel are you staying (lit living) in? I'm not living at a hotel, I'm living at my friend's in Saulkrasti. But that's a long way away from here. No, not too far. Thirty minutes by train. My friend's house is near the railway station. But where are you living? We're living in an old apartment in Teatra iela, in the centre of Riga behind the canal, not far from the opera. Do you know where that is? Yes, I do know. Is it your flat? No, it's our friends' flat In the winter they live in the country. What's happening at the Skonto stadium? A football match? No, ice hockey. It's an ice hockey match.
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Language points
'Plural-only' nouns and the locative case
Some 'plural-only' nouns that you have already seen are: durvis (door), bikses (trousersbr i lles (spectacles), i z âs (news) brokastis (breakf ast, pusd i enas (lunch), vakari âs {dinner) and kazas [wedding). These are all feminine. If you want to say that you are at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner or at a weddingyou use the locati ve: brokastis pusdienas vakarinas kazas at break f ast at lunch at dinner at a I the wedding
The poi nts of the compass or di recti ons are also plural nouns but they are mascul i ne: z i emel i (north)^ d i env id i (south)^ austrumi (east) and ri etumi (west). Just as in Englishnortheast wi ll be expresed as zi emelaustrumi , northwest i s zi emejri etumi southeast i s di envi daustrumi and southwest i s di envi dri etumi . To express that somethi ng i s in a certai n di recti on, the locati ve case i s used. Hence in the south wi ll be di envi dos, in the north ziemelos, in the southeast w i ll be di envi daustrumos and so on.
ziemeli
' l o sd z < o j a m m
netttllu31^ n o s t a c i j t t c o C J .
rietumi
austrumi
dienvidi
Similarly the word for countryside i s lauki , another masculi ne plural noun, and i f somethi ng i s in the countryside, or si mply country^ you say laukos. Mes dzi vojam pi lseta, bet musu draugi dzi vo laukos. We live in town, but our f riends live in the country.
Tuvu un talu Near and far

Very often the adverbs near (tuvu) and far (talu) wi ll be placed with the preposi ti ons by (pi e) and from (no): tuvu pi e and talu no. Thi s i ndi cates whether i t i s near or far i n relati on to something else: tuvu pie staci jas near the station netalu no operas not f ar f rom the opera talu no seji enes f ar f rom here If you want to know whether somethi ng i s near or far i n a general sense you can say: Vai tas i r tuvu? Vai tas i r talu? Is it near? Is it f ar?
Let's practise!
tuvu pi e talu no Vai tas i r tuvu? Vai tas i r talu? tuvu pie staci jas talu no staci jas tuvu pie Doma laukuma talu no Doma laukuma
tuvu pie parka talu no pilsetas
tuvu pie juras talu no darba
l ^ e t a u^ msdNIVOjttm n n o s t a c i j o ) M c ^ *
Zinat to knowlasft to read' and other verbs

The thi rd large family of verbs could be called the zinat ormore conveniently, (so that we don't mi x them up wi th the runat family) the lasi t fami ly of verbs: es zi n-u, las-u mes zi n-am, las-am tu zi n-i , las-i jus zi n -at, las -at vii^s / vi na / viiji / vinas zi n-alas-a This group i ncludes often-used verbs such as stasti t (to tell or to relate"), dari t (to do), rakst i t (to write), ga id i t (to wait), and meginat (to try). There are many verbs i n thi s fami ly. Some more are zvani t (to ring, p i ezvan i t (to call up, parad i t (to show)^ skai ti t (to count), sutit (to send), apskati t (to look at)9 mai ni t (to changeturp i nat (to continue) and atbalsti t (to support). It may not be practi cal to try to learn of these all at once. Howeverdo keep them for reference.
Dialog ue 5
Tija and Arvi ds have just arri ved i n Ri ga from Canada. They have had a long day, settli ng i nshoppi ng, vi si ti ng relati ves and friends. Ti ja i s now looki ng for her travel bag.
Tija Arvlds Tija Arvlds Kur ir mana adas ceja soma? Nezinu. Vai tu nevari atrast? Ne. Nav zem galda, nav uz gultas, nav aiz skapja. Baidos, ka varbGt to atstaju lidosta. Soma varetu but daudzas vietas: lidosta, pie tantes, dzelzceja stacija, Matisa tirgu, puku veikala, draugu dzivokll Kas tur ieksa? Soma? Viss: dienasgramata, saulesbrilles, kontaktlecas, lupu krasa, Rigas karte, latviesu valodas gramata, pildspalva, zobu birste, lietussargs, naktskrekls ... Naktskrekls ari? Ja, tu tacu zini ka ir, kad cilveks ce|o. Un kur ir pases un lidmasinas bijetes? Tas ir mana rokassoma. Naudas maks ari.
Tija
ArvTds Tija Arvlds Tija
Some minutes
later...
Tija Arvids Tija
Atradu! Kur bija? Vannas istaba!
l l C I s d N V O j a e t t t u 9m T D mn 5 30 s t a c i j t t
ada (f.( atrast baidos (baidfties( lidosta (f.( dzelzceja stacija (f.( dienasgramata (f.( saulesbrilles (f. pi.( kontaktlecas (f. pi.( lupu krasa (f.( karte (f.( naktskrekls (m.( lidmaTnas bijete (f.( rokassoma (f.( naudas maks (m.( atradu (atrast( Kur bija? (but( vanna (f.(
skin, also leather to find 1 fear at the airport at the railway station diary sunglasses contact lenses lipstick map nightdress plane ticket handbag purse, wallet 1 found (it) Where was it? bath
o ) C J
Transcript
Tija ArvTds Tija
ArvTds
Tija
ArvTds Tija ArvTds Tija

***
Wheres my leather travel bag? I don't know. Can't you find (it)? No. It's not under the table, it's not on the bed, it's not behind the wardrobe. I fear that perhaps I left it at the airport. The bag could be in many places: at the airport, at aunt's, at the railway station, at the M atisa market, in the flower shop, in our friends' flat What's inside it? In the bag? Everything: diary, sunglassescontact lenses, lipstick, a map of Riga, Latvian language book, pen, toothbrush, umbrella, nightdress... Nightdress too? Yes, you know how it is when a person travels. And where are the passports and plane tickets? Those are in my handbag. Purse also.
Tija
I found (it)!
ArvTds
Tija
Where was (it)?

In the bathroom!
SI ir Riga This is Riga

This i s a story about Ri ga. Fi rst read i t wi thout looki ng at the vocabulary li st, and see if you can work out the meanings of the words you don't know from the context. Latvijas galvaspilseta i r Riga. Riga i r sena pilseta. Ta i r di bi nata 1201. gada. Pasrei z Ri ga dz i vo gandri z 1 mi ljons c i lveku. Pilsetas centra i r skai sti parki un darzi operas namsvai raki teatri, uni versi tate, bi bli otekas, daudzas bazmcas, v i esnlcas, restorani un ari kanals. Rigas sirds ir Vecriga. Vecriga ir pilsetas vecaka dala. Ri ga atrodas Daugavas krasta. Pi e upes i r Ri gas pils. Ta i r Latvi jas valsts prezi denta darba vi eta. Ri ga atrodas tikai dazus ki lometrus no juras. Netalu no centra i r Rigas osta, dzelzcela staci ja un autoosta. Ai z staci jas i r ti rgus. Ri ga i r 7 kalni. Ri ga un tas apkartne i r ap 90 ezeru. sens, sena dibinat gandriz nams (m.( vairaki biblioteka (f.( baznlca (f.( da|a (f.) krasts (m.) atrodas (atrasties) kilometrs (m.) osta (f.) autoosta (f.) kalns (m.) apkartne (f.)
ancient (m.f f.) to establish almost house, building several library church part bank is located kilometre port coach or bus station hill surroundings
8 mes
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Exercises
1 Put the names in the brackets into the genitive case to complete the sentences. Example: Karla uzvards ir Ozolins. (Karlis) a b c d (Deivids) uzvards ir Brauns. (Fiona) virs ir Deivids. (Deivids) sievas vards ir Fiona, (Karlis) drauga vards ir Deivids.
Kads ir (Ilze) uzvards? Harijs ir (Millija) bralis. Millija ir. (Harijs) masa. Harijs un Millija ir (Fiona un Deivids) berni. Karlis ir (Laima) virs. 2 Match the written-out numbers in the left-hand column with the correct figure from the right-hand column. a b c d e f g h 3 septiîpadsmit deviiidesmit astoî divdesmit tris cetrdesmit sesi asto^padsmit divpadsmit septindesmit viens trlsdesmit pieci i ii iii iv v vi vii viii 71 18 12 35 46 98 23 17
l o s dNTVOjam n e f f i l u 3 ^ 1m M c t 6 nostacija
Comprehension. In the dialogues you have met a number of characters. Read or listen to the following statements and then say whether they are correct (pareizi) or wrong (nepareizi). If neither, then say we don't know (mes a b c d e f g h Deivids un Fiona ir virs un sieva. Pasreiz viiji abi dzivo Riga, Fiona strada viesnica. Laima daudz strada. Deivids ir skots. Karja sieva ir Dzeina. Deivida un Fionas berni dzivo Lietuva. Millija un Harijs ir gudri berni.
Practise using prepositions with the noun in the genitive case. Fiona Brauna ir no (Glazgova). Mes neesam no (sejiene). Es dzivoju pie (draugs). Drauga maja ir tuvu pie (stacija). Daugavpils ir talu no (Riga). Musu dzivoklis ir netalu no (opera). Dzivoklis ir aiz (kanals). Bijetes ir uz (galds). Soma ir zem (gulta). Pie (muzejs) ir parks.
a facd e ( s h i
5 You are in a social situation and are introduced to the following people. How would you address them? Example: Marta Rasupe Rasupes kundze a b c d e f g Mara Dzounsa Dzordzs Klunijs Fiona Brauna Nikola Kidmena Peteris Vilci^s Dzeks Tomsons Gundega Eglite h i j k 1 m n Ilze Baltina Dzeimss Bonds Dzermeina Grira Naidzels Vaits Deivids Brauns Karlis Ozolins Laima Ozoliija
The verbs zinat, lasit, rakstit, darit, meginat, gaidit are all in the same family. Give the correct form of the verb for each pronoun given? a b c d e f es (zinat) mes (meginat) vi^s (gaidit) jus (darit) viija (rakstit) tu (lasit)
Change the place names in the brackets to indicate where? Which part will be in the locative case? a b c d e f g h i j a b c d (Brivibas iela) ir daudzi veikali. Turisti ir (Rigas lidosta). (Matisa tirgus) ir aboli un apelsini. Deivids strada (Latvijas Banka). Fiona stude (Londonas Universitate). (Latvijas lauki) ir slikti ceji. (Doma laukums) ir laba kafejnica. Musu viesnica ir (Kaleju iela). Vi^s dzivo (draugu dzivoklis). Dzivoklis ir (Teatra iela). How would you ask someone for their telephone number in Latvian? How would you tell someone that you live not far from the station in Latvian? If asked Kads ir jusu uzvards?, what do they want to know? Someone tells you Es esmu arzemnieks. What does this mean?
Answer the following questions.
50 miles
N V O j a e t u T msd mn m n o s t a c i j t t M C 4
Here you have a map of Latvia. Look at the map and answer the questions about where some of the major towns are located. Example: Kur ir Bauska? Bauska atrodas Latvijas dienvidos. a b c d e Kur Kur Kur Kur Kur ir ir ir ir ir Rezekne? Valka? Kuldlga? Daugavpils? Aluksne?
In this unit you will learn to talk about members of the family, age and marital status to ask how much or how many to express the notion of having or possession about parts of the body and to describe people's appearance
D Dialogue 1
Ilze and Laima meet at the market. llze Laima llze Labdien! Ka jums iet? Paldies, labi. Un jums? Ka jums iet? Ari labi.
6 5 mana<srme3eocr
They are joined by Fiona.

Laima Fiona Laima Fiona Sveiki, ka klajas? Nu ta ... varetu bGt labak. Ka ta? Kapec? Kas vainas? Man sodien neiet. Virs ir arzemes. Berns ir slims. Masina ir autoservisa. Majas nav Gdens, nevaru iet ne dusa, ne vanna. Kaimins ir dusmlgs, tapec ka berns nakti raud. Un vel kakis pazudis. Man sap galva. Man nepatik si pilseta. Es domaju, ka jums sodien ir slikta diena.
Laima
How are you (faring)? could be better How's that? What's wrong? it's not going abroad (loc.) ill (m., f.) garage, service station, car mechanic iet dua to take a shower iet vanna to take a bath dusmlgs, dusmlga angry (m., f.) raud (raudat) is crying ka is (m.( cat pazudis lost man sap galva 1 have a headache man nepatlk 1 don't like jums ir you have /you're having
Ka klajas? varetu (varet) labak Ka ta? Kas vainas? neiet (iet) arzemes (f. pi.) slims, slima autoserviss (m.)
Transcript
Mze Laima llze
Good day. How are you? Well, thank you. And you? How are you? Also well.
Laima Fiona Laima Fiona
Laima
Hi, how are you? So so ... could be better. How's that? Why? What's wrong? Things aren't going for me today. (My) husband is abroad. (My) child is ill. (The) car is at the service station. There's no water in the house, so I cannot take a shower nor a bath. (My) neighbour is angry because my child is crying at night. And, moreover, the cat is lost I have a headache. I don't like this town. I think that you're having a bad day today.
g ir
:me3(Doo
Language points
Ka jums iet? Ka jums klajas? How
are you?
The expression for How are you? is Ka jums iet? or Ka jums klajas? (literally: How is it going for you?). Notice that here we are not using jus but jums. This is the pronoun in the dative case. In the answer, the pronoun will also be in the dative form: Man iet labi (For me it is going well). Here are all the personal pronouns in the dative case: man tev viijam vinai mums jums viijiem vinam me I tome I for me you / to you / for you him / to him / for him her us ... you... them ... (m.) them ... (f.)
You don't have to use the pronoun in your reply. If things are going well, you could say: pald i es lab i or v i ss kart i ba (everything is OK). Normali (normal) i s a neutral response. If things are not so good, you may si mply say nu ta (so so), varetu but labak (coma be better) or ne vi sai (not particularly well). If things are outri ght bad or poorlyyou would have to say sli kti .
Let's practise!
Ka jums i et? Ka jums klajas? Ka i et? Ka klajas? Ne vi sai . Normali. Paldies, labi . Viss karti ba. Nu ta Varetu but labak. Slikti.
K a ? 'Whose?' also How? The questi on word ka has two meani ngs: i t can mean whose f (and hence i s the questi on word for the geni ti ve case). It also means how?^ that i sthe manner of somethi ng bei ng done, so often the response to the questi on wi ll be an adverb: Ka jums i et? Labi . Ka vi na runa latvi ski ? Normali. Ka vi ns dzied? Sli kti . How are you going? Well, How does she speak Latvian? Alright, How does he sing? Badly.
Qimene The family

radi relatives bralens male cousin tante aunt brajameita niece masasmeita niece vecamate grandmother vecvecaki grandparents sievasmate mother-in-law znots son-in-law viramate mother-in-law vecaki maslca onkulis / tevocis masasdels brajadels vectevs mazberni sievastevs vedekla viratevs parents female cousin uncle nephew nephew grandfather grandchildren father-in-law daughter-in-law father-in-law
Dialog ue 2
David i s chatti ng t o a colleague he doesn't k n o w very well. Kolegis David Kolegis David Koleîs David Kolegis David Kolegis David Kolegis Vai jums ir liela gimene? Ne, es esmu vi enlgai s berns gi mene. Man ir divas masas un viens bralis. Vai vini ari dzivo Latvija? Ne, ne visi. Viena masa dzivo Amerika. Un kur dzi vo jusu vecakl? Mani vecaki dzivo Maskava. Krievija? Ko vini tur dara? Tevs nestrada. Vins ir pensija. Mate strada veikala. Vina ir pardeveja. Bet vini nedzivo kopa. Vini ir skirusies. Un kur dzivo jGsu parejie radi? Dai dzivo Latvija, citi dzivo Krievija. Vecvecaki vecamate un vectevs ir Krievija, bet bralis un jaunaka masa dzivo tepat Latvija. Vecaka masa dzivo Nujorka.
T
ir
istt<srm(Dneoo
vienlgais man ir dara (darlt( pensija pardeveja (f.( skTruies parejie jaunaka vecaka
the only 1 have is doing retired sales assistant divorced (pi.) the remaining the younger (f.) the elder (f.)
Transcript
Kolegis David Kole\is David Kole\is David Kole\is David Kolegis
David
Do you have a large family? No, I'm the only child. I have two sisters and one brother. Do they live in Latvia as well? No, not all (of them). One sister lives in America. And where do your parents live? M y parents live in M oscow. In Russia? What are they doing there? M y father doesn't work, he's retired. (M y) mother works in a shop. She is a sales assistant. But they don't live together. They are divorced. And where do the rest of your relatives live?
Koleîs
Some live in Latvia, others in Russia. The grandparents grandmother and grandfather are in Russia, but (my) brother and younger sister live right here in Latvia. (M y) elder sister lives in New York.
S9<2tmantt:m(Dn(D
Language points
Man ir To me is /1 have
There isn't a separate word for the verb to have in Latvian. Instead, ir (the third person form of the verb but to be) is used together with the pronounnoun or name i n the dati ve: man viijam / viai jums mums viijiem / vi nam I have (literally (to me is' or f or me is) he / she has you have we have they have (m f.).
Sometimes these are described as possessive structures. Note that the person who has is in the dative case, and the thing that the person has is in the nominative case: person (dative) man to me is
tr
thing in possession (nominative) nauda money or, i n standard English: I have money.
lr
O Let's practise!
man ir telefons viâm ir telefons mums ir telefons viijiem ir telefons tev ir telefons viijai lr telefons jums ir telefons viijam ir telefons
Mums visiem ir telefons. Zvanam draugiem! We all mue a telephone. Let's ring (our) friends! But what happens when you want be specific, and to say that David or Fiona has something? The names will also have to be in the dative case.
Kam? To whom? / For whom?' the dative case

Although i t i s used as shown before, the dati ve case i s most often used as the i ndi rect object, that i s the person or thi ng on the recei vi ng end of things, the to or for someone or somethi ng: Subject + verb (nominative) Vi a direct object (accusative) indirect object (dative)
70inarineoo
She
+ raksta
is writing
a letter
+ berniem
vestuli
to (her) friend.
+ vakariijas.
draugam.
The word order can vary: Mate
Mother
+ dod
gives
(to) the children
dinner.
The dative is in action also when we say for piemeram (piemers means example). These are the dative case endings in the singular: Masculine forms end in: Feminine forms end in: tevs tevam masa masai viijiem viijam teviem masam -am, -im, -um -ai, -ei,-ij
example
bralis bralim mate matei
tirgus tirgum pils pilij
The plural endings echo the pronoun endings: (brajiem, tirgiem) (matem, pillm)
Here it is in table form: Singular Nominative tevs Dative tevam Plural Nominative tevi Dative bra|i tirgi masas mates pilis teviem brajiem tirgiem masam matem pillm bralis tirgus masa mate pils Pilij bralim tirgum masai matei
So, to express the notion of having we say: Deividam ir jauna masina. David has a new car Fionai ir divi berni. Karlim ir dazas teatra bijetes. Ilzei ir labs darbs.
71nflttna:meneocr
Fiona has two children. Karlis has some theatre tickets. Ilze has a good job.
(lit. To David is new car).
It is very important to make the distinction between the nominative form (Deivids, Fion-a) and the dative form (Deivid-aw, Fion-î), because the meaning will change completely. The difference between being and having is not expressed by two different verbs, but by two different sentence structures. For example, Manai sievai ir veca soma means My wife has an old bag, but it would not be nice to say Mana sieva ir veca soma ...
Dialogue 3
Meanwhile, Fiona is having a conversation with the hairdresser. Friziere
Fiona Friziere Fiona
Vai jums ir berni?

Ja, man ir divi berni, dels un meita. Cik vecs ir jusu dels? Delam Harijam ir devirii gadi.
Friziere
Fiona Friziere
Cik veca ir jusu meita?
Vina ir jaunaka. Meitai ir cetri gadi. Millija ir vel maza. Musu gimene ir pieci berni. Mums ir ari kakis un suns. Jus drosi vien dzivojat laukos? Ne, mums ir mazs dzivoklitis pilsetas centra.
Fiona
Friziere
Septirji cilveki! Un vel divi dzivnieki! Vai jums ir liela maja?
Cik vecs / veca? jaunaka suns (m.) dzlvnieks (m.) droi vien dzlvoklltis (m.)
How old? (m f.) younger (f) dog animal probably flat, apartment (dim.)
Transcript
Friziere Fiona Friziere Fiona Friziere Fiona Friziere Fiona Friziere
72 ttfl)<9:m<Dne
Do you have children? Yes, I have two children, a son and a daughter. How old is your son? My son Harry is nine years old. How old is your daughter? She is younger. She is four. Milly is still small. There are five children in our family. We also have a cat and a dog. Seven people! And two animals as well! Do you have a large house? You probably live in the country? No, we have a small flat in the city centre.
Language points
Cik vecs / veca jus esat? How
old are you?
The simplest way to ask about age is Cik vecs jus esat?, literally How old are you? People will also say Cik jums ir gadu? meani ngli terally, How many years do you have? to whi ch you could reply: Man i r 21 gads. Man i r 18 gadu. I am 21 years old. (Literally: I have 21 years.) I am 18 years old.
Asking about someone else, you would say Ci k gadu i r Ilzei ? (literally, How many years does Ilze have?) or Ci k gadu i r Harijam? meani ng How many years does Harry have? Here are some possi ble responses: Viijai i r 24. She is 24. or Ilzei i r 24. Ilze is 24. Viâm i r devi i ji . He is 9. i Har jam i r devi ni . Harry is 9. An offi ci al may ask you a more formal questi on: Kads i r jusu vecums? (What is your age f ) or si mply Jusu vecums? (Your age?)
Cik? How much? / How many?

The question word cik is used when trying to find out about the amount, size or quantity: Cik vecs ir jusu dels? Cik liela ir jusu gimene? Cik talu? Cik tuvu? How old is your son? How big is your family? How far? How near?
For both countable and non-countable things you say: Cik daudz? Cik daudz naudas? Cik daudz cilveku? How much? / How many? How much money? How many people
1 ir
mmQ):m(Dnooo
You can also ask the ti meCi k pui ksteni s?, or the cost of something - Ci k maksa?
Let's practise!
Cik Cik Cik Cik vecs? talu? daudz? maksa? Cik veca? Cik tuvu? Cik pui ksteni s r
Matching the mans and the tavs

The possessi ve pronouns mans and tavs are decli ned and have the same endi ngs as nouns wi th the endi ngs -s (masculi ne) and -a (femi ni ne) i n the dati ve case: (masc.) nominative: mans tevs, mans brali s dative: (fem.) mana masa, nominative: mana mate manai masai , manai matei dative: Meitai lr ... Manai mei tai i r ... Manai mei tai Mi lnjai i r Delam i r ... Manam delam i r... Manam delam Harijam ir my sister, my mother for my / to my sister, mother Daughter has ... (or is if talking about age) My daughter has (is) ... My daughter Milly has (is) Son has ... (or is, if talking about age) My son has (is) My son Harry has (is)... manam tevam, manam brali m my f ather my brother for / to my f ather brother
Note that musu and jusu don't change together wi th the nouns in the same way: musu delam / musu meitai f or/to our son /for/to our daughter
74
CD
ffif
Vins ir vecaksvina ir jaunaka - He is older 'she is younger': comparative adjectives

When you say that someone i s olderor youngeror that something i s better or worseyou are compari ng thi ngs. Hence, you need to use the comparati ve form of the adjecti ve. The adject i ves always agree' pr i nc i ple appl i es also to comparative adject i ves. Thi s means that the endi ng of the comparative adjecti ve changes, dependi ng on the nouns that i t is descri bi ng or compari ng. (masc.) jauns jaunaks vecs vecaks (fem.) jauna jaunaka veca vecaka young younger old older
iO-
fi)
< D
CJ1
There are plural forms of the mascul i ne and fem in i ne comparative adjecti ves as well: jauni jaunaki veci vecaki jaunas jaunakas vecas vecakas young younger old older
You can create comparatives out of most adjectives by inserting the syllable ak-: labs labaks slikts sli ktaks laba labaka i sl kta sli ktaka good better bad worse
The superlati ve i s the most extreme degree of somethi ng: the greatestthe bestthe worst' and so on are all superlati ves of comparative adject i ves. Aga i nthese have d i fferent forms: masculine and femi ni ne, si ngular and plural: (m singular and plural) (fem., singular and plural) visjaunakais, visjaunakie visjaunaka, visjaunakas the youngest visvecakais, visvecakie visvecaka, visvecakas the oldest Skola sava klase Millija ir At school Milly is the youngest visjaunaka. in her class. Tas ir visdargakais It's the most expensive restorans Londona. restaurant in London. Tie ir mani vislabakie They are my best friends. draugi. Smiekli lr vislabakas zales. Laughter is the best medicine.
larger largest in all the nominative forms:

Masculine Singular Plural Feminine Singular Plural liel-a liel-as liel-aka liel-akas liel-s liel-i liel-aks liel-aki
The word liels means large. Here i s a table of the adjecti ves large vis -liel -akais vis -lie akie
75CA<J=!3fi> fi>oo
vis -liel -aka vis -liel -akis
When you want to say that sometn i ng i s (more than (something else), you use the conjuncti ons ka or neka
Millija ir jaunaka ka
(neka) Hari js.
Milly is younger than Harry. Harry is older than Milly.
Harijs ir vecaks ka (neka)

Millija.
Q T h e da/nas The dainas are unique to Baltic cultures, both Latvian and Lithuanian. These are deceptively simple four-line verses, which, like the Japanese haiku, have a very concentrated content. They describe not only all aspects of human life, but also nature in general: animals, the plant world and the seasons, as well as ancient mythological figures or deities and festivals. The number of these compact verses runs into hundreds of thousands, many volumes of them collected and written down by various researchers since the nineteenth century. Before that they were passed on through the generations by word of mouth. One of the volumes is a collection of Neratnas dainas (Naughty dainas) which includes dainas giving endearingly frank instructions to newly-weds. That is not to say that the ancient Latvians did not have any sort of moral code, in fact quite the opposite. A woman's virtue (as symbolized by the wreath-like headdress called vainags) was something to be cherished and protected. There are cautionary dainas about what happens when a woman stumbles and the vainags falls off. The dainas are difficult, some would say impossible, to translate into another language. But they do contain a certain essence of the psyche of Latvians in their world outlook.
Dialogue 4
An official needs t o obtain some personal details about Nigel and Gundega. H e starts with Nigel. Official Nigel Official Nigel Kur jGs esat dzimis? Es esmu dzimis Kraistcerca, Jaunzelande. Cik jums ir gadu? Man ir 37 gadi.
76^ 3 0 ) 3 3 < s r 0 3 0 o o
The official turns his attention to Gundega.

Official Gundega Official Gundega Official Nigel Gundega Official Gundega Kur jus esat dzimusi? Es esmu dzimusi Cesis, Latvija. Kads ir jGsu vecums? Man ir 25 gadi. Vai jus esat precejusies? Ne, mes neesam precejusies. Mes dzivojam kopa. Vins bija precejies. Bet tagad vins ir skiries. Vai jums ir berni? Ne, mums nav bernu. Naidzelam ir dels, bet viris dzivo pie mates. v e c u m s (m.) precejuies precejies
age married (pi.) married (m. sing.)
Transcript
Official Nigel Official Nigel
***
Where were you born? I was born in Christchurch, How old are you? I'm 37.
in New Zealand.
Official Gundega Official Gundega Official Nigel Gundega Official Gundega
Where were you born? I was born in Cesis, in Latvia. What is your age? I'm 25. Are you married? No we're not married. We are living together. He was married. But he's divorced now. Do you have children? No, we don't have children. Nigel has a son, but he lives with (his) mother.
Language points
T ir
Kads ir jusu gimenes stavoklis?

marital status?
What
is
your
:IYI(D3eoo
Kads ir jusu gimenes stavoklis? is a somewhat formal question, an official way of enquiring about someone's family situation. When asking whether someone is married, a different form is used depending on whether you are taking to a man or a woman: Vai jus esat precejies? Vai jus esat precejusies? Vai vini ir precejusies? Are you married? (to a man) Are you married^ (to a woman) Are they married?
The same endings are used for talking about divorce: Vi^s ir %Iries / Viâ ir %Irusies / Vini ir %Irusies. He / she / they are divorced. Different endings are used when speaking of births or deaths. These also change according to gender and number: Viijs lr dzimis / Viija ir dzimusi / Viî ir dzimusi / Viijas ir dzimusas. He / she / they (nu) were born / they (f.) were born. Vi^s ir miris / Vina ir mirusi / VLgi ir mirusi / Viijas ir mirusas. He / she / they (m.) died / they (f.) died, Mana mate ir dzimusi My mother was born in Latvija. Latvia. Mans tevs ir dzimis Anglija. My father was born in England. Even though in English you will say that I was born, the es esmu azimis, es esmu precejies, es esmu skiries, and vins ir miris are all actually a form of the perfect tensewhere the i r part i s what's known as the auxi li ary verb and the preceji es part i s the past parti ci ple. We wi ll learn more about the perfect tenses i n Unit 11. The auxiliary verb part is the one that changes i f you wish to say not married: Ne, v i inav precejusi es. Or that he was married: Viijs bija precejies. No they're not married.
Varetu but labak 'Could be better' - the
r 7 8 ! 3 3 3 3 s e n eoo m
conditional tense
Varetu means could and i s the verb varet i n the condi ti onal tense. We use this tense to express that we wish to, or we would or could do somethi ng i f i t were possi bleor under certai n circumstances. It i s very si mple to form: just add a -u endi ng to the i nfi ni ti ve form (runat, varet, lasi t) of the verb, i t i s also easy to use, as the one verb form appli es to all personse.g. es varetu, jus varetu, vins varetu I could, you couQ, he couia and so on. The same can be done wi th all other verbsalthough the meaning then becomes would ... do something, for example butu i s would be, runatu i s would speak and lasi tu i s would read: Ja vi ni varetu, vi ni atnaktu ci emos. Ja vi na varetu, vi i ja runatu latvi ski . If they could, they would come visiting. If she couldshe would speak Latvian. If I were president... If I had a million dollars ...
rmantr^r
dolaru ... Sovakar es gri betu est restorana.
With the verb gri bet (to want) the condi ti onal becomes gri betu (would li/ze) (li terally: would want). That i s why i t i s also used when we want to ask for somethi ng i n a poli te way: Tonight I would like to eat at a restaurant.
Abi labi
the word for
both
The word for both - aoi behaves as i f i t were an adjecti ve: i t agrees wi th the noun i t i s descri bi ng. Abi and abas agree wi th the noun, not only i n gender and number too, but also throughout the vari ous cases: Man i r di vi deli . Abi em i r sesi gadi . Vi ni i r dvlni . I have two sons. Both are six years old. They are twins. Man i r di vas mei tas. Abam i r gari blondi mati . I have two daughters. Both have long blonde hair. The words dazi (some)^ ci ti (others) and vi si {everyone or all) follow the same pattern. Daudz [many or much) is slightly different, as it can be either countable or non-countable.
a n a < s : e n e S 2 f m 7 9 m
plecs krutis roka roka / plauksta
celis
o o
kajas pirksts
peda
vaigs ausis zods
galva mati ausis seja: acis, degunsmute, zobi, lupas, vaigi zods kakis veders mugura rokas kajas pirksti nagi usas barda
head hair ears face: eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, lips, cheeks chin neck or throat stomach back arms legs fingers nails whiskers beard
Dialogue 5
Ilze asks her friend Elita about a young m a n she thinks Elita may k n o w . llze Elita llze Elita llze ita Tu esi no Bauskas. Vai tu pazlsti Ojaru Vilcinu? No Bauskas? Nezinu. Es aubos. Kads vin izskatas? Vi ir gars, apmeram 1 m 90 (metrs devindesmit). Vinam ir Isi, brGni mati un zajas acis. ôti izskatlgs virietis. Kur vi strada? Pec profesijas vins ir jurists, strada liela advokatu firma Valdemara iela. Ja, tagad es zinu. Vinam ir bralis Rihards. Bralis izskatas |oti lldzlgs Ojaram. Viriiem abiem ir usas un brilles. Tikai Rihards ir mazliet resnaks, vinam ir tads mazs apa| vederin. Ka tu vinus pazisti? Vini abi dziedaja musu skolas kori. Vai O jars ir precejies? Ne, bet es domaju, ka vinam ir draudzene.
8 0 _ - ! U 3 G B e r m e n e o f l
llze ita llze Elita
They now move on to other matters.

Elita llze Elita llze Elita Bet vai tu dzirdeji? Naidzelam ir jauna draudzene. Ak ta?! Kada vina izskatas? Tipiska latvieu meitene gari blondi mati un zilas acis. Tieva, garas slaidas kajas ... Skaista? Nu, es neteiktu, ka neglita. tu pazfsti (pazlt) aubos (aublties) izskatas (izskatlties) izskatlgs, izskatlga virietis (m_) profesija (f.) jurists (m.) advokatu firma (f.) ITdzTgs, Udzlga resnaks apa|, apa|a vederip dziedaja (dziedat) koris (m.) dzirdeji (dzirdet) tipisks, tipiska blonds, blonda slaids, slaida es neteiktu (teikt)
you know / are acquainted 1 doubt he looks (appearance) good looking (m.f f.) man, male profession lawyer law firm similar (m.f f.) fatter round (m.f f.) stomach (dim.) sang choir you heard typical (m.f f.) blond(e) (m., f.) slender (m.t f.) 1 wouldn't say
Transcript
llze ita llze ita llze ita
r mana:meneoa 8 1 I :
llze ita llze ita
You're from Bauska. Do you know Ojars Vilcins? From Bauska? Don't know. Doubt it What does he look like? He is about 1 metre 90 tall. He has brown hair and green eyes. A very good looking man. Where does he work? By profession a lawyerhe works for a law firm in Valdemara iela. Yes, now I know. He has a brother Rihards. The brother looks very similar to Ojars. They both have a moustache and wear glasses. Only Rihards is a little fatter; he has a small, round stomach. How do you know them? They both sang in our school choir. Is Ojars married? No, but I think that he has a girlfriend.
Bita llze ita

llze Elita
But did you hear? Nigel has a new girlrriend. Is that so? What does she look like? Typical Latvian girl. Long blonde hair, blue eyes. Slim. Long slender legs. Beautiful? Well, I wouldn't say that she's plain.
lepazlsimies! Let's get to know each other!

Braunu gimene The Brown Family
Deividam ir 43 gadi. Vi^s ir apmeram 1 metru 80 gars. Vinam ir tumsi mati un barda. Darba vins lzskatas nopietns, bet majas vi^s lr cits cilveks: daudz smejas un jokojas. Fionai lr 32 gadi, bet viâ izskatas jaunaka. Viija sver apmeram 60 kilogramus. Vinai ir apaja seja un Isi sarkani mati. Acis vinai ir zajas. Harijam ir devipi gadi. vins ir gars un tievs. Vinam an lr zajas acis, bet vinam ir melni mati. Vins ir kluss, tapec neviens nezi na ka vi i jam ir laba humora i zjuta. Millijai i r ti kai cetri gadi . Vi î a i r maza, bet Joti energi ska.Vi nai ir li elas pelekas aci s un gari lokai ni mati .
nopietns, nopietna smejas (smieties) jokojas Qokoties) sver (svert) neviens (m.) humora izjuta (f.) energisks, energiska lokaini mati (m. pi.)
serious (m.f f.) laughs jokes weighs nobody sense of humour energetic (m.f f.) curly hair
MMSKi,
3S0 3 6 m i
Exercises
1 Draw a line from the pronoun in the nominative to match its counterpart in the dative. jums viniem viâi IV mums man viijam vu viijam v m tev
sstuvivim vivi
Use the pronoun to help you form the dati ve of the name or proper noun i n the brackets. The fi rst one has been done for you. viâm (Dei vi ds) = Dei vi dam vipam (Karli s) viâi (Fi ona) viâi (Ilze) viîem (Brauni ) viijam (draudzenes) viijiem (kolegi ) viijai (si eva) vinam (pardevejas) viijam (draugs) Change the pronouns or the nouns i n brackets to make the sentence correct. The fi rst one has been done for you. a b c d e f (Es) iet labi. (Man iet labi.) (Vi^s) neiet labi. Ka (jus) klajas? (Mes) neiet slikti. (Viî) klajas labi. Ka klajas (Harijs un Millija)?
ab c d e f 8h
I9 n . es n n v
^ sc >
s 1 s
(Musu berni) klajas labi. (Brauni) iet Joti labi. Ka iet (Mara un Fiona)? (Vinas) varetu iet labak. (Karlis) iet normali. matei ir piecdesmit sesi gadi
gh i jk
MM i-1<9rme3(D
Write in words the age of these people. Mate, 56 a b c d e f g Masa, 22 Bralis,15 Vectevs, 73 Vecmamina, 68 Masas meita, 4 Bralens, 27 Dels, 9 If someone asks you Kur dzivo tavi vecaki? what does the person want to know? How would you ask someone whether they have children? How would you ask a friend whether he has brothers or sisters? If you are asked Kada krasa ir vinas acis?, which detail of someone's appearance is being referred to?
Answer the following questions. a b c d
e
f
g 6
If someone says Musu berni ir dzimusi Skotija, what are they saying? How would you ask somebody how they are? (Give two different ways.)
=er
uld you ask s o m e o n ew h e t h e rt h e y are
Read this description. Then answer the questions. Sveicinati! Es esmu Arvids. Man ir 21 gads. Es esmu ridzinieks, bet studeju Ventspill. Nedejas nogales es stradaju veikala. Es neesmu precejies, bet man ir meitina. Vinai ir 2 gadi. Vina ir dzimusi Liepaja. Vina dzivo pie mates. a b c d e f g How old is Arvids? Where is he from? What does he do? Is he married? Does he have children? Where was his child born? Where does his child live?
How would you say the following in Latvian? a b c d e My sister is younger, My brother is older, I'm an only chila. I have three sisters, Who is the eldest (f.)? Someone says the following to you. What do they mean? Vai jums ir liela gimene? Musu gimenei ir dzivoklis Londona. Man ir trls berni. Mans dels ir dzimis Igaunija. Mana meita ir dzimusi Lietuva. Vai jums ir masina? Musu kaimiîem ir liels darzs. Manam viram ir draugi VentspilL Es esmu series, Manai sievai ir 21 gads. Rome is older than Riga, Latvia is larger than Estonia, Tea is better than coffee, Ventspils is smaller than Daugavpils, Chess (sahs) is more interesting than golf (golfs).
S 2 f S 3 0 8 4
8 a b c d e f g h i j
How would you say the following comparisons in Latvian? a b c d e
10 Here are some statements in Latvian. Read them and answer the questions below. Riga ir vislielaka pilseta Latvija. Latvijas visaugstakais kalns ir Gaizins. Visgaraka upe Latvija ir Daugava. Lubans ir Latvijas vislielakais ezers. a b c d What is the name of the longest river in Latvia? Which is the largest lake? What is the name of the highest mountain / hill in Latvia? Is Daugavpils the largest town in Latvia?
11 Read the followi ng descri pti on, then answer the questi ons. Viiâi i r apmeram 70-75 gadi . Vi î ai i r balti mati . Vi ri a nav Joti gara. Vi â i r mazliet resna. Vi î a nav precejusi es, bet viiâi lr draugs. a b c d e Is the person young? What colour i s her hai r? Is she very tall? Is she sli m? Is she si ngle?
8 5 f ina^rmeneo
In this unit you will learn the days of the week about ordinal numbers to describe where you live (rooms, furniture, etc.) about accepting and declining invitations to talk about things happening in the future
D Dialogue 1
Fiona is away in England, and David has decided that he would like to meet up with Ilze.
David Es gribetu satikties ar jums. Kad mes varetu satikties? Vai jGs esat briva sestdien vai svetdien? llze Ne, sestdien man ir koncerts, es busu aiznemta. Bet ziniet, nt mums majas bus vieslbas. Vai jus negribetu atnakt ciemos pie mums rit? David Paldies, tas butu jauki. Pecpusdiena man ir latviesu valodas stunda, tomer es varetu atnakt pec tam. llze Naciet, kad jGs velaties! Tikai, IGdzu, ieprieks piezvaniet! Vai jums ir mGsu telefona numurs? David Ne, man nav. Vai jGs nevartu iedot man jGsu telefona numuru? Pirms es naksu, zvanlu.
8 7 _ & ciemocooo 3 0
satikties bnvs, brlva es buu (but) koncerts (m.) aizpemts, aizpemta lit vieslbas (f. pi.) atnakt ciemos jauki latvieu valodas stunda (f.) tomer atnakt naciet (nakt) pec tam jOs velaties (veleties) iepriek piezvaniet (piezvanit) iedot es naku (nakt) es zvanlu (zvanlt)
to meet free (m f.) 1 will be concert busy (m f.) tomorrow party to come visiting nice Latvian language lesson however to come come after that, afterwards you wish or desire beforehand call, telephone (imp.) to give 1 will come 1 will ring
Language points
Nede|a ir septinas dienas There are seven days
in the week
The days of the week are: pirmdiena, otrdiena, tresdiena, ceturtdiena, piektdiena, sestdiena and svetdiena.
Contrary to what may be expected, to say on Monday^ for exampleyou do not use the usual locati ve endi ngs. Instead, you say pirmdien. Si mi larly, on Tuesday w i ll be otrdi enand so on. The weekend i s nedejas nogale or someti mes bri vdi enas.
l B 8 n t t c i e tc i e o s m
O Let's practise!
Nedeja i r septi i âs di enas: pi rmdi ena, otrdi ena, tresdi ena, ceturtdiena, pi ektdi ena, sestdi ena un svetdi ena. Pirmdiena, otrdi ena, tresdi ena, ceturtdi ena un pi ektdi ena i r darba di enas. Sestdiena un svetdi ena i r nedejas nogale jeb bri vdi enas.
(
darba diena (f.( nede|as nogale (f.) jeb
weekday (lit working day) weekend or
Vai and jeb - two different kinds of
or
In earli er chapters we saw and used vai as a word that turns a statement i nto a questi on. It has another functi on also: vai can mean or: Sestdien vai svetdi en? On Saturday or on Sunday? Kafiju vai teju? f f Co ee or tea? Jeb also means or, but can be used only i n the si tuati on where the two things or alternatives are exactly the same. For example, in English you could say a cat or a feline creature here the or does not present somethi ng di fferent.
PreposKions and nouns in the plural

We have already seen that when nouns i n the si ngular are used together wi th preposi ti ons, the nouns go i nto a parti cular case (formally i t i s sai d that the preposi ti ons govern the noun cases). For examplewi th the preposi ti ons no, pi e, uz, a i z, bez, zem and vi rs the noun i s i n the geni ti ve case. If the noun wi th the preposi ti on i s plural, however, the noun i s always i n the dati ve case: no pi lsetas f rom town pie si enas byon the wall uz galda under a table no pi lsetam f rom towns p i e si enam by, on the walls uz galdiem under tables
aiz majas bez pases zem k o k a virs j u m t a
behind the house without passport under a tree above the roof
aiz m a j a m bez pasem zem k o k i e m virs jumtiem
behind the houses without passports under trees above the roofs friends' the neighbours at yours (your house)
pie drauga at a friend's pie kaimina^^ the neighbour's pie mums at ours (our house)
pie draugiem at pie kaiminiem at pie jums
Dialogue 2
Laima is inviting Peteris t o c o m e and visit. T h e y are trying t o find a suitable day. Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima Naciet ciemos pie mums! Ja, labprbet kad? Varbut nakamnedej? Vai pirmdien jus bGsit brivs? Acumirkli, paskatlsos dienasgramata ... Diemzel pirmdien es nevaresu, es bGsu komandejuma. Un otrdien? O trdien arl es esmu aiznemts. Man ir koris. Pec tam es iesu pie kaiminiem, viniem ir kazu jubileja. Tad tresdien? Ja, tresdienas vakara es bGsu brivs. Es varetu nakt ciemos tresdien. Tresdien vakara butu labi. Labi, tad gaidisim jGs pie mums tresdien, pulksten astonos. MGsu draugi Brauni an bus. Bet es nezinu, kur jGs dzivojat. Vai jums ir interneta pieslegums? Ja, mums ir. Kada ir jGsu e-pasta adrese? Es jums atsutisu e-pastu. Uz redzesanos tresdien.
labprat nakamnedej brlvs, briva acumirkli paskatlsos (paskatities) komandejums (m.) es ieu (iet) kazu jubileja (f.)
willingly next week free (m., f.) just a tick I'll take a look business trip I will go wedding anniversary
gaidlsim (gaidit( pulksten astonos interneta pieslegums (m.( e-pasta adrese (f.( atsutlu (atsutlt(
we will wait, also expect at 8 o'clock internet connection e-mail address I will send
Language points
Sestdien es bOsu aiznemta On Saturday I will be
busy
The future tense i s used to talk about somethi ng that you plan to do or about somethi ng that you wi ll do or wi ll happen i n the future. It i s very si mple to construct and i s formed i n the same way for all regular and most of the i rregular verbs or conjugations. To form the stem or rootremove the end -t from the i nfi ni ti ve (the to form). Then add the endi ngs: -su, -si , -s-si m, -sit-s. This i s how i t works for the verb but (to be): es busu I will be mes busi m we will be tu busi you (sing.) will be jus busi t you (pi.) will be viijs, vi i ja, vi i ji vi âs bus he / she / they (m.) /
they (f .) will be
This i s the pattern for all verbs, both regular and i rregular, except for those endi ng i n -st (li ke est (to eat) and saprast (to understand)) or -zt (li ke gri ezt (to cut)) and the reflexi ve verbs. We'll fi nd out about those later. Here is how the future tense works i n the different verb fami li es: runat es tu vins, viija mes jus viiji, viijas runasu runasi runas runasim runasit runas varet varesu varesi vares varesim varesit vares lasit lasisu laslsi lasis lasisim lasisit lasis
O Dialog ue 3
Peteris and John are talki ng about thei r plans for the weekend. Peteris Dions Ko jus darisit nedejas nogale? Sestdien mes brauksim uz laukiem. Mes iesim ciemos pie manas sievas kolega. Viriam pieder skaista vasarnica mea vidG, pie ezera. Vai tu negribi braukt lidzi? Ne, paldies, diemzel es nevaresu. Man nav laika. Palaik mums ir joti daudz darba. Man bija smaga nedeja. Tagad es esmu noguris, un gribu atpGsties. Sovakar es ieu silta vanna un tGlit gulta. Sestdien laikam gulesu. Zel, tur bus ari citi draugi, daudzi interesanti cilveki. Vakara bus ugunskurs. Mes ari iesim pirti.
' l 3 f i ) 0 s t 9 1
ciemosco
Peteris
Dions
darlsit (darlt) brauksim (braukt) iesim ciemos (iet ciemos) vasarnlca (f.) vidu (m.) Ifdzi smags, smaga (m.f.) noguris, nogurusi atpusties silts, silta laikam guleu (gulet) ugunskurs (m_) pirtl (f.)
you will do we will go we will go visiting summer house in the middle along difficult (lit heavy) tired (m., f.) to rest, relax warm (m., f.) probably I will sleep bonfire in the sauna
D Let's practise!
Es gribetu satikties. Naciet ciemos! Diemzel es nevaresu. Es esmu aiznemts. Es esmu aiznemta. Es varetu atnakt pec tam. Es busu brlvs. Es busu brlva. J a , labprat.
Language points
Gulet un sedet To sleep and to sit
These two verbs descri be states of bei ng as much as acti on. gulet (to sleep) es gulu mes gujam tu guli jus gujat vins / vi na / vi ni / vi nas guj sedet (to sit) es sezu mes sezam tu sedi jus sezat vins / vi i â / vi ni / vi llas sez
i se the Notice the stem change in the tu form. Otherw conjugation of these verbs i s practically the same as for the varet verbs.
Man
irman
bus, man bija: past, present and
future of the verb to have'

The future tense i s used to speak about somethi ng whi ch i s going to happen. When we want to talk about somethi ng that has already happenedor used to happenwe use the past tense. With verbs such as man i r (I have)^ both the future and the past
to form
'because
only
t h e
n e w o r d
Present tense: sod i en man i r Future tense: i r t man bus Past tense: vakar man bi ja
today I have tomorrow I will have yesterday I had
The genitive case with nav and with daudz

The geni ti ve case i s also someti mes used after the word nay. For example, when you say that you don't have any money you wi ll say man nav naudas, or i f you haven't got ti me i t wi ll be man nav lai ka. It i s also used when you are talki ng about i ndefi ni te quanti ti es, like lots o f : daudz darba (lots o f workdaudz laika (lots f o time) and daudz vi etas (lots o f room or space). Generally, expressions of i ndefi ni te quanti ty are used for uncountable things these are thi ngs whi ch are i mpossi ble to countsuch as worktime, space, i ce, flourmi lk, meat and so on. When used for countable thi ngsthe daudz takes on an endi ng and behaves li ke an adjecti ve: dauazi ci lveki (many people"), daudzas valsti s {many countries) and so on.
aja istaba ir...

durvis logi sienas griesti grida televizors klubkresls divans spilvens door windows walls ceiling floor TV armchair sofa cushion
In this room
gulta skapis gridsega aizkari lampa paklajs kamlns glezna stavlampa
there
is
vanna izlietne klozetpods skalojamais krans zaluzijas galds kresls spogulis bath sink WC cistern tap blinds table chair mirror
bed wardrobe carpet curtains lamp rug fireplace painting standard lamp
O Kur jus dzivojat? Where do you live?

Here are three small texts where people are describing where they live. Read or listen to the texts and see how much you can pick up without consulting the vocabulary list. Gundega stasta: Es dzivoju pilsetas centra, Vecriga. Mans dzivoklis ir mazs. Mana gujamistaba ir vel mazaka. Istaba ir tikai gulta, skapis un kresls. Virs gultas pie sienas ir plaukti^s. Uz plauktiiia ir lampa, modinatajpulkstenis un gramatas. Viss cits ir skapi vai zem gultas. Dzons stasta: Mums i r saulai na tri si stabu maja Ri gas nomale. Mums i r arl mazs darzi ^s. Maja nav li ela, bet mums i r li ela viesistaba. Viesistaba i r divans, televizors, galds un lieli gramatu plaukti. Pi e si enam i r gleznas. Pi e loga i r ai zkari .
Ari galds ir pie loga. Uz galda ir vaze. Ziema mes eaam pie galda, bet vasara mes edam ara, darza. Mara stasta: Musu dzivokli ir gars, plass gaitenis. GaitenI ir skapis. Taja ir gimenes meteji, zabaki un lietussargi. Uz gridas ir paklajs. Pie durvlm ir spogulis. plauktip (m.) modinatajpulkstenis (m_) trfsistabu nomale (f_) darzip (m.) mes edam (est) plas, plaa taja metelis (m.) zabaks (m.)
shelf (dim.) alarm clock three-room on the outskirts garden (dim.) we eat spacious (m., f.) in it coat boot
9 4 n c i e t c _ e s o o m
D Dialogue 4
Peteris has finally come to visit Laima and Karlis. He rings the doorbell and Laima answers.
Laima Peteris Laima Labvakar! LGdzu, ludzu, naciet ieksa! ... Meteli var ielikt skapi. Paldies ... Jauks dzivoklis. Omuligs! Paldies, dzivoklis nav liels, tikai 48 kvadratmetri. Tomer tas ir |oti erts: augsti griesti, plasas istabas. Ari ziema ir silts. Diviem cilvekiem pietiek. Un mums patik bGt otraja stava. Cik istabu jums ir? Faktiski divas: viesistaba un gujamistaba. Protams, ir arl maza virtuve un vannasistaba. Vai sis ir jusu dzivoklis? Vai tas jums pieder? Ne, dzivoklis mums nepieder. Mes irejam. Mes jau gribetu nopirkt, bet dzivokji Riga ir dargi. Vai dzivoklis ir mebelets? Ne, mebeles ir musu. Ja drikst jautat, cik jus maksajat menesi? Tikai 200 latus. Bet tad vel ir komunalie maksajumi: gaze, elektrlba, siltais un aukstais Gdens, apkure.
Peteris Laima Piteris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima
naciet ieka (nakt) ielikt omuligs, omullga kvadratmetrs (m.) augsts, augsta otraja stava mes Trejam (iret) nopirkt mebelets jautat maksajat (maks lats (m.( komunalie maksajumi (m. pi.( gaze (f.( elektrlba (f.( siltais udens (m.( aukstais udens (m.( apkure (f.(
9 5 c i i o s 0
come in (imp.) to put in cosy (m., f.) square metre high (m f.) on the second floor we are renting to buy furnished to ask, enquire you are paying lat (Latvian currency unit) utilities (lit. communal payments) gas electricity hot water (lit warm water) cold water heating
Language points
Man pieder It belongs to me
In the last uni t we saw how the noti on to have i s expressed i n Latvian. There are a number of these sorts of verbs whi ch we could call dati ve verbs' - i n Latvi an: man man man man man man man man man ir pi eti ek pi eder garso pati k sap der pi estav nak mi egs I have (for me) it is enough I own (literally: to me belongs) I like (the taste of something) I like (to me) hurts fits me suits me I'm sleepy (lit to me comes sleep)
Pirmais un pedejais
The first and the
last
l t t c i e t Mn
When you talk about floorsi nstead of sayi ng f loor 1you say the first f loor, that i s you use the ordinal number, the one whi ch tells us whi ch order thi ngs are i n. In Latvi an too you use ordinals, so first f loor i s pirmais stavs. Note that the fi rst floor in Latvi a i s the same as the fi rst floor i n North Ameri ca there is no ground floor. These are the ordi nal numbers up to 10: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 and also: the last i pedeja s This i s the masculine form of the ordinal numbers. The femi ni ne form i s very si mi lar, only the endi ng changes from -ai s to -a: pirmais to pi rma. So the f irst day becomes pi rma di ena and the second day will be otra diena. Pirmdiena i r nedejas pirma di ena. Monday is the f irst day o f the week. the f irst second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth pirmais otrais tresais ceturtais piektais sestais septitais astotais devltais desmitais
c i A o c o m
Ordinals behave li ke adjecti ves and agree wi th the noun. If the questi on i s kura stava? {on which floor),the answer wi ll be i n the locati ve case: on the f irst f loor w i ll be pi rmaja stava (second otraja, third tresaja, ceturtaja, piektaja, sestaja, septitaja, astotaja, devitaja, desmitaja stava) and so on. The locati ve case endi ng i s the same for both the masculine and the feminine formsso on the seventh day wi ll be septitaja diena.
973goj(Dfoj(D 0(0o^w
Q L a t v i j a s s i e v i e t e s The women of Latvia The Freedom Monument BrlvTbas piemineklis in the centre of Riga is crowned by a sturdy, muscular woman holding aloft three stars. The woman symbolizes Latvia: an apt concept considering that the women of Latvia are a particularly hardy lot. They've had to be - the human cost of two major world wars in the last century meant that the stock of men was greatly depleted, twice over. Women were left to keep the farms and the homesteads going, and to help regenerate the country once the war was ended. The saimniece - the woman who ran the household or farm was no mere housewife; she was considered to have an important managerial role. When the state of Latvia was established in 1918, there was no question of women not having the vote. More recently, Latvia had a woman president and, albeit briefly, a female foreign minister. Women continue to be active and prominent in public life, both in the business world as well as in culture and the arts.
Dialog ue 5
flze has had a boring morning at work. She would like to go out for lunch, so she calls her fri end li li ta.
Ka tev iet sodien? Pie mums ir kluss, nekas nenotiek. Garlaiclgi. Vai negribi paest pusdienas kopa ar mani? Tepat uz stura, zem musu biroja ir jauns zivju restorans. Mes varetu satikties pie avizu kioska. ita Tagad? Zini, sodien gan nevaresu tevi satikt. Pasreiz pie mums ir delegacija no Zviedrijas. Sorit man bija sanaksme. Tiesi sobrid esmu konference. Nedrikstu vinus atstat. Sovakar vel bus darba vakarinas. llze Saprotu. Ita Vai mes nevaretu satikties nakamnedej? llze Pagaidam nezinu. Redzesim. Elita Svdienas vakara Viesturam bus balllte. Vai tu iesi? Hze Ja, noteikti. Sen vinu neesmu redzejusi. Elita Es ari naksu. Nu tad - uz redzesanos svetdien! llze
nekas nenotiek ar mani sturis (m.) zivju restorans (m.) avizu kiosks (m.) satikt delegacija (f.) orit sanaksme (f.) obrld konference (f.) saprotu (saprast) pagaidam redzesim (redzet) balllte (f.) sen
nothing is happening with me corner fish restaurant newspaper kiosk to meet delegation this morning meeting at the moment conference 1 understand for now we'll see party (coll.) for a long time
9 8 ojet
i o o c M m
Nevaresu tevi satikt I won't be able to meet you

The subject of this sentence is not menti onedbut we know that it is I, both from the context and from the form of the verb used: (es) nevaresu. In addi ti on, Elita says tevi to Ilze instead of tu, because in the sentence Ilze is the direct object and therefore an accusative form of the pronoun has to be used. Here, the pronouns are shown in both the nominative and their accusative forms:

jus vini vinas
mani tevi vinu viû mus jus vinus vinas
me you him her us you (pi. or polite) them (pi. m.) them (pi f.)
The English equivalents of these pronouns in the accusative are almost the same as for the pronouns in the dative. Which Latvian one you use (man or mani, for example) will depend on the context, that is on the function of the word in the sentence: Vina raksta vestuli vinam. Vina vinu mil. She writes a letter to him. She loves him.
I n , n . e s u i -Min e t l v vrr
>sas
Dialogue 6
Fiona and David were invited to a party, but they are unable to go now because their son is ill. Fiona calls to apologize. Fiona Laima Fiona Laima Man |oti zel, bet ovakar mes nebGsim. Harijs ir slims. Vinam |oti sap auss un ir augsta temperatura. 2el. Es ceru, ka nav nekas nopietns? Es domaju, ka ne. Bet mes nezinam. Sobrid mes gaidam arstu. Neuztraucieties! Gan jau bus labi. Gaidlsim jus cita reize. Paldies par zvanu.
man |oti 2el ovakar slims, slima vinam sap auss temperatura (f.) te\ es ceru (ceret) nekas neuztraucieties (uztraukties) cita reize par zvans
I'm very sorry tonight, this evening ill (m., f.) he has an earache temperature that's a pity, so sorry I hope nothing don't worry (imp.) at another time for call (coll.), lit bell
The difference between adjectives and adverbs

Adjectives describe things (nouns)but adverbs descri be how an action i s being done (verbs). For example, you can say that he is a bad man (adjecti ve) or that he behaved badly (adverb). The ending on the word i ndi cates whether i t i s an adjecti ve or an adverb. Thi s i s the same i n Latvi an: Ta i r laba gramata. f Tha s a good book. Tas i r labs jautajums. f Tha s a good question, Man i et labi . I am (going) well. Viîa Joti labi runa angli ski . She speaks English (adject i ve) (adject i ve) (adverb) (adverb)
very well.
Sometimeshowever, the endi ng can be the same for both adjective and adverb: Mes esam labi studenti . We are good students, (adject i ve)
In these si tuati ons you have to remember whether the labi i s a description for the plural nounor it is an attribute of the acti on word - the verb.
tc r d i i o o e c c n m
Es tevi satiksu pie avizu kioska

the newspaper kiosk
I'll meet you
by
We have already seen how the -is ending of masculine nouns undergoes palatalization in the plural form, as well as the singular genitive form (bralis, brlli, brala). A similar process takes place with feminine nouns ending in -ebut only i n the plural geni ti ve form: (nom. pi . mei tenes) (avlzes) (mebeles) (speles) (kurpes) (sveces) (rozes) (bijetes) (vijoles) (zivis) (bites) (plumes) (senes) (bietes) (avenes) (priedes) (izstades) (cigaretes) meitenu skola avizu ki osks mebelu vei kals spelu laukums kurpju vei kals svecu gai sma rozu smarza bijesu kase vijolu orkestri s zivju restorans bisu medus plQmju sula senu merce biesu zupa avenu zeleja priezu mezs izstazu zale cigaresu dumi girls' school newspaper kiosk furniture store playing f ield shoe shop candlelight scent of roses ticket f o f ice violin orchestra fish restaurant bee honey plum juice mushroom sauce beetroot soup raspberry jelly pine f orest exhibition hall cigarette smoke
Exercises
1 Match up the days of the week with their Latvian counterpart. a b c d e f g Monday l uesday Wednesday Thursday rnday Saturday Sunday i ii in iv v vi vu tresaiena sestdiena ceturtdiena svetdiena pirmdiena otrdiena piektdiena
Va i tas i r parei zi ? (Is it correct?) a b c d e f Ja sodi en i r otrdi ena, tad vakar bi ja pi rmdi ena, bet ri t bus tresdi ena. Ja ri t bus sestdi ena, tad vakar bi ja ceturtdi ena. Ja vakar bi ja sestdi ena, tad sodi en i r pi rmdi ena, bet ri t bus otrdi ena. Ja sodi en i r pi ektdi ena, tad vakar bi ja ceturtdi ena, bet rit bus svetdi ena. Ja vakar bi ja svetdi ena, tad sodi en i r sestdi ena. Ja sodi en i r tresdi ena, tad vakar bi ja otrdi ena.
t i i on e c
c i e m o s 0
Read the followi ng story and then answer the questi ons. There may be one or two new words there - see i f you can get the gi st or guess the meani ng anyhow, as you would i n real li fe. Braunu gimenes dzivoklis. Braunu gi menei i r pi eci stabu dzi vokli s ar vi sam ertlbam. Dzivoklis i r ceturtaja stava. Dz i vokl i ir v i es i staba, edamistaba tris gujam i stabas, v i rtuve, vannas i staba, tualete un gars gai teni s. Qi menei i r daudz gramatu, tapec viesistaba i r li eli gramatu plaukti . Pi e si enam i r fotografi jas. Viesistaba i r arl telev i zors, d i vans, d iv i klubkresl i, stavlampa un kamlns. Vi rs kami na i r veca glezna. Mebeles ir vecas, tomer noderi gas. Uz dlvana i r spi lveni uz gridas i r paklajs. Uz di vana parasti gu| kalîs, bet uz gridas, pie kamina, guj suns. Virtuve ir koka grida. Virtuve ir galds un cetri kresli, un ari visa sadzlves tehnika: ledusskapis, pllts, mikrovijiju krasns, izlietne un dazadi skapji. Gujamistabas, protamsir gultas. Pi e logi em i r ai zkari . a b c d e f g h What i s the story about? How many rooms i n the flat? On whi ch floor i s i t? What i s i n the si tti ng room? What's on the floor i n the si tti ng room? Who usually sleeps on the sofa? How many chai rs i n the ki tchen? What i s at the wi ndows?
In whi ch room(s) of a house or a flat would you normally find the followi ng? Gi ve the name of the room(s) i n Latvi an. a krasns b ii zl etne c ledusskap is
d gulta e galds f i d vans g vanna 5 i C rcle the correct form of the verb. It wi ll have to be i n the future tense. a b c d e f
g
t d i e c on
ciemoMo^w
Svetd i en es busu / but / busim ai znemta. Dr i z villi runasu / runasim / runas latvi ski . i D emzel mes nevaru / nevaresim / nevar atnakt. Va i ri t jus busit / bija / ir darba? i R t es zinasu / zina / zinat vai es busu brivs nakamnedej. Ceturtd i en mums bus / esmu / busit vi eslbas.
Kad jus nak / naks / ndksit ci emos pi e mums?
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Pec tam es iet / iesu / ejam pi e draugi em. I would li ke to meet, I will see them on Saturday, That would be ni ce, I'll send them an e-mai l, I'm very busy, The flat i s on the si xth floor, I'll be free i n the afternoon, Ton i ght I will be at home, Tomorrow I won't be at work.
How would you tell someone the followi ng?
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
David llze
David llze David
I'd like to meet up with you. When could we meet? Are you free on Saturday or on Sunday? No, on Saturday I have a concert, I will be busy. But, you know, tomorrow we will be having a party at home. Perhaps you would like to come to visit us tomorrow? Yes, that would be nice. In the afternoon I have a Latvian language class; however I could come after that Come whenever you wish. Only could you call us beforehand? Do you have our telephone number? No I don't (have). Could you give me your phone number please? Before I come, I will ring.
Dialogue 2
Laima piteris Lîima p^teris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima Peteris Laima
t d i e c on
Come and visit us. Yes, willingly, but when? Maybe next week? Will you be free on Monday? Just a moment, I'll look in the diary ... Unfortunately, on Monday I won't be able to, I will be on a business trip. And on Tuesday? On Tuesday also I am busy. I've got choir. Afterwards I am going to the neighbours', it's their wedding anniversary. On Wednesday, then? Yes, on Wednesday evening I'll be free. I could come on Wednesday. Wednesday evening would be good. OK, then we shall expect (lit wait) you on Wednesday at 8 o'clock. Our friends the Browns will also be [there]. But I don't know where you live. Are you on the Internet? Yes we are. What is your e-mail address? I will send you an e-mail. See you on Wednesday.
cimo(Ao^w
Dialogue 3
Peteris Dions
Peteris
Dions
What are you doing at the weekend? On Saturday we are going out to the country. We'll be visiting my wife's colleague. He owns a beautiful summer house in the middle of the forest, by a lake. Do you not want to come? No thank you, I can't. I don't have time. Currently we have lots of work. I had a tough week. Now I'm tired, and I want to rest Tonight I'll take a hot bath and into bed immediately. On Saturday I'll probably sleep. That's a pity, other friends will be there as well, many interesting people. In the evening there will be a bonfire. We're going to have a sauna also.
Where do you live?

Gundega recounts:
I live in the centre of townin Vecriga. My apartment is small. My bedroom is even smaller. In the room there is only a bed, a wardrobe and a chair. Above the bedon the wall, there is a small shelf . On the shelf there is a lampan alarm clock and books. Everything else is in the wardrobe - or under the bed.
John recounts: We have a sunny three-room house on the outskirts of Riga. We also have a small garden. The house isn't largebut we have a large sitting room. In the sitting room there is a sof aa TV, a table and large bookshelves. There are paintings on the walls. There are curtains at the window. The table also is by the window. On the table there is a vase. In the winter we eat at the tablebut in the summer we eat outside, in the garden. Mara recounts: In our apartment there is a longspacious corridor. In the corridor there is a wardrobe. In it there are the f amily's coats boots and umbrellas. On the f loor there is a rug. There is a mirror by the door.
t i e c Sn S
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Dialogue 4
Laima Peteris Laima
Peteris Laima Peteris
Laima
Peteris Laima Peteris Laima
Good evening! Please, come in!... You can put your coat in the wardrobe. Thank you ... nice flat Cosy! Thanks, the flat isn't big, only 48 square metres. However, it is very comfortable: high ceilings, spacious rooms. Even in winter it is warm. For two people it's enough. And we like being on the second floor. How many rooms do you have? In fact two: a sitting room and a bedroom. Of course there is a small kitchen and a bathroom. Is it your flat? Does it belong to you? Nothe flat doesn't belong to us. We're renting. We would like to buy, but apartments in Riga are expensive. Is the flat furnished? No, the furniture is ours. If I may ask, how much do you pay per month? Only 200 lats. Then there are the payments for utilities: gas, electricity, hot and cold water, heating.
Dialogue 5
llze
ita
How are you today? It's quiet here ("chez nous"), nothing is happening. It's boring. Do you want to eat lunch with me? Right here on the corner, underneath our office, there's a new fish restaurant We could meet at the newspaper kiosk. Now? You know, I won't be able to meet you today. Currently we have a delegation from Sweden. This
llze ita llze Elita llze ita
morning, I had a meeting. Right now, I'm at a conference. Mustn't leave them. Tonight there will be a working dinner. I understand. Could we (not) meet next week? I don't know. Let's see. On Sunday evening Viesturs is going to have a party. Are you going? [lit Will you go?] Yes, definitely. Haven't seen him for ages. I'll be coming too. Well then see you on Sunday!
^ c i e t c i e o on w m Mo
Dialogue 6
Fiona Laima Fiona Laima
I'm so sorry, but we won't be able to come tonight Harry is ill. He has a severe earache and a high temperature. That's a pity. I hope that it's nothing serious? I think not But we don't know. At the moment we are waiting for the doctor. Dont worry! It will be alright. We shall await you some other time. Thanks for your call.
In this unit you will learn to order food and drink in a restaurant or bar about requesting things how to describe food and what is on the table to say what you like or dislike about food or drink
Partika un dzerieni Food and drink

siers burkani gurlî aboli
oST7U
r t g i o u ! s
piens
saldejum
0 ^
banani
vinogas
Darzeni un saknes Garden vegetables and root vegetables

tomats
gurk:is
salati redlsi locini dilles kartupeji slpoli kaposts
tomato cucumber lettuce radishes chives
dill
potatoes onions cabbage
burkani bietes puravi zirni pupas baklazans spinati senes
carrots beetroot leeks
peas
beans eggplant spinach mushrooms
Augli un ogas Fruit and berries

aboli apelsini citroni greipfruti banani Ogas Berries zemenes avenes mellenes apples oranges lemons grape f ruit bananas strawberries raspberries blueberries bumbieri vinogas plumes aprikozes pears grapes plums apricots
Piena produkti Dairy produce

piens milk biezpiens curd cheese siers cheese saldais krejums cream skabais krejums sour cream sviests butter kefirs f ke ir jogurts yogurt saldejums ice cream
l cstgr_bu! Q 0 8s y
Maize un konditoreja Bread and confectionery

baltmaize saldskabmaize rupjmaize rudzu maize kviesu maize white bread cepumi sourdough torte bread kekss wholemeal f kon ektes bread sokolade rye bread wheat bread biscuits gateau cake sweets chocolate
Ga|as nodaja Meat department

Ga|a Meat liellopu ga}a cukgaja jera gala te|a gaja Zivis Fish lasis tuncis
k 1 ud
beef pork lamb veal salmon tuna
siji:e herring salltas, saltedsmoked kupinatas and f rozen un saldetas f ish zivis
Dzerienu nodaja Drinks department

mineraludens mineral water sula juice alus beer teja (zaja, melna) tea (herbalblack) vlns wine kafija f f co ee
sd V >
ham sausage chicken
partikas preces Groceries

olas risi cukurs milti ievarijums eggs rice sugar flour jam medus rieksti ea etikis garsvielas honey nuts oil vinegar spices
c r s t g r i b u l o
O Dialogue 1
John tells Mara that he is going to the shop. Dions Mara Dions Mara Dions Es iesu uz veikalu. Ko tu pirksi? Es pirksu u r n a l u , cigaretes, serkocinus un apelslnu sulu. Panem ari sokoladi ar riekstiem. Sokolade tacu nav veseliga. Labak est saknes un darzerius - burkanus, salatus, tomatus ... Tie ir veseligi. Tos tu vari est, cik tu gribi. Tas ir tik garlaiclgi... Panem somu.
Mara
At the shop... Pardeveja K o jus velaties? Dions Man, IGdzu, so u r n a l u un apelslnu sulu. Pardeveja Un ko vel? Dions Cigaretes un serkocinus. Pardeveja Smeket nav veseligi. Vai tas bGs viss? Ko tu pirksi? (pirkt( serkocipi (m. pi.( veseUgs, veseliga tos papem (papemt( Ko jus velaties? (veleties( Ko vel? o Vai tas bGs viss? What will you buy? matches healthy (m.f f.) those (acc.) take (get) What would you like? What else? this Will that be all?
Language points
Ko? - What?as the direct object (the accusative case(
The accusative case is used for the direct object, that is, the thing or person having an action carried out on it by the subject of the sentence. The question word associated with the accusative case is ko? In response to the question Ko the reply will be: (subject) nominative Es I + (verb) pirksu will buy + pirksi? (What will you buy?)
(direct object) accusative zurnalu. a magazine.
Here is a table of accusative endings: Nominative Singular (masc.) umal-s las-is tirg-us sul-a okolad-e pil-s serkocin-i divriten-i al-i cigaret-es vinog-as brokast-is Accusative zurnal-u las-i tirg-u sul-u okolad-i pil-i serkocin-us divriten-us al-us cigaret-es vinog-as brokast-is
(fem.(
Plural (masc.(
(fem.(
Uz On also to
The preposition uz when meaning to somewhere accusative case of the noun in the singular: Dzons iet uz veikalu. Karlis iet uz tirgu. takes the
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John is going to the shop. Karlis is going to the market. (something), table.
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We saw previously that if uz has the meaning of on it takes the genitive: Lampa ir uz galda. The lamp is on the
To summarize the preposition uz is f ollowed by the noun in the genitive when it is describing place or position, but it is followed by the noun in the accusative when it is describing direction: Galdauts ir uz galda. (gen.) The tablecloth is on the Mes braucam uz RIgu. (acc.) We are going to Riga. table.
Of coursenouns in the plural go to the dative whatever the meaning of the preposition: Glazes ir uz galdiem. Mes braucam uz laukiem. The glasses are on the tables. We are going to the countryside.
Dialogue 2
Fiona and David are dining out at a restaurant. David is going to start with some f ishand Fiona is going to have some soup. Ko jGs veletos? Es velos lasi ar salatiem. Un jGs, kundze? Ko jums? Man, lOdzu, tomatu zupu ar kiploku maizi. Labi, tas butu pirmais ediens. Un ko otraja? Ko jGs ieteiktu? Sodien mes piedavajam biznesa komplektu: pirmais ediens salati vai zupa, otrais - cepta liellopa ga|a, piedevas senu merce ar kartupejiem, un saldaja ediena -saldejums ar zemenem. Labi, nemsim biznesa komplektu. Man garso senes. Divas porcijas, IGdzu. Un ko jGs gribetu dzert? Mums, ICidzumineralGdeni un vinu. Sarkano vai balto vinu? Sodien mes ar sievu dzersim sarkano vinu.
Oficiante Deivids Oficiante Deivids
Oficiante Fiona
Pudeli vai glazi? Pudeli. Vai viss kartiba? Ja, paldies, viss ir |oti garsigs. Ko vel varetu piedavat? Tikai rekinu, IGdzu. What would you like? 1 (would) like the first course would recommend accompaniment, trimmings set meal the second course to offer dessert portion
3.
The waitress brings the salmon, soup and wine. Oficiante Deivids Oficiante Deivids
C T
Later, after the meal...
Ko jus veletos? (veleties) es velos (veleties) pirmais ediens (m.) ieteiktu (ieteikt) piedevas (f. pi.) biznesa komplekts (m.) otrais ediens (m.) piedavat saldais ediens (m.) porcija (f.)
Language points
Requesting things
There are a number of possible opening lines for requesting things. You can say: Es gribetu ... Es velos ... Man, ludzu ... Mums, ludzu ... Iedodiet manludzu I would like ... I wish (f or) / desire For me, please ... For us, please ... Give (to) me please
All are equally polite. The main thing to rememberhoweveris that you as the subject of the sentence are requesting something as the direct object of the sentence. This means that the thing requested has to be in the accusative case: (subject) Es I + (verb) gribetu would like + (direct object) sulu. juice.
O Let's practise!
es gribetu man, ludzu Iedodiet, man, ludzu ... es velos mums, ludzu Iedodiet, mums, ludzu ...
Dodiet man udeni! Give me water!

Although it is a masculine nounthe word f or water udens doesn't f it in with the usual noun groups and has its own particular endings f or each case: Nominative: Genitive: Dative Accusative: Locative: udens udens udenim udeni udeni
There are a f ew other nouns that work (or decline) in the same way: uguns f ( ire), suns (dog), rudens (autumn), zibens (lightning), aKmens (rock) and meness (moon).
Dialogue 3
Gundega wants to prepare a salad. She asks Nigel what sort of ingredients she should put in it. Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Sovakar vakarinas es gribetu gatavot salatus. Ko mums vajag? Tomatus, gurkus, e||u ... Un vel dilles ari? Ne, ludzu, visu ko, tikai ne dilles. Dilles man negarso. VarbGt locipus? Ja, locius gan varetu. Un kadu ga|u mes edlsim? kinki? Vistu? Desu? Ga)u es needu. Es esmu vegetariete. Mans dels an ir vegetarietis. Vins ed tikai riekstus, fri kartupelus un sokoladi. Es nevaru est riekstus. Man ir alergija. to prepare we need vegetarian (m., f.) French fries allergy
gatavot mums vajag (vajadzet) veêtarietis, veêtariete iri kartupeji (m. pi.) alergija (f.)
Language points
Kas ir galda? What's on the table?
tase bjoda nazis galdauts glaze pipari
cup bowl knife tablecloth glass pepper
sklvis karote daksiija salvete sals
plate spoon fork napkin salt
When you ask for a glass (of something), or simply a glass (as in a drinking vessel), it has to be in the accusative: glazi: Man vajag glazi... I need a glass ... Iedodiet man, ludzu, glazi... Please give me a glass ...
D Dialogue 4
Gundega is preparing dinner and asks Nigel to help by setting the table. Gundega K amer es gatavoju vakarinas, vai tu nevaretu uzklat galdu? Nigel Ja, protams. Kas man jadara? Gundega Vispirms uzliec skivjus. Nigel K ur ir skivji? Gundega Skivji un blodas ir skaplt! pie pllts. Nigel Un kur ir glazes? Gundega Glazes ir plaukta, virs izlietnes. Galda piederumi karotes, nazi un daksinas ir atvilktne.
kamer uzklat Kas man jadara? (darlt) vispirms uzliec (uzlikt) skapltis (m.) galda piederumi (m. pi.) atvilktne (f.)
while, whilst to set (a table) What do I have to do? first of all put on (imp.) cupboard (dim.) cutlery drawer
Language points
Garso vai negarso? - talking about tastes you like or don't like
Vai jums garo Do you like (the taste of) ...? To express likes or dislikes about f ood or drink only, you use the subject noun or pronoun in the dative with garso or negarso, for example man garso (I like) and man negarso (I don't like). Whatever is liked or disliked will be in the nominative: Man garso kaf ija. Deividam garso teja. Naidzelam negarso dilles. Visiem garso sokolade. I line co f f ee. David likes tea. Nigel doesn't like dill. Everyone likes chocolate.
If you have enjoyed a dish or a drink you may say that it is garsigs {tasty). Remember that mealtimes - brokastis, pusdienas, vakarinas are all feminine plural nouns, so we say: garsigas (or negarsigas) brokastis, pusdienas, vakarinas.
Latvian food In traditional Latvian cuisine, typical Northern European ingredients predominate: rye bread (rudzu maize), herring and salmon, beetroot, sour cream and cottage cheese, potato, pickled cucumber (skabi gurlci) and cabbage. The food is the product of a harsh climate (short summers and long cold winters) and a close relationship with the soil. The favourite herb is dill (dilles); it seems that this is something you either love or hate! Caraway seed (kimenes) is also used. Meat dishes mostly feature pork and also chicken. Whilst less popular, or necessary, than during the Soviet period, many city dwellers still have a vegetable garden (darzin) somewhere outside town, which they will tend
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during the summer months. A preference for locally-grown food remains, and for seasonal fruit and vegetables, much of which is found in markets or exchanged amongst friends and relatives. Locally caught and smoked fish (kupinatas zivis( can also be found, although this is not as common as it used to be. In spring, birch tree juice (berzu sulas( is collected, either drunk fresh or kept cool in a cellar as a refreshing drink for the wanner summer months.
Q Dialogue 5
Karlis and David are discussing what they are going to do about lunch. Karlis K o mes edisim un dzersim pusdienas? David Sodien es gribetu est kadu sviestmaizi un iedzert alu. Man garso Latvijas alus. Karlis Nomnats! Vispirms iesim uz krogu. Bet pec tam iesim uz kafejnicu. Pec pusdienam man patik dzert kafiju, melnu kafiju bez piena. Vai jums garso kafija? David Patiesiba es nedzeru kafiju. Man garso teja. Es dzeru teju, teju ar pienu un cukuru. Karlis Un kadu sviestmaizi edisim? David Ar sieru, vai ar desu - vienalga. At the pub... Barmaid Karlis Barmaid Karlis David Barmaid David Ko jGs velaties? Man, IGdzu, vienu maizi ar sieru un vienu alu. Lielo vai mazo? Nulle komats pieci vai nulle komats tris? Lielo, ludzu 0,5 (nulle komats pieci). Un man, IGdzu, iedodiet maizi ar desu un vienu mazo alu. Nulle komats tris? Ja, nulle komats tris. edTsim (est( dzersim (dzert( sviestmaize (f.( norunats vispirms patiesiba vienalga nulle komats pieci we will eat we will drink sandwich agreed first of all in truth whatever nought point five
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O Latvijas alus Latvian beer There is a town called Sabile in the northeast of Latvia which is famous for having the northernmost grapevines in Europe. Traditionally, however, Latvians drink alus (beer) when they are not putting away a Spabis or degvlns (vodka), some sort of fermented milk drink like kefirs or a freshly-squeezed fruit juice (svaigi spiesta aug|u sula). Nowadays there is a great range of alus, much of it dzlvs (live) and often unpasteurized. Some of the best-known brands are Tervetes, Uavas, Brenguju, Piebalgas, La5plesa, Bauskas, Cesu, Aldaris and others. Beer on tap or draught beer is known as izlejamais alus.
s t g r i b u ! o ^
Language points
Est un dzert To eat and to drink
Both of these are irregular verbs. Tagadne (in the present tense) es dzeru mes dzeram tu dzer jus dzerat vi^s / viîa / vipi / vinas dzer Nakotne (in the future tense) es dzersu mes dzersim tu dzersi jus dzersit viijs / viâ / viiji / viijas dzers
Although the verb dzert (to drink) is irregular, in the future tense it follows the pattern usual to all verbs. The verb est (to eat) in the future tense does not follow the pattern exactly, because the infinitive ends in -st. This is the way it works: sodien (tagadne) es tu viijsviâ mes jus viiji, viâs edu ed ed edam edat ed rit (nakotne) edlsu edlsi edis edisim edisit* edis Compare with: es tu viî, viijas mes jus viîviijas busu busi bus busim busit^ bus
* In common usage the imperative f ormbusiet and edisietis quite widespread. Note the pronunciation of the f irst e changes: in the present tense it sounds like 'adin the f uture tense it sounds like 'air.
Ar ko? - jWith what' or with whom'? - the instrumental case

There is another case which is called the instrumental (opinions differ as to whether it really exists in the Latvian language), f or which the case question is ar ko?: Man garso kaf ija ar cukuru, bet viâm garso kaf ija ar pienu. I like cof f ee with sugar, but he likes cof f ee with milk. In ef f ectthis is the same as the preposition ar (meaning with), which takes the accusative when and if the noun is in the singular. The instrumental is used not only to express with what? but also with whom?: Mes ar sievu dzersim vinu. (My) wif e and I will drink wine. Es edu kopa ar gimeni. I eat together with the family. Mes runa jam ar draugu. We are talking with (our) friend. The plural of the instrumental case is actually the same as the dative case with the preposition ar: ga]a ar kartupejiem saldejums ar zemenem meat with potatoes ice cream with strawberries
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r S s t g i b u !
Don't f orgethoweverthat the preposition bez (without) takes the genitive case in the singularso that whilst cof f ee with milk and with sugar is kaf ija ar pienM un ar cukuru, cof f ee without milk and without sugar becomes kafija bez pieiui un bez cukura. With a plural noun it doesn't matter which preposition it is together with, the noun will always be in the dative: sokolade ar riekstiem sokolade bez riekstiem chocolate chocolate with nuts without nuts
Dialogue 6
Karlis is about to go to the market. Karlis Laima Karlis Laima Karlis Laima Karlis Ledusskapis ir tukss. Es sodien iesu uz tirgu. Vai tu arl gribi kaut ko? Noperc augjus. Kadus augjus tu vlies? Abolus, apelslnus, bananus. Vinogas ari. Vinogas es nepirksu. Tas ir parak dargas. Bet saldas un garslgas. Ja gatavas. Paslaik vinogas nav gatavas. Tas ir skabas un negarsigas.
l r 1_ a c u o s t g 2 . b u !
tuks, tuka noperc (pirkt( salds, salda gatavs, gatava skabs, skaba negarTgsnegarTga
empty (m.f f.) (you) buy sweet (m.t f.) ripe (m., f.) also ready sour (m.f f.) unpalatable, not tasty (m.f f.)
Language points
Kads? - words describing food
The f olowing words ref er to the quality of f ood or drink: svaigs f resh gatavs ripe mlksts f so t vesellgs healthy garslgs negatavs ciets sullgs tasty unripe hard juicy green.
Tie banani nav gatavi. Tie ir cieti un za|i. Those bananas are not ripe. They are hard and
ie banani ir gatavi. Sie banani ir mlksti un dzelteni. These bananas are ripe. They are soft and yellow. The words skabs, salds, ass, sa)s and rugts refer to the flavour ot rood and arink: skabs salds ass sour sa}s sweet rugts sharp (i.e. hot) salty bitter
To say that sometning is too muchf or example, too sweet, you use the modif ier parak: parak salds. The words kupinats, zavets, skabets, marinets, mazsalits, cepts and varits ref er to the way f ood has been treated: kupinata vista smoked chicken zavetas aprikozes dried apricots skabeti kaposti pickled cabbage (sauerkraut) marineti gurî marinated gherkins mazsallts lasis slightly-salted salmon cepti kartupeji f riedroasted or baked potatoes varitas olas boiled eggs
Adjectives always agree

There is no variation in the adjective and number endings in the accusative (numbers behave like adjectives) sing. Masc. Fem. -u -u pi. -us -as Es gribetu cetrus gatavus bananus. I would like four ripe bananas. Es gribetu divas saldas zemenes. I would like two sweet strawberries.
2 labu
s t g r i k > u ! o
It is very important to remember that there is only the one ending for the adjective or number in the accusativeso even if you have combinations such as vienn pudeli or sald^s zemen where the sounds are different, the adjective is still in agreement.
Man, ludzu balto The white (one) for meplease

As the Latvian language does not have any articles (no a or the) the importance of a noun can be stressed by using one of two types of adjectives. Until now you have most of ten seen the indefinite adjective: jauns dzivoklis, jauna masina roughly equivalent to a new apartment, a new car. There are also def inite adjectives. These have dif f erent endings: jaunais dzivoklis, jauna masina, and in meaning are more similar to the new apartment, the new car. You will have used definite adjectives already when speaking of pedejats / pedeja (the last), pirmais / pirma (the f irst, and also vienigîs (only). Es esmu vienlgais berns. I am the only child. These endings may seem familiar as they are generally used for ordinal numbers. Although you could also simply say sarkanvins or baltvins, we use the definite adjective when describing the specific wine we want: sausais / saldais vins (dry / sweet wine) or sarkaiuiis / baltais vins (red / white wine). In the dialogue we have its accusative form: Sodien mes dzersim sarkano. Today we'll drink the red. Similarlyif you are ordering beer: Man, ludzu, vienu alu! you will usually be asked: Lielo? (The / a large one?) or Mazo? (The / a small one?) When in Riga, people may ask you: Pirmo reizi Riga? - what they wish to know is whether it is The f irst time in Riga? f or you!
There are some word combinations which always take the definite adjective: kreisa, laba roka / kaja f le t, right arm / leg kreisais, labais sparns / krasts lef tright wing / bank mobilais telefons mobile telephone klasiska muzika classical music moderna maksla modern art starptautiska lidosta international airport centrala stacija the central station siltaisaukstais udens warmcold water komunalie maksajumi communal or utility payments Nacionalais teatris the National Theatre Klusais okeans Pacific Ocean Baltais nams The White House Rigas Melnais Balzams Riga Black Balsam Sometimes the adjective becomes so def inite that it turns into a noun: vietejais is a local person. Other similar examples are pieaugusais {a grown-up or an adult) and the colloquial sikie (the tinies)^ referring to children.
2 lfi>o-u(Dlstgribu! 0
/
Dialogue 7
Fiona is planning to go on a diet. She asks Mara what she has to eat during the day. Fiona Ko tu parasti ed brokastis? Mara Brokastis es edu jogurtu ar augjiem, varitu vai ceptu olu, maizi ar sieru un dazreiz an pankukas ar ievarijumu. Fiona Un pusdienas? Mara Pusdienas parasti es edu darzenu salatus ar vistu, dazreiz ar zivi. Pec tam kadu saldo edienu. Diezgan biezi pec pusdienam es edu an torti vai cepumus. Un dzeru stipru kafiju bez cukura. Fiona Un vakaripas? Mara Vakarinas es needu daudz, tikai mazliet galas ar saknem. VarbGt karbonadi ar burkaniem vai zirniem krejuma. Neko daudz. Akja, un vel kartupejus. Bez kartupejiem es nevaru dzivot. pankukas (f. pi.) dazreiz biezi
stiprsstipra (m_f.(
karbonade (f.(
pancakes sometimes often strong meat dipped in egg and fried
Language points
l o u s t g r i c r u ! o a
Es iesu uz teatri ar draugu A little more about the accusative case

The accusative case is not only used when talking about food and drink, but also for the direct object, the target of an action in any context. Here are some more examples of how it works. The verb and the noun in the accusative are in bold: Sodien Deivids spele golfu. Today David is playing gol f. Fiona ir majas, un lasa avizi. Fiona is at home and reading the paper. Dzivokli nevar dzirdet In the f lat (one) can't hear satiksmi. the tra ff ic. Laima gulta skatas televizoru.Lm is watching TV in bed. At the computer Karlis is Pie datora Karlis raksta writing an e-mail. e-pastu. Nigel is waiting f or (his) Naidzels gaida draudzeni girlfriend Gundega. Gundegu. He booked a table in a Viîs pasutija galdinu restaurant. restorana. Gundega perk lupu krasu. Gundega is buying lipstick. She doesn't see the clock. Vina neredz pulksteni. Vina dod naudu pardevejai. She is giving money to the sales assistant. Ilze can't f ind the apartment Ilze nevar atrast dzivokja keys. atslegas. She is looking f or f or the keys Vina mekle atslegas in (her) handbag. rokassoma. Milly is crying, she wants a new Millija raud, vina grib bicycle. jaunu divriteni. Tirgu nepardod divritenus. At the market (they) don't sell bicycles. Harijs saprot latviesu Harry understands (the) valodu. Latvian (language).
Exercises
1 Ask for the following food items using the sentence Es gribetu, ludzu : aboli, sula, olas, merce, ledus, ievarijums, teja, burkani, kafija, sviests, maize, lasis, cepumi, zupa, sokolade.
You're in a cafe in Riga with a friend who doesn't speak any Latvian. You now have to order for her as well as for yourself. Answer the following questions in Latvian. a b c d e f g How would you ask for tea with milk? How would you ask for tea without milk? How would you ask for coffee with milk and with sugar? How would you ask for some bread and butter? How would you ask for the salad without oil? How would you ask for strawberries with cream? Your friend is allergic to nuts - how do you say 'without nuts'?
2 3 i c tgribu!
07
Tell someone kapec (why) you don't like something. Example: Man negarso desa. Kapec? Tapec, ka ta ir parak Man negarso ... a
b
Kapec? too sweet

too salty
medus
si es
c d 4
citroni alus
too sour too bitter
Something is not quite right with these f oods! A mad cook has run amok with the menu and mixed up the pairs. Match the appropriate description to the food item. (Clue: we have made the adjectives match the items they are describing.) a b c d e f g h i j k 1 m n salds zaveta rugts cepta svaigi variti sa)i skabs veseligi ass sullgas cieti miksts kupinatas sula ar (ledus) teja ar (citrons) i u iii iv v vi vii vm ix x xi xii xtu xiv greip f ruts kartupeji zivis citrons pipars vinogas aug(i rieksti cipsi banans medus ga|a salati aprikoze
Finish off the phrases using the correct case. a b
c d e f g h i j k 6
maize ar (desa) maize ar (siers) teja ar (piens) ka f ija ar (krejums) omlete ar (senes) zivs ar (risi) saldejums ar (zemenes) pica ar (spinati) karbonade ar (kartupeji un merce)
You are out f or a meal. Answer the f ollowing questions in Latvian? a Say that you would like some mineral water, b f I the waiter is of f ering you pirmais ediens, what is he talking about? c How would you ask your f ellow diner what he / she would like? d How would you ask the waitress what she recommends? e What would someone say to you if he / she wished to know what you would like to drink? f You want to compliment the f ood or drink and to say that something is tasty. What word do you use?
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Dzons Mara Dzons Mara D2ons I'm going to the shop. What will you buy? I will buy a magazine, cigarettes, matches and orange juice. Get (lit. take) some chocolate with nuts. Chocolate isnt healthy. It's better to eat root vegetables and garden vegetables - carrots, lettucetomatoes ... They are healthy. Those you can eat as much as you like. That's so boring... Take a bag. What would you like? For me, please, this magazine and orange juice. And what else? Cigarettes and matches. It's not healthy to smoke. Will that be all?
Mara
Pardeveja Dions Pardeveja Dzons Pardeveja
Dialogue 2
Dav d Fiona Oficiante David Oficiante What would you like? I'd like salmon with salad. And you, madam, what for you? For me, please, tomato soup with garlic bread. OK, that would be the first course. And for the second (course)? What would you recommend? Today we are offering a business set lunch. First course is salad or soupsecond course roast beef, side dishes, mushroom sauce with potatoes, and for dessert _ ice cream with strawberries. Right, then we'll take the business lunch. I like mushrooms. Two portions, please. And what would you like to drink? For us, please, mineral water and wine. Red or white wine? Today my wife and I will drink red wine. Bottle or glass? Bottle. Is everything alright (lit in order)? Yes thanks, everything is very tasty. Anything else? (Lit What else could we offer?) Only the bill, please.
2l a b u
s t g r i b u ! o
David Oficiante David Oficiante David Oficiante Fiona Oficiante David
David
Dialogue 3
Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Nigel Gundega Tonight I would like to prepare a salad for dinner. What do we need? Tomatoes, cucumbers, oil... And some dill as well? No, please, everything but dill. I don't like dill. Chives perhaps? Yes, we could (have) some chives. And what kind of meat will we eat? Ham? Chicken? Sausage? I don't eat meat I'm a vegetarian. My son is a vegetarian too. He only eats nuts, potato fries and chocolate. I can't eat nuts. I've got an allergy.
Dialogue 4
Gundega While I'm preparing dinner, could you set the table? Nigel Yes, of course. What do I have to do? Gundega First of all put on the plates. Nigel Where are the plates? Gundega Plates and bowls are in the little cupboard by the stove. Nigel And where are the glasses? Gundega The glasses are in the shelf above the sink. Cutlery spoons, knives and forks is in the drawer.
2l a o u
dstgrio-u!o^
Dialogue 5
Karlis David Karlis What shall we eat and drink for lunch? Today I would like to eat a sandwich and drink beer. I like Latvian beer. Agreed! First of all, let's go to the pub. But after that, let's go to a cafe. After lunch I like to drink coffee, black coffee without milk. Do you like coffee? Actually I don't drink coffee. I like tea. I drink tea, tea with milk and sugar. And what kind of sandwich shall we eat? With cheese, or with sausage - whatever.
David Karlis David

Barmaid Karlis Barmaid Karlis David
What would you like? For me, please, a cheese sandwich and a beer. The large or the small? Zero point five or zero point three? The large, please, zero point five. And for me please, give me a sandwich with sausage and a small beer. Barmaid The zero point three? David Yes, zero point three.
Dialogue 6
Kaiiis Laima Karlis Laima Karlis Laima Karlis The fridge is empty. I'm going to the market today. Do you want something as well? Buy [some] fruit What sort of fruit do you want? Apples, oranges, bananas. Grapes as well. lm not buying grapes. They're too expensive. But sweet and tasty. If ripe. At the moment the grapes aren't ripe. They're sour and unpalatable.
Dialogue 7
Fiona Mara Fiona Mara What do you usually eat for breakfast? For breakfast I eat yogurt with fruit, a boiled or fried egg, bread with cheese, and sometimes also pancakes with jam And for lunch For lunch I usually eat a garden salad with chicken, sometimes with fish. Afterwards, some kind of dessert. Fairly often after lunch I eat cake or biscuits. And I drink strong coffee, without sugar. And for dinner? At dinner I don't eat muchonly a bit of meat with vegetables. Pehaps a karbonade, with carrots or peas in cream. Nothing much. Oh yes, and potatoes as well. I can't live without potatoes.
I
3. o-
Fiona Mara
j a e mie"u=5Kli(Ds!
let orDo zrooTDj
Qj
In this unit you will learn to ask for quantities about buying clothing to express necessity to talk about likes and dislikes (not food(
Q Dialogue
Ilze is food shopping. She needs some breadmineral water and apples. She talks to Pardevejs, the male sales assistant. Ilze Sakiet, IGdzuvai ta maize ir svaiga? Pardevejs Ja, protams, ka svaiga. Ilze ledodiet man, ludzu, puskukuli maizes. Cik maksas? Pardevejs Ls 0,52 (piecdesmit divus santimus). Un ko vel? Ilze Vienu pudeli mineraludens. Pardevejs K o vel? Ilze LGdzu, iedodiet man vienu kilogramu abolu. Pardevejs K urus abolus jus velaties? Ilze Tos sarkanos, IGdzu. Un tas bus viss. Pardevejs Aboli bus 76 (septidesmit sesi) santlmi. K opa sanak Ls 2,53 (divi lati piecdesmit tris santlmi). Ilze Tas nav leti. Pardevejs Citur ir dargak. iedodiet (iedot( puskukulis (m.( Cik maksas? Ko vel? kilograms (m.( jus velaties (veleties( santTms (m.( sanak (sanakt( leti citur dargak give (imp.) (to someone) half loaf How much will it cost? What else? kilogramme you wish, desire centime it comes to cheap elsewhere more expensive
pe j a m
_epirkueslC8
Language points
Asking for quantities of something
Remember that when asking f or something you use the accusative case. This applies to quantities too. Butbecause you are asking f or a quantity of something, the f ood or drink item will be in the genitive case.
Look at the following examples: Ludzu iedodiet man / Es gribetu .../ Es velos ../ Man, ludzu . litru (puslitru) a litre (half a litre) kilogramu a kilo (puskilo) (half a kilo) divus kilogramus two kilos 100 grams 100 gramus paku a packet a small packet pacinu kukuli a loaf a slice pudeli vai glazi a bottle or glass gabalu a piece gabaliû a small piece Compare these two sentences: Ludzu, dodiet man maizi! Please give me bread! Ludzu, dodiet man kukuli Please give me a loaf of maizes! bread! piena miltu kartupeju desas sviesta garsvielu maizes skirika sulas siera sokolades of milk of flour of of of of of of of of of potatoes sausage butter spice bread ham juice cheese chocolate
' no 3 j f i ) 3 s p
l r k t i e s
J o
Words in the accusative case (i e. the direct object) are in bold. Here are some more examples: Es I Es I Es I Es I Es I gribetu maizi. would like [some] bread. gribetu svaigu maizi. would like [some] fresh bread. gribetu kukuli (accus.) maizes (gen.) would like a loaf of bread. gribetu vienu kukuli maizes. would like one loaf of bread. gribetu vienu kukuli svaigas maizes. would like one loaf of fresh bread,
Dialogue 2
Karlis is at the market buying dairy products. Pardeveja is the female sales assistant. Karlis Vai jums ir piena produkti? Pardeveja Ja, protams. Ko jus velaties? Karlis Es gribetu, IGdzu, vienu pacinu sviesta un divus litrus piena. Pardeveja Un ko vel?
Kaiiis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Kariis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Kariis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis
-
Gabalu siera, IGdzu. Kuru sieru? To, tur. Cik daudz? Apmeram 200 (divsimt) gramus. Nu ... ta. Vai pietiks? Par daudz. Mazak, IGdzu. Nu ... ta. Vai pietiks? Par maz. Mazliet vairak, ludzu, Nu ... un tagad? Paldies, pietiks. Vai tas bus viss? Ja, paldies. Maisipu an vajadzes? Ne paldies, man ir soma. to Cik daudz? Vai pietiks? (pietikt) vairak maisi^S (m.) vajadzes (vajadzet) that [one] (acc.) How much? (of something) Will that be enough? more carrybag (dim.) will need
The sales assistant cuts off a piece of cheese.
Language points
Mazliet vairak A little bit more
To form comparative and superlative degrees of both adjectives and adverbs you aad little bits before and after (these are called prefixes and suffixes). Adjectival comparatives are gender and case specific. This means that their endings agree with the noun they are describing: labs, labaks, vislabakais (veikals) goodbetter the best shop svaiga, svaigaka, vissvaigaka (maize) f resh f resher the f reshest bread
Adverbial comparatives are dif f erent. They are more general and refer to how something gets done, hence they don't have an ending indicating the gender: dargidargak, visdargak leti, letak, visletak maz, mazak, vismazak daudz, vairak, visvairak expensive, more expensive, most... cheap, cheaperthe cheapest a littlelessthe least much, more, the most
The comparative of daudz doesn't f ollow the usual pattern:
Mazliet, mazdaudz A little bitlittlemuch / many

Partitive words are words used f or selection of a part or quantity out of a group or amount. In Latvian, the word some (dazi) is used only f or countable things. If you want to ask f or some milk, you will have to use mazliet (a little bit of ) f ollowed by the genitive piena. Generally, when talking about indef inite quantitiesyou need to use the genitive case: Viâ nestrada, viîai ir She doesn't work, she has lots daudz laika. f o time. Iedodiet man mazliet maizes. Give me a little bread. Viâm nav nemaz naudas. He doesn't have any money at all
Let's practise!
Vai tas bus viss? Un ko vel? Pietikspaldies. Par daudz - mazak, ludzu. Par maz vairak, ludzu. Mazliet vairak.
Veikali un pakalpojumi Shops and services

lielveikals supermarket gramatnica bookshop avlzu kiosks newsagency kurpju veikals shoe shop ziedu salons flower shop apgerbu veikals clothing shop partika food davanas gifts aptieka bernu preces children's goods pharmacy lîmiska tiritava dry cleaning ve}as mazgatuve laundry elektrotehnika electrical equipment apavu, somu, pulksteû remonts footwear, bag, watch repairs
O Dialogue 3
Ilze is at the newspaper kiosk. llze Pardeveja llze Pardeveja llze Pardeveja llze Pardeveja llze Vai jGs pardodat tramvaja bijetes? Ja, cik jGs velaties? ledodiet man, IGdzu, piecas bijetes. Un ko vel? Avizi, ludzu. Kuru avizi? Dienu. Nu ... ta. Vai tas bGs viss? Sajos ziemas vakaros ir tumss. Man ari vajag atstarotaju. Pardeveja Atstarotaju? Vairs nav. Visi izpardoti. llze Kur es varetu to nopirkt? Pardeveja Pameîniet lielveikala.
-
3 eji
iepirkties!coo
atstarotajs (m.( vairs izpardoti pamediniet (pameginat(
reflector any more sold out try (imp.)
Language points
ledodiet man bijetes Give me tickets
Whilst it hasn't been indicated who, it is obvious f rom the construction that someone (the subject) should give the tickets (the direct object) to Ilze (the indirect object). Quite of ten in Latvian the subject of the sentence will not be named. However a typical simple sentence will have all four elements: a subject, a verb, a direct object and an indirect object. For example, The sales assistant gives the newspaper to Ilze will be expressed like this: subject verb (nominative) Pardeveja + dod + direct object (accusative) avizi + indirect object (dative) Ilzei.
Pirkt un pardot - to buyand gto sell'

pardot (to sell) pirkt (to buy) es pardodu mes pardodam es perku mes perkam tu pardod jus pardodat tu perc jus perkat vins, vina, vini, viâs pardod vins, viâ, viiîvinas perk In the future tense both of these verbs behave like regular verbs: I will sell is Es pardosu and I will buy is Es pirksu. Perc ar karti is a sign appearing increasingly more often in shops. Can you work out what it means? Q Folklore and traditional religion The Latvian folk religion is closely linked to nature. God or Dievin is described as a man in a plain grey coat, who is so gentle that when he walks through a cornfield it doesn't stir. The two next most important deities are Laima and Mara - goddess of fortune and the goddess of nature respectively. Laima was sometimes to be found in the pirts (or sauna) because, as this was the cleanest place in the ancient homestead, traditionally women went there to give birth. In Latvian, someone who was born under a lucky star is said to have been born Laimas krekliiia - in Lai ma's shirt. There was also Juras mate (Sea Mother), Vejamate (Wind Mother) and Zemes mate (Earth Mother). Two male deities were Meness (the Moon) and Perkons {Thunder). Meness was known as the soldier's friend and also the ruler of the stars, but Perkons was a more fierce being, a Jupiter or Zeus-like figure. All these deities feature in the dainas.
a(Djfi>3
iepirkties!ooo
Apgerbs Clothing
bluze cepure
krekls svarki bikses zekes
uzvalks azemperis krekls bikses zelês apaksbikses sorti vejjaka zabaki josta cepure zakete kazoks papezi kabatas
suit (man) jumper shirt trousers socks underpants shorts windcheater boots belt hat jacket fur coat heels pockets
kostlms jaka bluze svarki zelûbikses krusturis tops metelis kurpes salle cimdi abas kaklasaite, sjipse
suit (woman) cardigan blouse skirt tights bra top coat shoes scarf gloves slippers necktie
3 ejttm
l_epirktjes!oan
Dialogue 4
It's a Saturday. David and Fiona are going shopping at one of the large shopping centres. On the way there they run into one of David's colleagues, Karlis. Karlis David Karlis Fiona Ko jus sodien darisit? Mes iesim uz lielveikalu iepirkties. Ko jus pirksit? Delam pirksim dzemperi. Man vajag kurpes, un Deividam vajag jaunu kreklu un jaunas bikses.
At the department store David tries on a shirt. David Vai man der sis krekls? Pardeveja Es domaju, ka tas jums ir mazliet par lielu. Piedurknes ir par garu, un redziet te par platu. VarbGt sis bGs labaks? Meanwhile Fiona is at the shoe shop. Es gribetu uzlaikot tas kurpes. Kuras? Tas tur, skatloga, kreisaja sturi. Kads ir jGsu izmers? Man liekas, ka izmers bus 38 (trisdesmit astotais). Vai tas ir adas? Pardevejs Ja, adas. Fiona Pardevejs Fiona Pardevejs Fiona The shop assistant brings the shoes and Fiona tries them on.
Pardevejs Vai der? Fiona Ne} neder. Nav pareizais izmers. Mazliet par mazu. Pardevejs Tad jums drosi vien vajag 39. (trisdesmit devlto). Acumirkli, es atneslu 39. izmeru. He brings a larger size. Pardevejs Fiona Pardevejs Fiona Vai der? Ja, tiesi laika! Sis ir joti ertas kurpes. Cena an |oti laba. Izskatas labi. Jums piestav. Vai pemsit? Krasa gan man nepatlk. Sis melnas tadas ... iedodiet man, IGdzu, tas baltas. iepirkties man der par lielu piedurknes (f. pi.) par garu par platu uzlaikot skatlogs (m.) kreisaja stun izmers (m.) neder pareizais par mazu atnesTu (atnest) tie laik cena (f.( jums piestav to shop (it) fits me too large sleeves too long too wide to try on shop display window in the left corner size doesn't fit the correctright too small I will bring just right price suits you
3
ejttms'pirkties!C.JL
Language points
Ka tas izskatas? How does it look?
Izskatas labi. Man der. Man piestav. Tiesi laika! It looks good. It f its me. It suits me. Just right!
Problemas Problems with clothing

nepareizais izmers Man neder. Man nepiestav. par lielu par mazu par garu par Isu par platu parsauru the wrong size It doesn't fit me. It doesn't suit me, too large too small too long too short too wide too narrow
3.jfi>3 i e p i r 5 : i e s ! o o o
Dialogue 5
Laima admires Gundega's shoes. Man patik tavas sarkanas kurpes. Vai tas ir jaunas? Ne, tas ir pavisam vecas. Skaties - papezi jau nodilusi. Bet tev piestav. Ar to sarkano kleitu izskatas |oti labi. Kur tu pirki? Gundega Vairs neatceros. Man skiet, ka varbGt kaut kur Barona iela. Tur atrodas dazi labi kurpju veikali. Parasti es ieperkos tur. Laima Tsteniba es tagad mekleju zabakus. Nak ziema, un man nav ko vilkt kajas. Gundega Ja, man ari vajag zabakus. Un siltu biezu meteli. Perc kazoku. Kad krit sniegs, kazoks ir vislabakais. Laima Gundega Drosi vien. Bet man skiet, ka soreiz es pirksu vilnas meteli. Man jau ir kazokadas cepure. Laima Gundega Laima pavisam nodilui vairs neatceros (atcereties) man kiet ieperkos (iepirkties) Tsteniba vilkt biezs, bieza krlt (krist) oreiz vilna (f_) kazokada (f_) quite (completely) worn away 1 don't remember anymore it seems to me 1 shop actually to wear thick (m.f f.) falls / is falling this time wool fur
Language points
Man vajag siltu, biezu meteli I need a warm, thick coat
Here are some description words to describe clothing: silts biezs plans adas svitrains rutains warm thick thin leather striped checked vilnas kazokadas kokvilnas pulâins spilgts woollen fur cotton flowery vivid
Man vajag ... I need...

One way of expressing necessity is the structure man vajag. This is unusual in that it requires the accusative case: Ko tev vajag? Man vajag zabakus. What do you need? I need boots.
When speaking about the future, you simply change the verb part to vajadzes. Maisiû vajadzes? Will (you) need a bag? Similarly, when speaking about the past, the verb part changes to vajadzeja: Deividam vajadzeja jaunu kreklu. David needed a new shirt.
Dialogue 6
Karlis and Laima are getting dressed and ready to go out to a party. They are not impressed with each other's choice of clothing. Tu tacu nevilksi to violeto kreklu. Es gribeju vilkt balto, bet tas ir netlrs. Kapec tu to neaiznesi uz ve|as mazgatuvj? Vai tev nav cita? Ne, tas ir mans vienigais baltais krekls. Starp citu, tas sarkanas kurpes nepiestav tai kleitai. Un ta balta rokassoma ... ta ir sausmlga! Laima 1 pukaina kleita ir mana mljaka kleita! Laima Karlis Laima Karlis
Karlis Laima Karlis Laima Karlis
Kleita nav slikta, bet tev vajag citas kurpes. Citu kurpju man nav. Tikai tie brunie zabaki. Tos brunos zabakus gan nevelc! Es domaju, ka man vajadzes jaunas kurpes. Es jau zinu. Jaunas kurpes ... jaunu rokassomu dzivokli... jaunu vlru ... kur tas viss beigsies? you won't wear dirty (m.t f.) (you) didn't take / carry horrible (m., f.) favourite (m.f f.) already Where will it all end?
139
jaunu
" O m
i i
s
nevilksi (vilkt) netlrs, netlra neaiznesi (aiznest) ausmlgs, ausmlga mljakais, ml)aka jau Kur tas viss beigsies? (beigties)
Language points
Patfk / nepatlk - expressing like and dislike
The verb man patik behaves the same way as the verb man garso, and they both mean to like, but they are not exactly the same. The latter, man garso, is used only when talking about things which are eaten or drunk. Man patik can be used for everything or anything that you like or dislike: clothes, hobbies, booksfilmspeople, activities, the weather and so on.
as sarkanas kurpes Those red shoes

The def inite ending on adjectives is used when speaking about something def inite or known, or something that has already been mentioned previously. It is also used af ter demonstrative pronouns (sistas, etc.) or possessive (mans, jusu, etc.) pronouns. In the previous dialogues we saw def inite adjectives in the accusative case: sis melnas kurpes to sarkano kleitu to violeto kreklu es gribeju vilkt balto ... tos brunos zabakus these black shoes that red dress that purple shirt I wanted to wear the white those brown boots
...
Nominative Locative Singular Plural masc. fem. masc. fem. baltais balta baltie baltas baltaja baltaja baltajos baltajas
Accusative balto balto baltos baltas
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To summarize, f or the accusative of def inite adjectives: The singular ending f or both masculine and f eminine is -o. The plural endings are -os (masculine) and -as (f eminine). balto kreklu, meteli, kleitu, bluzi, cepurikostimu, uzvalkusalli baltos zabakus, svarkus, cimdus baltas kurpes, bikses, zeês
For example: Sodien es vilksu :
Dialogue 7
Elita bought a new suit, but on getting home discovered that there were a few problems with it. She has returned to the shop to complain. ita Es gribu sudzeties! Pardeveja Ja, IGdzu, kas par lietu? ita Es vakar te nopirku kostimu, bet velak majas pamanlju, ka zaketei ir notrukusi poga un svarkiem ir sapllsis ravejsledzejs. Pardeveja Ka tas var but? Vai kostlms ir jauns? ita Ja, kostlms ir pavisam jauns. Vakar pirkts, tacu! Pardeveja Vai jums ir cekii^s? ita Ja, te ir jusu veikala kvits. Pardeveja Paradiet! sudzeties Kas par lietu? pamanlju (pamanft( notrukusi (notrukt( poga (f.( saplisis (sapUst( ravejsledzejs (m.( 5ekip (m.( kvits (f( paradiet (paradit( to complain What's up? 1 noticed has come off button has come apart, torn zip receipt receipt show (imp.)
Language points
Ko tu sodien vilksi? What will you wear today?
Another way of asking what someone is wearing is Kas vinam / vinai mugura?, literally What has he / she got in (on) their back?. This f orm of expression is typical when talking about clothing. There are a number of similar metaphorical expressions which describe how things are worn don't take them too literally: Galva es vilksu cepuri. On my head I will wear a hat. Ap kaklu salli. Around my neck a scar f. Rokas cimdus. On my hands gloves. Pirkstos gredzenus. On my f ingers rings. Kajas bikses. On my legs - trousers. Kajas - kurpes, zelês. On my f eet - shoes socks. Mugura - krekludzemperikleituzaketisvarkus. On my back - a shirt a jumper a dress, a jacketa skirt.
4 ejam
iepirkties!coo
Exercises
1 Change the following into the plural. Be aware of when you are talking about quantities, and when you are using adjectives. There is a difference! Example: (2) paciija sviesta divas pacinas sviesta a b c d e f g h i j k 1( m 2 (6) gatavs banans (4) suligs apelsins (10) svaiga ola (5) zaveta aprikoze (9) salds abols (7) kupinats lasis (2)liela zivs (3) mazs kukulis maizes (100) grami cukura (3) kilograms ga)as (2) glaze vina 6 ) %ele desas (8) tase kafijas
Match the appropriate measurements or containers and the following items (in the genitive case, of course): a b c kilograms (cepumi) gabalins (siers) puslitrs (piens)
d e f g h i j k 1 m 3
trauci^s (ievarijums) gabals (gaja) pudele (ejja) kukulis (maize) paciâ (garsvielas) paka (milti) litrs (mineraludens) 200 grami (makaroni) slêle (desa) pusotrs kilograms (tomati)
S03
lO _ p i i O Q s e e
Now let's go into reverse. Do this exercise in three steps:1) Change the nouns in column A to the genitive. 2) Combine with the word in column B and then 3) Use the phrase in the sentence Iedodiet manludzu ...What happens to the f ood items in column B? Example: Step 1:apelsini apelsinu Step 2: apelsinu sula Step 3: Iedodiet man, ludzu, apelslnu sulu. A a b c d e f g h apelsini senes plumes lîploki ga)a siers slpoli vista B sula merce ievarijums desa salati maize zupa karbonade
Where do you need to go to if ...? Find the correct answer in the right-hand column. a b c d e f you need a hair dryer? you need to repair your watch? you need a new dictionary? your suit needs dry cleaning? you wish to buy some flowers? you need a new pair of shoes? i gramatnlca ii ziedu salons iii apavu, somu un pulksteiju remonts iv kurpju veikals v kimiska tiritava vi elektrotehnika
Here are some specialist shops and some items of shopping you need. Answer the questions in Latvian. a b c d e f Ko var nopirkt tirgu? f ( ruit) Ko var nopirkt apgerbu veikala? (a jacket) Ko var nopirkt avizu kioska? (a newspaper) Ko var nopirkt gramatnica? (a map of Riga) Ko var nopirkt lielveikala? f ( ood) Ko var nopirkt davanu veikala? (a painting) a checked skirt a stripy shirt com f ortable shoes a warm coat a woollen scarf a leather handbag
l r 4 j t t e p i k t i e s m i We
How would you say the f ollowing in Latvian? a b c d e f
Match the descriptions to the articles of clothing using the definite f orm of the adjective. a b c d e f g h tas (sarkans) kurpes tas (baits) krekls tie (rutains) svarki sis (dzeltens) dzemperis tas (svitrains) bikses si (pulpins) kleita ta (biezs) cepure ta (spilgts) kaklasaite
Problems with clothing. Look at the illustrations and say what the problems are.
Transcripts
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Dialogue 1
llze Tell me, is that bread fresh? Pardevejs Yes, of course it's fresh. llze Give me, please, a half loaf of bread. How much will that cost? Pardevejs 52 centimes. And what else? llze One bottle of mineral water. Pardevejs What else? llze Please give me 1 kilogramme of apples. Pardevejs Which apples do you want? llze Those red ones, please. And that will be all. Pardevejs That will be 76 santims. Together it comes to 2 lats and 53 santims. llze That's not cheap. Pardevejs It's more expensive elsewhere.
Dialogue 2
Karlis Do you have dairy products? Pardeveja Of course. What would you like? Karlis I would like, please, a packet of butter and 2 litres of milk. Pardeveja And what else? Karlis A piece of cheese, please. Pardeveja Which cheese? Karlis That (one), there. Pardeveja How much? Karlis About 200 grammes.
Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis Pardeveja Karlis
There you are. Will that be enough? Too much. Less, please. There you are. Will that be enough? Too little. A little moreplease. There you are ... and now? Thanksthat will be enough. Will that be all? Yes, thanks. Will you need a carry bag? No, thanks, I've got a bag.
Dialogue 3
Ilze Pardeveja Ilze Pardeveja Ilze Pardeveja Ilze Pardeveja Ilze Pardeveja Ilze Pardeveja Do you sell tram tickets? Yes, how many do you want? Give me five tickets, please. And what else? A newspaper, please. Which newspaper? Diena There you are. Will that be all? These winter nights it's dark. I also need a reflector. A reflector? Haven't got any more. All sold out Where could I buy one? Try at the supermarket.
4 ejttm
iepirktieslooo
Dialogue 4
Karlis David Karlis Fiona What are you doing (lit will you do) today? We are going shopping to the supermarket What will you buy? We'll buy a jumper for our son. I need shoes, and David needs a new shirt and new trousers.
David Does this shirt fit me? Pardeveja I think that it's a little small for you. The sleeves are too long and see here it's too wide. Perhaps this one will be better?
Fiona Pardevejs Fiona Pardevejs Fiona Pardevejs
I'd like to try on those shoes. Which ones? Those over there, in the window, in the left corner. What's your size? I think that the size will be 38. Are they leather? Yes(of) leather.
Pardevejs Do they fit? Fiona No, they don't fit It's the wrong size. A little too small. Pardevejs Then you probably need a 39. Just a moment, I'll bring you a 39. Pardevejs Do they fit?
Yes, just right! These are very comfortable shoes. Good price too. Pardevejs (They) look good. They suit you. Will you take (them)? iona I don't like the colour. These black ones are kind of... please give me those white ones.
iona
4 ejam
iepirktieslox
Dialogue 5
aima Gundega aima Gundega I like your red shoes. Are they new? No, they're quite old. Look - the heels are already worn. They suit you. They look great with that red dress. Where did you buy (them)? I don't remember anymore. I think (lit it seems to me) that it was somewhere on Barona iela. A few good shoe shops are located there. Usually I shop there. In fact I'm now looking for boots. Winter is coming, and I don't have anything to wear on my feet Yes, I need boots too. And a warm, thick coat Buy a fur coat When the snow is falling, a fur coat is the best Probably. But I think that this time I'll buy a woollen coat I already have a fur hat
aima Gundega aima Gundega
Dialogue 6
Laima Surely you're not going to wear that purple shirt [are you]? Karlis I wanted to wear the white one, but it's dirty. Laima Why didn't you take it to the laundry? Don't you have another? Karlis No, its my only white shirt. By the way, those red shoes don't go with that dress. And that white handbag ... it's horrible! Laima This flowery dress is my favourite! Karlis The dress isn't bad, but you need other shoes. Laima I haven't got any other shoes. Only those brown boots. Karlis Don't wear those brown boots! Laima I think that I'll need new shoes. Karlis I know. New shoes ... new handbag ... new flat ... new husband. Where will it all end?
Dialogue 7
Elita I wish to complain! Pardeveja Yes, please, what's up?
ita
I bought a suit here yesterday, but later at home I noticed that a button had come off the jacket and the zip fastener was broken on the skirt. Pardeveja How can that be? Is the suit new? Elita Yes, quite new. Bought yesterday. Pardeveja Do you have a receipt? ita Yes, here is your receipt Pardeveja Show me!
4 eji
i e p i r k t i e s ! co o
i k o s vmo) c
In this unit you will learn to talk about time to make telephone calls to make arrangements how to talk about things in the past
l v j O a a n N
tw t time a a h
did
e h
ring?
Dialogue 1
Fiona is out shopping. Suddenly she realizes that it may be later than she thought, so she asks a passer-by the time. Fiona Garamgajejs Fiona Sakiet, IQdzucik pulkstenis? Cik ir pareizs laiks? Divpadsmit un 20 minGtes. Ne, atvainojiet, tagad ir pusviens. Jau? Driz bGs pusdienu laiks! Tikko vel bija rits ... pareizs, pareiza garamgajejs (m.) tagad ir pusviens driz tikko bija (but) correct (m f.) passer-by itf$ 12.30 now soon just now it was
4c i k o s
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z v a n q t t ?
Language points
Cik ir pulkstenis? What's the time?
Tagad (pareizs) laiks ir: deviî deviî un 15 minutes deviiji un 25 minutes pusdesmit pusdeviî astoni un 45 minutes Now the (right) time is: 9.00 9.15 9.25 9.30 8.30 8.45
Cikos? At what time?
Kad} meaning when? is used to find out about time in a general sense (tomorrow, yesterday, soon, next week, in a certain month or season). When someone wants to know more specifically at what time?, they will ask cikos? This is a kind of locative form of the question word cik?, so the answer also will be in the locative. In additionthe plural f orm is used (as if time was thought of in hours). Even at one o'clock is expressed as vienos. It logically follows that: at 2 o'clock is divos
at at at at at at at at at at
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock o'clock
trijos cetros piecos sesos septiôs astoijos deviôs desmitos vienpadsmitos divpadsmitos
5c i k o w
v i 3 < z v a n q Q ? M
The half hour is spoken of 'in advance', so 5.30 effectively becomes half six': pussesos. 9.00 13.00 10.30 pulksten devinos pulksten vienos (trispadsmitos) pulksten desmitos trisdesmit minutes or desmitos trisdesmit pulksten divdesmitos divdesmit cetras minutes or astonos divdesmit cetras
111111
Dialogue 2
A domestic conversation. Cikos tu busi majas? Es nezinu. VarbGt piecos, varbut sesos. Mes sodien ejam uz koncertu. Vai tu to zinaji? Ne, es domaju, ka mes sovakar spelejam bridu kopa ar vecmaminu? Mara Ne, tas ir parit. Sovakar astonpadsmitos tridesmit mes ejam uz koncertu. Brauni ari bGs. Pec koncerta iesim uz vieslbam. Mes esam ielugti pie Ozoliem. Dions Ak ja! Labi, ka tu atgadinaji! Es biju aizmirsis. Nu labi, tad es busu majas mazliet agrak. Vai Brauni edis vakarinas kopa ar mums? Mara Ne, mes satiksimies operas nama. Sovakar edisim vakarinas agrak. Dzons Labi, bet pirms vakarinam es vel gribesu nomazgaties un pargerbties. Mara Un tullt pec vakarinam - uz koncertu. Mara Dzons Mara Dzons
sk sk s k FF p
plkst. 20.24
tt t
cikos ejam (iet( bridzs (m.( parlt pec mes es'tam ielugti (ielugt( atgadinaji (atgadinat( es biju aizmirsis (aizmirst( agrak ((peras nama (m.( pirms nomazgaties par\erbties tullt
at what time we are going bridge day after tomorrow after we are invited you reminded 1 had forgotten earlier at the opera house before to wash to change (clothing) immediately
5c i k o s
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Language points
Pirms un pec Before and after
When using the prepositions pirms (bef ore) and pec (af ter) with plural nouns such as brokastis, pusdienas and vakarinas, the noun is in the dativeas always: pirms pec brokastim, pusdienam, vakariâm brokastim, pusdienam, vakariijam
When talking about timethe pulkstens viens, divi, tris and so on are referring to hours, and so these too behave as if they were plural nouns: pirms vieniem be f ore one (o'clock) pec deviniem f a ter nine (o'clock) Unusually, when talking about timethe numeral tris is also declined: pirms trijiem f be ore three (o'clock) pec trijiem f a ter three (o'clock) Otherwise, singular nouns with the prepositions pirms and pec are in the genitive case: pirms koncerta bef ore the concert pec koncerta af ter the concert pirms skolas f be ore school pec skolas f a ter school
Q Dialogue 3
c i k o s <i-3 z v a n t s l a ? 0
A telephone conversation. There is a call f or Laima. She's not homeso Karlis answers. Karlis Klausos! Draudzent9 Labdien, vai Laima majas? Ne, paslaik nav. Kariis Draudzen<3 K ad virja bus? Apmeram pec stundas. Piezvaniet velak. Karlis Draudzem3 Ap cikiem? Nu ta, pec sesiem. Karlis Draudzeru3 Taja laika es vedu bernus uz baseinu. Vai es nevaretu zvanlt mazliet velak, nu ta ap septiniem? Tad zvaniet pjrms pus deviniem, jo no pus devipiem Karlis lldz pus desmitiem Laima skatas zinu raidijumu Panorama. klausos (klausities) palaik stunda (f.) velak ap vedu (vest) ITdz skatas (skatlties) raidijums (m.) m listening (lit.) presently hour later around, about I take / transport / convey until, as far as watches broadcast
Language points
Ap cikiem? At about what time?
The preposition ap means around, requires the accusative. and with singular nouns It can also be used to talk about time: ap cikiem? means at about what timef, again using the plural form, as if we were talking about hours. In reply, we use the dative form of the number, for example: ap vieniem meaning at about one (o'clock).
No cikiem ITdz cikiem? From what time until what time?

S i m i l a r l y , w h e n a s ki n g a b o u t a p e r i o d o f t i m e a n d usi ng t h e
5 cikos<-3
prepositions no (from) and lidz (until)^ we use cikiem. Again the answer will be in the dative no 12.00 lidz 13.00 no 9.00 lidz 17.30 no 16.45 lidz 18.00 no divpadsmitiem lidz vieniem (trispadsmitiem) no deviniem lidz pieciem trisdemit (pussesiem) no sespadsmitiem cetrdesmit piecam lidz astonpadsmitiem
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Dialogue 4
Ilze calls the National Art Gallery to find out what time it opens. llze Labrlt, vai tas butu Valsts makslas muzejs? Muzejs Ja, ka varam jums palidzet? llze K ads ir jGsu darba laiks? Muzejs Darbdienas, iznemot pirmdienas, mes stradajam no desmitiem rita lldz pieciem pecpusdiena. llze Pirmdienas jus nestradajat? Muzejs Ne, pirmdienas muzejs ir slegts. llze Vai muzejs ir atverts ari nedejas nogales? Muzejs Sestdien muzeja darba laiks ir no pulksten desmitiem lldz sespadsmitiem, bet svetdien lidz piecpadsmitiem. llze Vai muzejs ir atverts visu dienu? Muzejs Ja, mes stradajam visu dienu, bez pusdienu partraukuma. llze Paldies. Uz redzesanos! palidzet darba laiks (m.( slegts, slegta atverts, atverta visu dienu partraukums (m.( to help opening hours closed (m.f f.) open (m., f.) for the whole day break
Language points
o
s
"3<
Cik pulkstenis? What is the time?

When the large hand is in this When the large hand is in this half, you say pari \/vV\o\iw\nC\ Minutes past Minutes to Bez x [dative] minutem y [nominative] For example: 5.42 = bez 18 minutem sesi 3.17 = 1 7 minutes pari trijiem So another way of expressing the time is to say that there are x minutes over (pari) the houror x minutes to the hourwhich is expressed as bez (literally without) Pulkstenis (tagad) ir 9.15 8.45 Piecpadsmit minutes pari deviîem. Bez piecpadsmit minutem devini. y 25 /
x
" 5
half, you say bez
[nominative] minutes pari y [dative]
Note also that the 24-hour clock is used in Latviani.e. at 1pm will be expressed either as vienos or trispadsmitos.
Dialogue 5
David calls a restaurant to make a booking. It is a restaurant by the River Daugava and David would like a table with a view. Restorans Restorans RGpnica,. David Labvakar, es gribetu pasutit galditiu. Restorans K ad? Sovakar? Sovakar diemel restorans ir pilns, viss rezervets.
Ne, mes gribejam nakt so piektdien. Cikos? Pus astonos. Cik cilvekiem? Cetriem cilvekiem. Pus astonos mums nebus briva galdina cetriem cilvekiem. Mes jums varam piedavat laiku astonos piecpadsmit? Vai nebus par velu? David Piecpadsmit pari astopiem. Mazliet velak neka gribejam, bet bus labi. Mes gribetu galdinu ar skatu uz upi. Vai butu iespejams sedet kaut kur pie loga, ar skatu uz Daugavu? Restorans Redzesim. Es parunasu ar kolegiem. Meginasim kaut ko izkartot. David Restorans David Restorans David Restorans pasutlt galdin (m.) pilns, pilna rezervets pari par velu skats (m.) iespejams izkartot to book, order table (dim.) full (m., f.) reserved past (lit over) too late view possible to arrange
5 cikoM<-3(0<N<fl}3=iu
Literally meaning seasidethe suburb of Jurmala has long been the playground of Riga. Consisting of a series of coastal resorts (Lielupe, Bulduri, Dzintari, Majori, Dubulti, Pumpuri, Vaivari) lining the beach (pludmale) of the Baltic Riviera, the ornate pre-war summer houses (vasarnlcas) of Jurmala testify to its enduring popularity. During the Soviet years, even Svetlana Stalin is said to have kicked up her heels in Jurmala whilst her father was busy holding court in Moscow. These days, Jurmala is still flashy and home to some upmarket spas, but it also has a far more sedate role as the location of the residence of the valsts prezidents (the president of the state).
156
Dialogue 6
It's Sunday eveningand Mara and Gundega are on the telephone, catching up with each other af ter the weekend. Mara K o jus vakar danjat? Gundega Vakar pa dienu mes atpGtamies, tapec ka mes bijam |oti nogurui. Principa nedanjam neko. Es laslju, Naidzels pie datora speleja kaut kadas speles. Vakara bijam uz viesibam. Majas parnacam |oti velu - ap trijiem no rita. Sorit ilgi gulejam. Un ko jGs? Mara No rita bijam tirgu. Pec tam mes tlrijam maju un stradajam darza. Sakuma meitas mums palldzeja, velak vinas aizgaja ciemos pie draugiem. Kamer virias projam, mes vakaririojam restorana, bet pec tam aizgajam uz kino. Pec filmas negribejam iet majas, tapec vel aizgajam uz krogu. Pusnaktl bijam majas. Sorit savacam meitenes, un pec pusdienam vel aizbraucam uz jurmalu. Peldeties negajam, jo laiks bija vess, tomer pastaigajamies pa pludmali. Sikie smiltis spelejas... Gundega Kada bija filma? Mara Ai, filma nebija interesanta. Gara un garlaiclga. Es neko nesapratu ... Vispar sedejam talu no ekrana, 30. rinda. Un kids aiz mums visu laiku pjapaja. pa dienu atputamies (atpusties) nogurui (nogurt) princips (m.) parnacam (parnakt) velu no rita ilgi tliljam (tint) sakuma (m.) projam pusnakts (m.) savakt peldeties vess pastaigajamies (pastaigaties) pa pludmale (f.) sikie (m. pi.) smiltis (f. pi.) ekrans (m.) p|apaja (p|apat) during the day we rested tired principle we came back late in the morning long (time) we cleaned at the beginning away midnight to collect to swim cool we strolled along beach children (coll.) sand screen chatted
(O
Language points
Ko jus vakar darljat? What did you do yesterday?
When you are talking about things and events that took place in the past, you need to use the past tense of the verb. The regular verbs in the past tense are quite predictable and all behave in the same way. Here is how they work in the dif f erent f amilies: es tu vins, vina mes jus vini, vinas runat runaju runaji runaja runajam runajat runaja varet vareju vareji vareja varejam varejat vareja lasit lasiju lasiji lasija lasljam lasljat lasija
5 cikos<-3N<fi>dfi}-0
Notice the long sounds predominate, as if it all happened such a long time ago. Verbs in the past tense are characterized by long sounds. With the irregular verbs, the endings are f amiliar, but some of the stems change into something quite unexpected. Here are the stems f or some of the more common irregular verbs: but (to be) iet (to go) braukt (to go) êmt (to take) griezt (to cut) es biju (bijibija, bijambijat) es gaju (gaji, etc.) es braucu (brauci, etc.) es ijemu es griezu
Some of them drop the -j- f rom the ending:
Some do both in that have an unusual stem and no -j in the ending: dot (to give) es pirkt (to buy) es saprast (to understand)ts atrast (to f ind) es devu (devi, etc.) pirku sapratu atradu
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Dialogue 7
A colleague f rom the bankIlze, has called David at home. Fiona Hallo! Ja, IGdzu? llze Labvakar! Vai es varetu runat ar Deividu? Fiona K as rnna, IGdzu? llze Seit runa llze. Fiona Uzgaidiet, ludzu. Nenolieciet klausuli. David is in the bath, so he gets Fiona to say that he's not in. Fiona llze Fiona llze Diemzel Deivids ir izgajis. K o viam pateikt? Ludzu pasakiet vinam, ka zvaniju es _ llze. Varbut vins var jums piezvanit? Vai vinam ir jusu telefona umurs? Man liekas, ka ja. uzgaidiet (gaidit( nenolieciet (nolikt( klausule (f.( izgajis, izgajusi (iziet( pateikt man liekas wait (imp.) don't put down (imp. receiver gone out (m.f f.) to tell 1 think or believe
I
s.
CO
Q Let's practise!
Hallo! Ja, ludzu? Vai ta ir ... Ilze? Vai tas ir ... Janis? Es gribetu runat ar ... Es veletos runat ar... Vai es ludzu varetu runat ar. Uzgaidiet! Nenolieciet klausuli! Klausos! Kas runa, ludzu? Viâ it lzgajusi. Ko viâi pateikt? V i ^ ir izgajis. Ko viâm pateikt?
Dialogue 8
Nigel receives an unexpected telephone call at work. It's a girl to whom he gave his telephone number at a night club. Ja, ludzu? Vai tas bGtu Naidzels? Jaa-a. Kas runa, ludzu? Aizvakar mes satikamies naktskluba. Tu man iedevi telefona numuru, un teici, lai es tev piezvanu. Es tagad nevaru runat, es esmu darba. Piezvani man velak! Ne labak zvani man ovakar!
Nigel
Nigel
Tu teici, ka ovakar tu iesi uz teatri. Ak ja, pareizi ... Piezvani man starpbridl. Luga sakas astonos un beidzas desmitos. Starpbrldis bus ap deviniem. Es saprotu. Nekas, es tevi netraucesu. Uz redzesanos. aizvakar starpbrldis (m.) luga (f.) sakas (sakties) beidzas (beigties) netrauceu (traucet) the day or evening before last interval play begins finishes 1 won't disturb or bother
j k o w < i p >c S
Language points
Sacft / teikt - to say' or to tell'
The verbs teikt and sadt are unusualas they both mean the same thing, however the tendency is to use teikt in the past or future tenses, but to use sacit in the imperative and the present. Here are the more commonly-used f orms of these verbs: Tagadne (i n the present tense) es tu viqis mes jus viî saku saki saka sakam sakat saka Pagatne (i n the past tense) teicu (saclju) teici (saclji) teica (saclja) teicam (sacljam) teicat (sacijat) teica (saclja) Nakotne (i n the future tense) teiksu teiksi teiks teiksim teiksit (teiksiet) teiks
Dialogue 9
At the of f ice, David wants to start a meeting, but Karlis hasn't arrived yet. David Vai varam sakt? Zane Mes vl gaidim Karli. David Kur vin ir? Vai kads vinam ir zvanijis? Zane Ja, es vinam zvaniju. Vins teica, ka ir trolejbusa, un ka vins driz bus. Ilze Vai tu vinam jautaji, kapec vi kavejas? Zane Vins teica, ka vij esot palidzejis matei parvakties. David PagaidTsim vel piecas minutes un tad saksim.
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sakt trolejbuss (m.( kavejas (kaveties( parvakties
to begin trolleybus is late to move (house)
Language points
Ludzu, pasakiet vinam / vipai Please tell him / her
Occasionally, with certain verbs you go straight to the dative case. The verbs palidzet (to help), jautat (to enquire), zvanit (to ring / phone, teikt / sacit (to say) and piekrist (to agree with) all work together with nouns in the dative case: Ludzu pasakiet vinai ... Es zvanlsu arstam. Berni palldzeja matei. Zurnalists jauta ministram. Es jums nepiekritu. Please tell her ... I will ring the doctor. The children helped mother. The journalist asks the minister. I don't agree with you.
CO
Prefixes
Uzgaidiet and pasakiet are imperative forms of the verbs uzgaidit and pasacit, which in turn are the verbs gaidit (to wait) and teikt / sacit (to say) with prefixes. These particular prefixes don't greatly change the meaning of the verb. This is not always the case, however. Sometimesthe prefix will change the meaning of the verb completely. For example pdrdot (to sell), padot (to pass / to hand) and aizdot (to lend) are all constructed f rom the verb dot (to give) with prefixes added, and they express completely dif f erent things. Of the pref ixesie- and iz- are very common, and are amongst the most consistent in meaning. Of ten but againnot always they indicate inward motion (ie-) or outward motion (iz-): ieeja, izeja ieietlziet iekapt, izkapt ieskaitit izveleties izêmot entranceexit to go in, to go out to get (climb) in, to get (climb) out to include (skaitit to count) to pick outchoose or select (veleties - to desire) excepting
O Dialogue 10
It is late at night and Nigel is disturbed by a phone call. It turns out to be a wrong number. Nigel Klausos! Ja, IQdzu! Sieviete Labvakar! Vai jGs mani dzirdat? Nigel Ja, es jus dzirdu. Ludzu, runajiet! Sieviete Es velos mnat ar arstu. Nigel Kas jus esat? Ka jus sauc? Sieviete Jums zvana ... bet kapec jus gribat zinat, ka mani sauc? Nigel Es jus nepazlstu. Ko jus gribat? Kapec jus zvanat man pusnaktl? Sieviete Vai si nav Linezera slimnlca? Nigel Nekada gadljuma! Kjuda. Jus k|udljaties! Sieviete Atvainojiet! Laikam sajaucu numurus. Nigel Nekas. dzirdat (dzirdet) es jus nepazlstu (pazlt) Nekada gadyuma! nepareizi k|uda (f ) kjudTjaties (kjudities) sajaucu (sajaukt) nekas you hear 1 don't know you Under no circumstances! wrong mistake you made a mistake 1 mixed up don't mention it (lit nothing)
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vi's<Zv fi)313tt7
Language points
Es jus dzirdu I hear you
Although it both looks and sounds exactly the same, the jus in this sentence is not in the nominative, but in the accusative, because it is the direct object of the sentence: Subject + direct object + Es Similarly: Es jus nepazlstu. I don't know you. jus verb dzirdu. I hear you.
Cik biezi? How often?

Visu dienu means for the whole day or all day long. A similar expression is katru dienu {every day or each day). Here are some other possible responses to the question Cik biezi? (How often?): vienmer biezi parasti dazreiz reti nekad always often usually sometimes rarely never
Ko jus darijat? What did you do?

The verb darit (to do) has only one function, the literal meaning to do something. The question Ko jus darat? is not usually used with reference to occupation, as it can be in English. Other usages of the word do in English also do not have a parallel in Latvian. Look at the Latvian equivalents of the following phrases: Do you have? Do you know? Do you like? Vai jums irf Vai jus zinatf Vai jums patik?
Exercises
1 Read the text and then answer the questions. Use the vocabulary list at the end of the book to find out the meaning of any new words. Darba dienas es cejos pulksten 6.00 no rita. Pamodinu bernus un gatavoju brokastis. Brokastis mes edam 7.00. Tad berni iet uz skoluun es steidzos uz darbu. No ritiem viss vienmer notiek steiga, jo katru dienu pirms darba es eju uz baseinu. Darba man jabut 8.30, bet es nekad neesmu laika. Pulksten 12.00 mums parasti ir pusdienu partraukums. Mes ar kolegiem biezi edam ednica. Dazreiz pusdienlaika es eju iepirkties. Darba diena beidzas 17.00. Ar tramvaju braucu uz majam. Vakarinas mes edam ap 19.00. Biezi mans virs ir vel darba un nak majas pec 20.00tapec vins ed velak. Pec vakariâm mes parasti skatamies televizoru. Dazreiz mes aizbraucam uz jurmalu pastaigaties, bet tas notiek diezgan reti.
Mana diena: Zanes stasts (My day: Zane,s story)
Now, answer the following questions in Latvian. At what time does Zane get up? What does she do at 7 a.m.? At what time should she be at work? What usually happens at 12 o'clock? What does she sometimes do during her lunch hour? At what time does her working day finish? When does she have dinner? Does Zane's husband always eat dinner together with the family? Read the following times out loud. 7:00 11:30 8:20 17:00 4:10 3:00 18:00 8:30 21:00 3 (septiijos) mes parasti edam brokastis es esmu darba berni iet uz skolu es sodien busu pilseta es nekad neesmu majas mes bijam naktskluba viiji vienmer ed vakariâs sakas Panorama visa gimene ir majas
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CO
Check with the recording, if you have it. Answer the following questions. a b c d e f 4 How would you ask at what time something ends in Latvian? You are informed that the museum is atverts devinos. What does this mean? You're on the phone and someone says Vina ir izgajusi. Will you be able to speak to the person you wanted? How would you ask the time in Latvian? How would you tell someone to call later in Latvian? A friend tells you to visit pec pusdienam. When will that be?
Kam jus zvanijat? ( W h o did you call?) Change the following nouns into the dative case and make sentences to answer the above question. Example: direktors Es zvaniju direktoram.
f 8h i )
a b c d e
restorans Karlis policija Deivids draugi
Fiona skolotajs Ilze draudzene kolegis
Fill in the missing parts of the telephone dialogues. a Ar ko jus gribat runat? (With the doctor.) Diemzel vi^s ir izgajis. Ko viijam pateikt? (Please tell him that my child is ill. He has an earache.) Ar ko jus gribat runat? (With the secretary.) Diemzel viâ ir izgajusi. Ko viâi pateikt? (Please tell her that I won't be at work today. I shall work at home.) Ar ko tu gribi runat? (With Auntie.) Diemzel viija ir izgajusi. Ko vinai pateikt? (Please tell her that I won't be able to come visiting tonight.) Ar ko jus velaties runat? (With David.) Diemzel vins ir izgajis. Ko vinam pateikt? (Please tell him that we will be at the restaurant at seven. We will book a table.)
64Gproco<-<on^
You call a restaurant to arrange a dinner. Fill in the other half of the conversation. You may wish to use Dialogue 5 to help you. Restaurant You Restaurant You Restaurant You Restaurant You Restorans 'Kartupelu maja'. (1 would like to book a table.) Kad? (On Saturday, at 8 o'clock.) Cik cilvekiem? (For seven people.) JGsu vardu Q d z u ? (Spell your name and tell them that you would like to sit by the fireplace, if possible.)
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Fiona Garamgajejs Fiona Tell me, please, what is the time? What's the right time? 12.20. No, excuse me, it's now half past 12. Already? It will be lunchtime soon. And just a moment ago it was still morning...
Dialogue 2
Mara Dions Mara Dions Mara At what time will you be home? I don't know. Perhaps at five, maybe at six. We're going to a concert today. Did you know that? No, I thought that we're playing bridge with granny tonight No, that's the day after tomorrow. Tonight at 6.30 we're going to a concert. The Browns are going to be there too. After the concert we're going to a party. We've been invited to the Ozols. Oh yes! It's good that you reminded [me]. I had forgotten. OK, then I'll be home a little earlier. Are the Browns dining together with us? No, we'll meet at the opera house. Tonight we'll have (lit eat) dinner earlier. OKbut before dinner I'll want to wash and to change. And immediately after dinner to the concert.
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Dions
CP
Mara Dions Mara
Dialogue 3
Karlis Draudzene Karlis Draudzene Karlis Draudzene Karlis Draudzene Karlis Hello! (literally: I'm listening!) Good day, is Laima at home? No, at the moment (she) isn't When will she be (home)? In about an hour. Ring later. At about what time? Wellafter six. At that time I take the children to the pool. Couldn't I ring a little later, well at about seven? Then ring before 8.30, because from 8.30 until 9.30 Laima watches the news progamme Panorama
Dialogue 4
Ilze Muzejs Ilze Muzejs Ilze Muzejs Ilze Muzejs Ilze Muzejs Ilze Good morning, would that be the National Art Gallery? Yes, how can we help you? What are your opening times On weekdays, except Mondays, we work from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. You don't work on Mondays? No, on Mondays the gallery is closed. Is the gallery open on weekends as well? On Saturday the gallery is open from ten until fourbut on Sunday - until three. Is the gallery open all day long? Yes, we work all day, without a lunch break. Thank you. Bye!
Dialogue 5
Restorans David Restorans David Restorans David Restorans David Restorans David Restaurant 'Rupnica'. Good evening, I would like to book a table. When? Tonight? Tonight the restaurant is full, everything is booked. No, we wanted to come this Friday. At what time? At half past seven. (For) how many people? (For) four people. At half past seven we won't have a table free for four people. We can offer you the time of 8.15. That won't be too late? 8.15? A little later than we wanted, but that'll be OK. We'd like a table with a view of the river. Would it be possible to sit somewhere by the window, with a view of the Daugava? We shall see. I'll speak to (my) colleagues. We'll try to sort something out.
' l f t ^ 6 c i k o < 5 v a n j a ?o w w z
Restorans
Dialogue 6
Mara Gundega What did you do yesterday? Yesterday during the day we rested, because we were extremely tired. Basically (lit in principle), we didn't do anything. I read, Nigel played games on the computer. In the evening we went to a party. We got home very late, about 3 o'clock in the morning. This morning we slept late. What about you? In the morning we were at the market After that we cleaned the house and worked in the garden. At the start [our] daughters helped us, later they went visiting friends. Whilst they were away, we had dinner at a restaurant, but after that we went to the cinema. After the film we didn't want to go home, so we went to a pub. We were home at midnight This morning we picked up the girls and after lunch we went to the seaside. We didn't go swimming, because the weather was cool, however we went for a stroll along the beach. The children played in the sand. What was the film like? Oh, it wasn't interesting. Long and boring. I didn't understand anything. We were (lit sat) a long way from the screen in Row 30. Somebody behind us was chatting all the time.
Mara
Gundega Mara
Dialogue 7
Fiona Ilze Fiona Ilze Fiona *** Fiona Ilze Fiona Ilze Hello. Yes, please? Good evening. Could I speak to David? Who's speaking, please? It's Ilze speaking here. Wait a moment, please. Don't hang up. Unfortunately David has gone out. What (shall I) tell him? Please tell him that I rang - Ilze. Perhaps he can call you? Does he have your telephone number? I think he has.
r 6 _ o p o < _ 3 w 2<0)3jifi)7
Dialogue 8
Nigel Meitene Nigel Meitene Yes, please? Would that be Nigel? Ye-es. Who's speaking, please? The night before last we met at a nightclub. You gave me your telephone number, and told me to call you. Nigel I can't talk now, I'm at work. Ring me later. No, better call me tonight. Meitene You said that you were going to the theatre tonight. Nigel Oh yes, that's right. Ring me during the interval. The play starts at eight, and ends at ten. The interval will be at about nine. Meitene I understand. No problem, I won't disturb you. Goodbye.
Dialogue 9
David Zane David Zane Ilze Zane David Can we start? We're still waiting for Karlis. Where is he? Has anyone called him? Yes, I called him. He said that he is on the trolleybus, and that he'll be here soon. Did you ask him why he's late (lit delayed)? He said that he'd had to help his mother move house. Let's wait another five minutes and then let's begin.
Dialogue 10
Nigel Klausos. Yes, please? Sieviete Good evening! Can (lit do) you hear me? Nigel Yes, I hear you. Please speak! Sieviete I wish to speak to a doctor. Nigel Who are you? What are you called? Sieviete You're being phoned by but why do you want to know my name? Nigel I don't know you. What do you want? Why are you calling me at midnight? Sieviete Isn't this Linezers Hospital? Nigel Definitely not (lit under no circumstances)! It's a mistake. You're mistaken. Sieviete Excuse me! I must have mixed up the numbers. Nigel Don't mention it (lit nothing).
A^ c i k o s < 3 ( f t < S 0 3 & o x
My day: Zane's story

On weekdays I get up at 6 a.m. I wake the children and prepare breakfast. We eat breakfast at 7 a.m. Then the children go to school and I hurry to work. In the mornings everything always happens in a hurrybecause every day bef ore work I go to the swimming pool. I should be at work at 8.30 a.m., but I'm never on time. At 12.00 we usually have a lunch break. My colleagues and I of ten eat in the canteen. Sometimes at lunchtime I go shopping. The working day f inishes at 5 p.m. I go home by tram. We eat dinner at about 7 p.m. O f ten my husband is still at work and comes home f a ter 8 p.m., so he eats later. A f ter dinner we usually watch television. Sometimes we go to the seaside f or a walkbut that happens f airly rarely.
l UN t ) o n n
In this unit you will learn travelling and transport vocabulary to ask for directions to obtain travel information about buying tickets
t ta r s a a a e h h i d
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Dialogue 1
David and Fiona have arranged to go to the theatre. Davia is going there straight from work, Fiona is going from home. Unfortunately they are both going to different theatres. David asks the way to the National Theatre. David Garamgajejs Sakiet, IQdzu, kur atrodas Nacionalais teatris? Tepat netalu. Ejiet atpakaj pa bulvari lldz galam, un teatris bus jums prieksa, mazliet pa kreisi uz stura, blakus parkam. Es mekleju teatri. Sakiet, ludzu, kur ir Dailes teatris? Turpiniet iet taisni uz prieku pa Brivibas ielulldz l\ersielai. Ta bus Miera iela. Teatris ir aiz Miera ielas, labaja pusblakus parkam. go (imp.) back along to the left continue (imp.) straight ahead, forward sidestreet side, also half
u zp 3 . e k u
Meanwhile Fiona is looking for the Dailes Theatre. Fiona Garamgajejs
ejiet (iet) atpaka| pa pa kreisi turpiniet (turpinat) taisni uz prieku lcersiela (f.) puse (f.)
Language points
Skaties pa labiy skaties pa kreisi Look to the rightlook to the left
The preposition pa is a slightly elusive little word with a number of meanings. The phrases pa kreisi and pa labi simply mean to the left or to the ri ght. As a preposition pa governs the noun in the accusative. It can mean along: Es eju pa ielu. It can also mean around: Mes cejojam pa pasauli. We are travelling around the world. I am walking along the street.
In English you say that you are speaking on the phone, but in Latvian it is pa telefonu: Sobrid viiâ runa pa telefonu. Pa cejam uz pilsetu. At the moment she is speaking on the phone. On the way to (the) town.
Occsionally, in certain instances, pa requires the dative:
Ejiet taisni uz prieksu! Go straight on!

Ejiet! (Go!) and Turpiniet! {Continue! or Keep going!) are both examples of the imperative form of the verb.The imperative is formed in the following way: In the singular the same second person form is used: tu ej tu runa Ej taisni uz prieksu! Runa lenak! Go straight on! Speak more slowly!
In the plural (or formal you (jus)) the ending -iet (-jiet) is added to the second person singular form: tu ej tu brauc tu runa Ejiet lidz galam. Brauciet atrak! Runajiet lenak! Go as far as the end! Drive faster! Speak more slowly!
Dialogue 2
Nigel is driving along Lacplesa iela. He needs to get to the Hotel Alberts, but doesn't know the way. He asks someone in the street for help. Nigel Garamgajejs Sakiet, IGdzu, ka var nok|Gt lldz viesnicai 'Alberts'? Jums jabrauc lidz krustojumam, japagriezas pa kreisi, tad jabrauc uz prieksu lldz pirmajam luksoforam. Tur japagriezas pa labi, un jus bGsit tiesi preti viesnicai. Viesnica bGs ielas kreisaja puse. Paldies, es atkartosu. Tatad: Udz krustojumam, pa kreisi, taisni uz prieksu, tad pie gaismam pa labi. Pareizi? Tiesi ta. How can one get to ...? you must go crossroads, intersection you must turn traffic lights to the right directly opposite I will repeat
Nigel Garamgajejs
Ka var nokjut...? jabrauc (braukt) krustojums (m.) japagriezas (pagriezties) luksofors (m.) pa labi tiei pretl atkartou (atkartot)
Language points
t a i s n i u z prieku
Q Let's practise!
Kur ir Kur atrodas? Ka var nokjut lldz pa labi pa kreisi taisni uz prieKsu lidz galam atpakaj labaja puse kreisaja puse
Jums jabrauc You must go

The verbs jabrauc, japagnezas and jaiet are in the debitive mood which expresses the ooligation or necessity of perf orming an actionthat is one has to or must do (something). jabrauc have to go or must go (by vehicle) japagriezas have to turn or must turn jaiet - have to go or must go (on f oot) This particular f orm of the verb stays the same, whichever name, pronoun or noun it is used with. As in the so-called dative verbs' (like man ir, f or example) the name, pronoun or noun must be in the dative case. Verbs in the debitive mood are f ormed in the f ollowing way: Name, pronoun or noun Third person of the Vevt> with the prefix jain the dative case present tense man mums jums tev Deividam Fionai (vin brauc( (vins pagrieas( (vins iet( jabrauc japagriezas jaiet
The only exception is the verb but, which is simply f ormed by adding the pref ix ja- to the inf initive but, so you get jabut:
Man jabut darba deviiôs.
I have to (must) be at work at ni ne.
7 taisni u z rieku o
In colloquial speech people sometimes add the verb ir. This does not change the meaning. Both f orms are equally correct: Man jabrauc uz RIgu. = Man ir jabrauc uz RIgu. I have to (must) go to Ri ga. The negative of the debitive mood is f ormed by putting nav in the middle, as f ollows: Man nav jabrauc. Jums nav jamaksa. Viâm bus jabrauc. Vinai bi)a jabrauc. Mums butu jabrauc. I don't have to go. You don't have to pay. He wi ll have to go. She had to go. We should go.
It is simple to use it in the f uture, past and conditional tenses.
Remember that when you say man ir, man patik or man garso the object(actually the subject) is in the nominative. Likewise here too - the same rule applies: Man jaraksta vestule. I have to (must) wri te a letter. Jums jaaizpilda anketa. You have to (must) fill in a form. Berniem jaed augji. i Ch ldren have to (must) eat frui t
Dialog ue 3
Karlis and David have been on a business visit to a country townand are now having to get back to Riga by train. Karlis enquires at the local station. Karlis C ikos atiet nakamais vilciens uz RIgu? Stacija Vai, jums nelaimejas! Tikko ieprieksejais aizgaja. Tagad lldz nakamajam vilcienam bus jagaida apmeram stunda. Karlis Vai nav cita? Stacija Ir viens pirms tam, bet tas nav tiesais. Ar to jums Talsos vajadzes parsesties cita vilciena. David Es gribu braukt ar tieso. Nekas, bGs japagaida. Kariis Jagaida, jagaida. Man ta gaidlsana ir lldz kaklam ... David Ta vins ir... vai tu gribi iet kajam lidz Rigai?
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atiet (atiet) departs (transport) Vai! Oh! jums nelaimejas (nelaimeties) you were unlucky iepriekejais the previous aizgaja (aiziet) went nakamais the next tieais the direct vajadzes (vajadzet) you will have to parsesties to change (transport) gaidiana waiting ta vip ir that's the way it is iet kajam to go on foot
r u zp i e s u
Language points
Transport
A vilciens stops at a stacija, but an autobuss, tramvajs or trolejbuss stops at a pietura. The next stop is nakama pietura, and the next station is nakama stacija. The marsruts is the route it takes. The terminus is galapunkts. A timetable is a saraksts. The formal terms for arrival and departure are pienak and atiet, although colloquially people also say iebrauc and izbrauc. To board or get on is iekapt and to alight or get off is izkapt. Even though you can buy a bilete or talons in a kiosks, you still have to stamp it (jakompostre) when you get onto the bus trolleybus or tram (kad jus iekapjat autobus trolejbusa vai tramvaja). If you haven't done so, you are likely to get caught by a kontrolieris (ti cket i nspector). The coach stati on is autoosta. Uzgaidama telpa is the wai ti ng room. Atiesanas laiks is the departure ti mepienaKsanas laiks is the arrival ti me. Pienaksanas vieta is the platform where the bus or coach arri ves. Osta is a port or harbour. Passenger vessels (pramis {ferry) or kugis (ship)) will stop at a pasazieru osta. Laiva is a boat, motorlaiva a motorboat and burulaiva or jahta is a yacht. An airport is a lidosta, a flight is a reiss or lidojumsand takeoff is pacelsanas and landi ng is nolaisanas (or nosesanas). The next fl i ght will be nakamais reiss. Checki n is registracija. Boarding is iekapsana, and the boarding card is i ekapsanas karte or talons.
O Dialogue 4
r t a i s n iu z J i e k u T
Fiona takes the children to the beach at Jurmala. She is not quite sure how to get there by public transport, so she asks her neighbour. Fiona Kaimin Fio na Ka Fiona Ka min Sakiet, IQdzu, ka es varu nokjGt Jurmala? Jus varat braukt ar vilcienu vai ar mikripu. Kas tas ir mikri,? Nu, mikro autobuss. Marsruta taksometrs. Mazais busi. Cik ilgi iet mikro autobuss? Cik ilgi jabrauc? Normali apmeram pusstundu. Tagad, kamer liela satiksme ielas, ar vilcienu ir atrak. Ar kuru vilcienu es varu braukt uz Jurmalu? Fiona Vislabak bus braukt ar vilcienu, kas iet uz Tukumu. Ka Kur es varetu nopirkt bijetes? Fiona Ka min Gan vilciena, gan stacija bijesu kase, preti ieejai. Paldies. Fiona Kaimin Laimlgi! mikrip (marruta taksometrs) (m.) atrak vislabak laimlgi microbus service (coll.) quicker it is best all the best, good luck (lit happily)
10
Language points
LTdzf blakus, pretT, pari As far as, next to oppositeacross
Whilst in the plural all prepositions are governed by the dative case, there are some that need the dative also in the singular: njiet lidz galam. Teatris atrodas blakus parkam. Jus busit preti vienicai. Pardaugava ir pari tiltam. Go to (as far as) the end. The theatre i s situated next to the park. You wi ll be opposi te the hotel. Pardaugava i s over the bri dge.
Remember that the preposition lldz is also used when talking about time: Mes stradasim lldz vakaram. We'll work until evening. No cikiem lTdz cikiem From what time until what time
7
tQ)i(Ani
u z o e k s u J H
Dialogue 5
Nigel enquires at the tourism in f ormation centre about travelling to Liepaja, a large port city on the western coast of Latvia. Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzinas Es gribetu braukt uz Liepaju. Sakiet, ludzu, ka var nok|ut ITdz Liepajai? Ar automaslnu lldz Liepajai var nok|0t apmeram divas stundas. Man nav masinas, man jabrauc ar sabiedrisko transportu. Tad jus varat braukt ar vilcienu, autobusu vai lidmasinu. Vilciens atiet no centralas dzelzceja stacijas, autobuss no autoostas. Bet, ja gribat lidot, tad jums jabrauc uz lidostu.
Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzinas
Vai jus zinat, cikos iet nakamais vilciens uz Liepaju? Diemzel nezinu. Man nav saraksta. Jums jajauta stacija. Vai jus nezinat, cik maksa lidz Liepajai? To ari nezinu. Ar lidmasinu ir dargak, bet atrak. Ar autobusu ir letak, bet lenak. Un ar vilcienu? Vairak vai mazk tas pats. information public transport the central (m f.) timetable, also list cheaper the same
S g
uzziiias (f. pi.( sabiedriskais transports (ma( centralaisy centrala saraksts (m.) letak tas pats
Language points
Ar lidmaslnu ir dargak, bet atrak By plane it's
more expensive, but quicker
Remember that unnke comparatives of adjectives, comparatives of adverbs are not gender or number specif ic. Because the adverb is about how something is done, ref erring to the verb instead of a noun, it doesn't need a def ining ending. Hence atri and leni simply become atraK and lenak: Kugis iet atri, bet lidmasina A ship goes f ast, but a plane iet atrak. goes f aster. Ar divriteni ir lenak neka By bike is slower than by ar motociklu. motorbike. To compare, here are the adjectival comparatives: Kugis ir lenaks neka lidmasina. Lidmasina ir atraka neka kugis. dargak, letak tuvak, talak agrak, velak A ship is slower than a plane. A plane is f aster than a ship.
Here are some more common adverbial comparatives: more expensivecheaper nearer, f urther earlierlater
Dialogue 6
At the railway station Nigel asks about trains to Liepaja. Nigel Stacija Nigel Stacija Sakiet, IGdzu, cikos iet nakamais vilciens uz Liepaju? Vilciens atiet sesos vakara. Un pec tam? Nakamais? Tas ir vienigais. No Rigas uz Liepaju vilciens iet tikai vienreiz diena. No Rigas tas atiet sesos un Liepaja pienak devinos vakara, bet no Liepajas uz Rigu tas atiet sesos no nta un pienak Riga devipos. Brauciens ilgst apmeram tris stundas. Nigel C ik maksa bijete, IGdzu? Stacija C etri lati (Ls 4). Nigel Tas nav dargi. Vai tas ir turp un atpakaj? Stacija Ne, turp un atpakaj bGs astoni lati (Ls 8). vienreiz pienak (pienakt) ilgst turp un atpakaj once arrives (transport) lasts return (ticket)
7 taiMni u z
v 3 . < k u D
Language points
let un braukt - to go: two different verbs of motion
The meaning of iet is to go in a general senseor to get somewhere on f oot. If you are travelling in or on any kind of vehicle, you must use the verb braukt. This is how they are conjugated in the present tense. iet (to go) es eju mes ejam tu ej jus ejat vins / vina / vini / viâs iet braukt (to go - by vehicle) es braucu mes braucam tu brauc jus braucat vi^s / vina / vini / viâs brauc
These are both irregular verbs. In the f uture tense they both follow the normal pattern, but in the past tense the stem changes from the inf initive: es gaju mes gajam tu gaji jus gajat vins / vina / vini / viijas gaja es braucu mes braucam tu brauci jus braucat viijs / vina / vini / viijas brauca
Note the usage of the verbs iet and braukt in the following examples: Es braucu uz RIgu ar vilcienu. Vilciens iet 12.30. I travel (go) to Riga by train. The train goes at 12,30.
Another difference is that whilst you may say aizbraukt (to go away (by vehicle)) and its opposite atbraukt (to come (by vehicle))^ the opposite of aiziet (to go away) is atnakt (to come or to arrive). Atiet (to depart) is used only for public transport.
Es braucu ar vilcienu I go by train

In Latvian instead of saying that you are travelling by a vehicle, you say that you are travelling ar (with) a vehicle: vilciens trolejbuss tramvajs lidmasina divritenis train trolleybus tram airplane bicycle ar ar ar ar ar vilcienu trolejbusu tramvaju lidmaslnu divriteni
The combination iet kajam means to go on foot and staigat means to walk. If you are actually on the train or busyou use the locative case: Es esmu vilciena. Mes esam autobusa. I am on the train. We are on the bus.
Never use uz unless you are perched up on top of the roof of the train or bus! One of the meanings of uz is on or on top of, but it is not used the same way that the preposition on is used in English when referring to transport. In English, when you say that you are on the bus you are actually saying that you are in the bus (hence locative also in Latvian).
Dialogue 7
Nigel has decided to take a plane to Liepaja and now needs to get to the airport. He goes back to the tourist information centre to find out. Nigel Sakiet, IQdzu, ka es varetu nokjut lldz lidostai? Uzziiâs Jums jabrauc ar 22. autobusu vai ar taksi bet ar taksi bus dargi. Nigel C ik talu no pilsetas lldz lidostai?
Uzzipas
Nav parak talu. Ja nav liela satiksme, tad no Vecrigas lldz lidostai var nokjut pusstunda. Nigel Kur atrodas tuvaka autobusa pietura? Uzzipas 22. autobuss atiet no Abrenes ielas. Tsteniba tur ir ari galapunkts. Nigel has found the bus stop, but is not sure that he has found the right bus, so he checks with the driver. Nigel Soferis Nigel Soferis Nigel Soferis Sakiet, IGdzu, vai sis ir pareizais autobuss? Uz kurieni jGs velaties braukt? Uz lidostu. Ja, sis ir pareizais autobuss. Kur man jaizkapj? Jums jabrauc lldz pasam galam. Lidosta ir galapunkts. taksis (taksometrs) (m.) nav parak talu jaizkapj (izkapt) ITdz paam galam galapunkts (m_) taxi (coll.) it's not too far must get off until the very end terminus, final stop
r 8t a i s E u z o i e k s u I
Language points
Nakamais autobuss? Tuvaka pietura? The next bus? The nearest stop?
Both ordinal numbers (pirmaisotraisetc.) and de f inite adjectives (pedejais, nakamais, pareizais) change endings according to gender and through the various cases. The ending f or the dative f orm of the def inite adjective is not dissimilar to the dative ending f or nouns: lldz pedejai pieturai to (as far as) the last stop lldz nakamajam vilcienam unt i l the next trai n Here is a table showing how ordinal numbers and def inite adjectives change with the cases:
Masculine
t a i s u z piieku m
Nominative pirmais pareizais nakamais pedejais Feminine

r
Locative pirmaja pareizaja riakamaja pedeja
Accusative pirmo pareizo nakamo pedejo
Dative pirmajam pareizajam nakamajam pedjam
Nominative pirma tuvaka pedeja
Locative pirmaja tuvakaja pedeja
Accusative pirmo tuvako pedejo
Dative pirmajai tuvakajai pedejai
Q Let's practise!
Vai si ir pareiza pietura? Vai sis ir pareizais autobuss? Kur ir tuvaka pietura? Cikos atiet pedejais vilciens? Cikos iet nakama lidmasina?
O Tramspotting in Riga There's something inherently romantic about train travel, and Riga's trams are essentially old-fashioned trains gliding on hundreds of kilometres of tracks on both sides of the River Daugava. Even if the streets are paved with asphalt, the area around the tracks is usually paved with cobblestones an everpresent reminder of antique times. Trams have been modernized over the years and the new time stamping system spares commuters an encounter with a conductor who can't wait for her shift to end. But despite colourful advertisements on the outside, peddling anything from trade union membership and phone books to laundry detergents and power tools, the interiors of trams can be a bit grubby and travelling at rush hour is like crowd surfing at a rock concert. That said, trams are still an excellent way to see the city and they're a bargain to boot. You can also venture off to parts of Riga
few tourists will ever see and even if the areas are a bit dodgy, you can take in their decaying Soviet ambience from the safety of your tram. Today 252 trams cover 11 routes on both sides of the river, transporting over 75 million customers every year. As stamping machines have replaced tram conductors, you must buy your 0.40Ls tickets at newspaper kiosks throughout the city (or from the driver for 0.50Ls) and then feed them to the yellow contraptions below the green arrow. A ticket is not valid unless it is stamped, but bear in mind that the new rules only apply to trams and trolleybuses, not buses (which still have conductors).' From Riga in your Pocket guide.
Dialogue 8
Fiona and David have come to visit Laima and Karlis. Laima wants to know how they got there. Laima Fiona Laima Fiona Ka jGs atbraucat? Ar auto? Ne, mums nav masinas. Tiesam? Ja, mes izdomajam, ka Riga dzivojot, mums nevajag auto. Nav kur likt. Garazas mums nav. Vispar centra ir gruti atrast stawietu. Un maksas stawietas ir dargas. Ari degviela ir darga. Laima Ko jus darat, ja jus gribat braukt garaka ce|ojuma? Ko jGs darat brivdienas? Fiona Braucam ar transportu ar vilcienu vai ar autobusu. Dazreiz irejam masinu, bet tas notiek reti. Ja garaks atva|inajums, un braucam uz arzemem, tad parasti lidojam. Laima Manuprat Latvija ir bistami braukt ar auto. Fiona Es jums piekrftu. Ce|i ir slikti, Tpasi laukos. Un soferi... Biezi, autobusa pietura stavot un gaidot, es skatos: masinas brauc garam tik ! Sausmas ... Laima Brauc ka traki! Ari pie stures sezot, nav viegli nenervozet. atbraucat (atbraukt) came (by vehicle) tieam really izdomajam (izdomat) we figured out likt to put, place stawieta (f.) a place to park maksas stawieta (f.) paid parking
degviela (f.) cejojums (m.) manuprat blstami Tpai o f e r i s (m.) pietura (f.) garam ausmas (f. pi.) traks, traka sture (f.) viegli nervozet
fuel journey, trip to my mind dangerous particularly driver stop (transport) past horror mad (m.t f.) steering wheel easy to be nervous, anxious
t i iu z f>rieku s a n
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Language points
Stavot un gaidot Whilst standing and waiting
To describe that you are in the process of doing something, that is whilst perf orming an action, you use a particular f orm of the verb called the passive participle. In Latvian there are various types of participles. The ones ending in -ot generally (but not always) correspond to English -i ng words, where they ref er to continuous action. There were a number of these participles in the above dialogue: dzivo jot i wh lst living stavot i wh lst standi ng gaidot i wh lst wai ti ng sezot i wh lst sitting
Exercises
1 Join up the words in English with their Latvian equivalent. station aeroplane train tram taxi airport terminus bus stop bus i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix lidmasina lidosta stacija vilciens pietura galapunkts tramvajs autobuss taksometrs
You are a tourist in Riga. In Latvian, do the f ollowing: a b c d e f tell someone that you are looking f or ... ask them where i s ... ask them how far i s it to ... ask how can you get to ... ask f or the nearest bus stop. tell someone that the bus station is next to the market.
d taisni
r u z p i e k u
You are at the inf ormation of f ice. Ask how to get to the suburbs or neighbourhoods of Riga (shown in brackets). Remember that the endings on the place names will change depending on the prepositions.
a facd c f gh
Vai sis tramvajs iet uz (Jugla)? Ar kuru trolejbusu es varu braukt uz (TeiKa)? Vai sis autobuss iet uz (Sarkandaugava) ? Vai ar so vilcienu es varu braukt lldz (Ciekurkalns)? Ar ko es varetu braukt uz (Mezaparks)? Ar kuru tramvaju man jabrauc uz (Imanta)? Vai ar so autobusu mes varam braukt lldz (Pjavnieki)? Vai sis trolejbuss iet uz (Purvciems)? Vai sis autobuss iet uz (Rigas lidosta)? Vai ar so trolejbusu es varu braukt lldz (pilsetas centrs)? Vai sis tramvajs iet lldz (Matlsa tirgus)?
Do the same with the f ollowing destinations. i j k 4
Look at the map and say whether the statements are true (pareizi) or false (nepareizi).
a b c d e 5
Veikals ir tuvu pie stacijas. Baseins ir netalu no stadiona. Musu maja ir pie parka, Muzejs ir talu no viesnlcas. Autobusa pietura ir pie veikala.
o St 3 _ s n i
l u zp i e ,
Using the map on the previous page and starting with the words: No ejiet give someone instructions on how to get... a b c d e f f f f f rom our house to the station, rom the hotel to the bank, rom the school to the swimming pool, rom the university to the library, rom our house to the shop.
_ I
Use the correct f orm of the words in brackets. Example: Australija ir talu no Latvijas. (Latvija) a b c d e f g h i j Tirgus ir netalu no (teatris). Tirgus ir blakus (kanals). Mes busim Londona lldz (sestdiena). Cik talu lldz (stacija)? Musu vasarnlca ir netalu no (Baltijas jura), Bernu skola ir blakus (stacija). 22. autobuss iet no (lidosta) lldz (centrs). Veikals ir atverts no (deviî) lidz (pieci). Bankas darba laiks ir no (desmit) lldz (trls). Musu vecaki bus Latvija lldz (nedejas nogale).
Geographical and place names in Latvian tend to be feminine words, with f eminine endings (Riga, Latvija, Daugavpils, Mazirbe). Some Latvian town and place names do exist in the masculine f ormand of ten they are plural: Saulkrasti, Ainazi, Bulduri, Dzintari, MajoriDubulti, Asari, Kemeri, TaisiBaivi. In addition, Latvian names f or Helsi nki and Athens are Helsinki and Atenas. What happens when these place names are used with the prepositions uz and lidz?
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
David T ell me, please, where is the National T heatre located? Garamgajejs Right here, not far. Go back along the bulvaris, up to the end, and the theatre will be in front of you, a little to the left on the corner, next to the park.
z 8 taiMni u
l p i e k O N u
I am looking for the theatre. Tell me, please, where is the Dailes T heatre? Garamgajejs Continue to go straight onwards along Brivibas iela, as far as the side street T hat'll be Miera iela. The theatre is beyond Miera iela, on the right side, next to the park.
Fiona
Dialogue 2
Nigel T ell me, please, how can one get to the Hotel Alberts? Garamgajejs You must go as far as the intersection, then you must turn to the left, then you have to go straight ahead as far as the first set of lights. T here you must turn to the right, and you will be directly opposite the hotel. The hotel will be on the left side of the street Nigel T hank you, I will repeat So then: as far as the intersectionto the left, straight ahead, then right at the lights. Right? (lit correct?) Garamgajejs Exactly so.
Dialogue 3
Karlis Stacija At what time does the next train depart for Riga? Oh, you've been unlucky! The previous one left just a moment ago. Now you'll have to wait until the next train about an hour. Isnt there any other? T here's one before that, but it's not a direct (one). With that one you'll have to change at Talsi. I want to take the direct one. Never mind (lit. nothing), we'll have to wait Must wait, must wait... I've had this waiting 'right up to here' (lit up to the neck'). T hat's the way it is ... do you want to go to Riga on foot?
Karlis Stacija David Karlis David
Dialogue 4
Fiona T ell me, pleasehow can I get to Jurmala? Kaimip You can go by train or by mikrins. Fiona What's thata mikrins? Kaimiî Well, it's a microbus. Fixed-route taxi. The small bus. Fiona How long does it take? How long does one have to travel? Kaimin Normally about half an hour. Now, when there is a lot of traffic on the road, it's quicker by train. Fiona Which train can I take to go to Jurmala? Kaimip It would be best to take the train which goes to T ukums. Fiona Where can I buy tickets? Kaimins Both on the train and at the station at the ticket office opposite the entrance. Fiona T hanks. Kaimin Good luck!
8t a _ n i u z M
r p i e k S u
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Dialogue 5
Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzinas I would like to go to Liepaja. Tell me, please, how can I get to Liepaja? By car one can get as far as Liepaja in about two hours. I don't have a car, I've got to go by public transport. T hen you can go by train, coach or plane. The train departs from the central station, the bus from the bus station. But if you want to flyyou must go to the airport. Do you know at what time the next train to Liepaja goes? Unfortunately I don't know. I don't have a timetable. You must enquire at the station. Do you know how much it costs to get to Liepaja? I don't know that either. By plane it's more expensive, but quicker. By coach it is cheaperbut slower. And by train? More or less the same.
Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzinas Nigel Uzzipas
Dialogue 6
Nigel T ell me, please, at what time does the next train to Liepaja go? Stacija T he train departs at six in the evening. Nigel And afterwards? The next one? Stacija T hat's the only one. T he train goes from Riga to Liepaja once a day only. It departs Riga at six and arrives in Liepaja at nine in the evening, but from Liepaja to Riga it departs at six in the morning and arrives in Riga at nine. The journey
lasts about three hours. Nigel How much does a ticket cost, please? Stacija Four lats. Nigel T hat's not expensive. Is that return (lit there and back?) Stacija No, return will be eight lats.
a _ 3 3 j S >t
UN
r p i e k u
Dialogue 7
Nigel T ell me, please, how can I get to the airport? Uzzinas You must take the number 22 bus or go by taxi, but by taxi it will be expensive. Nigel How far is it from town to the airport? Uzzipas lts not very far. If there isn't much trafficthen you can get from Vecriga to the airport in half an hour. Nigel Where is the nearest bus stop? Uzzipas Bus 22 departs from Abrenes iela. Actually the terminus is there as well.
^
0
Nigel T ell me, please, is this the right bus? Soferis Where do you want to go to? Nigel T o the airport. Soferis Yes, this is the right bus. Nigel Where do I get off (lit climb out)? Soferis You must go to the very end. T he airport is the terminus.
Dialogue 8
Laima Fiona Laima Fiona How did you come? By car? No, we don't have a car. Really? Yes, we figured out that whilst living in Riga we don't need a car. (There's) nowhere to put it We don't have a garage. Generally, it's difficult to find parking in the centre. Fuel also is expensive. What do you do if you want to go on a longer journey? What do you do on holidays? We go by public transport, by train or by coach. Sometimes we hire a car, but that happens rarely. If it's a longer vacation, and we're going abroad, then usually we fly. In my opinion it's dangerous to travel by car in Latvia. I agree with you. T he roads are poor, particularly in the countryside. And the drivers ... Often whilst standing and
Laima Fiona
Laima Fiona
waiting at the bus stop I watch: the cars go past so quickly! Horrors! Laima T hey go like mad! It's not easy not to be anxious sitting behind the wheel as well.
l s s n ju zp i e ,^ o 8
t rn r ) ( D v & o p i k n v(Do)Qllbu
t b r a e o yc T u y n m
l t a e h h
r a
u d u a n
In this unit you will learn to describe health problems to buy medication from a pharmacy about dealing with other services (hairdresser, bank, post office)
Dialog ue
At the school where she works Laima unexpectedly meets her bossJanis Silins. Laima Ka jums iet? Dzirdeju, ka jGs esat bijis slims. Direktors Ja, pedejas dazas dienas man sapeja galva un kakis. Bija ari klepus un temperatGra. Saku domat, ka man ir gripa. Laima Un ka sodien? Vai jums tagad ir labak? Direktors Ja, sodien es jGtos daudz labak. Galva vairs nesap, un klepus - ka nebijis. Vai jus lietojat zales pret gripu? Laima Ne, zales es neesmu dzeris. Tikai kumelisu teju ar medu un citronu. Ak ta? Parasti tadas reizes es dzeru aspirinu. Laima man sapeja (sapet) klepus (m.) gripa (f.) es jutos (justies) lietot zales (f. pi.) pret kumellu teja (f.) was sore, hurt cough flu to feel to use (here: to take) medicine against camomile tea
1 9nopirkt veseRbu
r n r p a a u d un e v a
Language points
Kas jums kais Explaining medical problems
Es jutos sukti./ Man nav labi. / Es ne jutos labi. Es esmu slims / slima. Es esmu saaukstejies / saaukstejusies Man ir augsts / zems asinsspiediens. Man ir kaut kas acl / ausl. I don't feel well
I have a cold, (mf.) I have hi gh / low blood pressure. I have somethi ng i n my eye / ear. I have a hangover. Man ir pagiras. My back / tooth hurts. Man sap mugura / zobs. I have i nsomni a. Man ir bezmiegs. I'm di zzy. Man reibst. Man ir iesnas / viruss / slikta dusa / salauzta kaja (roka). I have the sni ffles / a vi rus / nausea / a broken leg (arm)
I am ill. (m.f .)
Medical vocabulary
acu arsts bernu arsts ginekologs îrurgs traumatologs
rn r 9 2 p a t t u d un e v a r 1 9 n o p i k tv e s e b u I R
eye doctor children doctor gynaecologist surgeon A & E specialist
psihiatrs terapeits medmasa zobarsts traumatologijas punkts asinsanallze slimlbas lapa
psychiatrist general practitioner nurse dentist A&E blood test medical certificate
rentgens X-ray ambulance out-patient clinic arsta prakse doctor's atra / neatli ekama pali dzisurgery ba
ambulance
Dialogue 2
An acquaintance, Tija, meets Karlis on the street and notices that he looks unwell. Tija Karlis Tija Kariis Tija Karlis Tija Karlis Ka jus jGtaties? Es nejutos labi. Kas vainas? Kas jums kai? Man sap veders un ir slikta dusa. Vai jus esat bijis pie arsta? Vel ne. Pie arsta vel neesmu bijis. Jums tullt jaiet pie arsta. Ja, iesu, es iesu. Es jau pierakstijos. Rit bus konsultacija.
At the health centre, Karlis takes his number and goes to the reception. Reîstratura Karlis Reîstratura Karlis Reîstratura Karlis ReistratQra Karlis ReistratQra Karlis Reîstratura Pie ka? Pie terapeites Vaimanes. Vai jums ir pieraksts? Ja, protams. Pulksten desmitos piecdesmit. Ja ... Karlis Ozolins? Tas esmu es. Kads ir jusu personas kods? 150762-11834 Apdrosinasanas polise ir? Ne, nav. Tad jums bus jamaksa. Tur ir kase. Vispirms samaksajiet, tad ejiet uz arstes kabinetu. Dakteres Vaimanes kabinets ir tresaja stava.
rs r 9 3 p a u d un e v a l r 1 9 n o p _ 5 v e s e i b u
jutaties (justies) Kas jums kai? slikta dua (f.) pierakstljos (pierakstlties) konsultacija (f.) pieraksts (m.) personas kods (m.) apdroinaana (f.) polise (f.) kase (f.) kabinets (m.)
you feel What's the matter with you? nausea I registered, signed on consultation appointment identity number insurance policy cashier consulting room, office
Language points
Man sap galva I have a headache
The verb sapet is always used only in the third person: man sap galva, Janim sap kaja, Ilzei sap mugura, beraam sap zobs. Man sap kakis has two possible meanings it can be that you have a sore throat, or that you have a sore neck, although the more common expression f or sore throat is angina (nothing to do with heart disease).
The perfect tenses

When you say that you have done something, you are using a form of the perfect tense. In the dialogues, the phrases es neesmu dzeris, jus esat DIJIS and es neesmu bijis are all examples of the perfect tense. (Do not conf use with es esmu slims, where slims is an ordinary adjective). A perf ect tense expresses the f act that an action in the past has been started and is usually f inished or completed. It consists of an auxiliary verb (in Latvian it is always a form of but) indicating tense, and a past participle indicating the gender and number. We have already seen the perf ect tenses in action in previous chapters: Viijs lr izgajis. Es biju aizmirsis. He has gone out. I had forgotten.
The participle of non-reflexive verbs is formed by using the past stem of the verb plus the endings -is, -usi-usi, -usas f or masculine singular, f eminine singular, masculine plural and feminine plural subjects respectively. If the stem ends in a long suffix vowel, the endings are preceded by a -j: (m. sing.) f ( . sing.) runat runajis varet varejis lasit lasljis runajusi varejusi lasijusi (m. p i . ) ( f . pi.) runajusi varejusi lasijusi run usas varejusas lasijusas
l 19nopirktv e s e i b u
r n r ^p a a u d un e v a
With irregular verbs, once you f ind the stem, the endings f ollow the same pattern: bijis gajis; dot dzeris) bijusi bijusi bijusas devis; saprast sapratis; est edis;
Some verbs (without a vowel bef ore the end -t of the inf initive form) - f or examplebraukt, pirkt, nakt and sakt - behave differently. With these, a consonant interchange occurs in the stem and the participles are as f ollows: (m. sing.) f ( . sing.) braukt braucis braukusi (pirkt pircispirkusi; nakt sacissakusi) (m. p i . ) ( f . pi.) braukusi braukusas nacis, nakusi; sakt
Note that with these it is always the masculine singular f orm which is different to the others. If speaking about a mixed group (male and f emale), or if you don't know the gender of the group, the masculine plural f orm is used.
Dialog ue 3
At the pharmacy, Karlis is buying medication f or his digestive problems. Karlis Aptiekare Man vajag zales. Pedejas divas dienas man sap veders un ir bijusi caureja. Vai jums ir recepte?
Kariis
Ja, te ir recepte.
19noTSirkt vesellbu
a u d u ^ par n
The pharmacist brings the medicines and explains how they must be used. Aptiekare Te bus zales pret vedersapem: pa trim pilieniem glaze udens, jadzer ik pa sesam stundam. Tas bus pret sapem. Un tad vel sis zales: jadzer trisreiz diena, divas tabletes pirms esanas. Tas bus pret caureju. Labdien! Ka varam jums palidzet? Nedejas nogale mes bijam laukos. Mani sakoda odi, un tagad man visur niez. Ko jus ieteiktu? Sis krems noteikti palidzes. Kur jGs bijat? Mes bijam pie ezera, meza vidG. Odiem patik udens. Vai jums nebija ugunskura? Odiem dumi nepatik. Bet nakamreiz lietojiet kadu lldzekli pret odiem. diarrhoea prescription, also recipe stomach ache drop every six hours pain thrice tablet eating I was bitten mosquito everywhere I'm itchy / itching cream smoke next time mosquito repellent
n e v a r J k
Another customer comes in. Aptiekare Klients Aptiekare Klients Aptiekare
caureja (f.) recepte (f.) vedersapes (f. pi.) piliens (m.) ik pa seam stundam sapes (f. pi.) trisreiz tablete (f.) eana (f.) mani sakoda (kost) ods (m.) visur man niez krems (m.) dOmi (m. pi.) nakamreiz Udzeklis pret odiem (m.)
Dialog ue 4
Elita has gone to the hairdresser. She is going on a first date and wants to get a haircut. Elita Friziere Elita Es gribetu apgriezt matus. Jums bus jagaida. Friziere ir aiznemta. VarbGt jus varetu atnakt pec pusstundas? Es uzgaidlsu tepat uz vietas.
r ^p a
l l 1 9 n o p i r k tv e s e b u
r n t t u d un e v a
Jk
Elita waits until the hairdresser is free. The hairdresser is now ready and asks her what she wants. Friziere ita Friziere ita Friziere ita Friziere ita LGdzu, sedieties seit. Ko jGs velaties? Negribat ielikt ilgvijnus? Ne, vienkarsi mati par garu, neko nevaru redzet. Gribu tikai apgriezt. Es pirmo reizi iesu uz randinu. Nu, un ka? Prieka uz pieres |oti isus, bet aizmugure garus. Sanos ari IGdzu atstajiet tapat, ka ir. Un ko darisim ar celinu? Celins lai paliek vidu. Vai izmazgat? Ja, bet pec tam IGdzu izzavet ar fenu.
>
apgriezt sedieties (ssties) ilgvijpi (m. pi.) vienkari randip (m.) aizmugure sanos tapat, ka ir celin (m.) izmazgat iziavet fens (m.)
to trim sit (yourself) down (imp.) permanent wave simply rendezvous, date (coll.) at the back at the sides the same as it is parting to wash to dry hairdryer
Language points
Lai paliek vidu Let it stay in the middle
The word lai has a number of meanings or functions. Here it means let it (do someth i ng):
lai paliek lai vipa runa lai viî nak Lai vins piezvana velak!
let it stay let her speak let them come Let hi m call later!
19nopirktvesenbu
rn a 7 p a t t u d u n e v a r J k
It can also have a commanding or instructive tone. As a joining wordor conjunction, lai has the meaning i n order to (+ verb in the conditional mood): Lai runatu ar konsulu, nospiediet viens! Lai studetu, studenti nem kreditus. In order to speak to the Consul, press 1. In order to studystudents take loans.
The word combination lai gan means although. Lai gan komanda spele j a labi, viiji tomer zaudeja speli. Although the team played well, they nevertheless lost the game. Lai gan vi^s lr precejies, vi^s nedzivo kopa ar sievu. Although he i s married, he doesn't li ve together wi th his wi fe.
Dialogue 5
At the barber's. Nigel is going grey, so he has decided that he needs to colour his hair. The barber is reluctant. Frizieris Nigel Frizieris Nigel Frizieris Nigel Ko? Jus velaties krasot matus? Kapec ne? Redziet, man ir sirmi mati. Es negribu izskatlties vecs. Bet jums ir usas. Un tas ir baltas! Osas var noskut. Un bardu? To ari. krasot Kapec ne? sirmi noskut to colour, dye, paint Why not? grey (only when referring to hair( to shave
Language points
Introduction to reflexive verbs
In Latvian, verbs have two kinds of endings in the inf initive. You are familiar with verbs ending in -t (stradat, lasit, varet, est, dzert, dot, iet, but, and so on). There are also verbs ending in -ties. These are known as reflexive verbs, because the meaning is of ten (but not always) reflexivefor example the verbs mazgat (to wash) and mazgaties (to wash oneself). The ref lexive f orm can have an interactive element to it: whilst saprast means to understand, the ref lexive saprasties means to to get on (i.e. to understand each other)^ similarly sarunaties means to chat or to converse. Sometimes the meaning of ref lexive verb and its non-ref lexive counterpart is almost identical, f or example sedet (to si t) and sesties (to si t oneself down). (Sedieties is the imperative verb; sesties in the ref lexive.) Just as of ten, the two f orms diverge in meaning: there is madt (to teach) and mactties (to learn), likewise skaidrot (to explai n) and skaidroties (to clear up). Many ref lexive verbs do not have a non-reflexive counterpart at all. Examples include atcereties (to remember, steigties (to hurry) and brimties (to marvel, to be surpri sed). Others can only be reflexive (apgulties - to li e oneself down). There are ref lexive verbs which derive f rom a combination of non-reflexive verbs and pref ixes, f or example, parakstities (to sign) is a ref lexive f orm of the verb rakstit (to wri te) with the prefix pa-. The pref ixes play a varying role too: sometimes they are more important than others. The verb griezt is to cut, but griezties means to turn (oneself), while pagriezties means to turn to or toward and atgriezties is to return.
g > pttr
nopirktv e s e b u 19 R
r n a u d un e v a
Dialogue 6
At the bank, David wishes to open an account. He also needs to change money. David Banka David Banka Es gribetu atvert bankas kontu. Kas man jadara? Vai jus velaties atvert arzemju valutas vai latu kontu? Latu kontu. Jums jaaizpilda veidlapa. Apaksa jums vajadzes parakstities.
David
Vai varesu lietot kreditkarti, lai iznemtu naudu no sava konta? Banka Ja, protams. Bankomati ir pie katras bankas. levadiet PIN kodu un ... Bet bez kartes mums vajadzes jusu pasi un bankas rekvizitus - kartiti ar konta nosaukumu u numuru. David. Vel es gribetu samainit naudu. Banka No ka uz ko? No dolariem uz latiem? David Ne, no marcinam uz latiem. Kads sodien ir mainas kurss? bankas konts (m.) arzemju valuta (f.) jums jaaizpilda (aizpildlt) veidlapa (f.) apaka kreditkarte (f.) izpemt bankomats (m.) ievadiet (ievadlt) PIN kods (m.) katrs, katra rekviziti (m. pi.) nosaukums (m.) samainlt dolars (m.) marciiia (f.) maiiias kurss (m.) bank account foreign currency you must fill in (fill out) form at the bottom credit card to take out ATM, cashpoint enter (imp.) PIN number each, every (m., f.) details name, title to exchange dollar pound exchange rate
r n r pp a t t u d un e v a 19nsirktveselfbu
Language points
Simti un tukstosi Hundreds and thousands
We have already seen numbers up to 100. Here are the numbers 1 0 0 - 9 0 0 . Sometimes, f or ease of pronunciation, the numbers are abbreviatedso that in more complicated f igures they may be telescoped together. We have given you both f orms:
oo o o oo oo oo oo oo oo o o 123456789
simts d m simti tris simti cetri simti pieci simti sesi simti septiîi simti astoiji simti deviî simti
simt divsimt trlssimt cetrsimt piecsimt sessimt septi^simt astoijsimt devi^simt
T h e numbers 1 , 0 0 0 - 9 , 0 0 0 w o r k much the same: 1,000 2,000 tukstot is i di v tukstosi tukstos i d vtukstos
r p pQ)r n a u d un e v a l r 2n o p i k t v e s e f b u : 4
T h e noun followi ng the tens, hundreds and thousands i s i n the genitive: 1 0 0 gadu
100 years
S00 people 1,000 lats
500 ci lveku 1000 latu
In composi te numbers such as 2,675 the shorter forms tend to
be used: div tukstos sessimt septindesmit pieci.
O Latvijas nauda Latvian currency At the time of writing, Latvia had not yet joined the euro-zone. The Latvian lat (Ls( is the national currency.100 santims equals one lat. Banknotes come in denominations of 5,10 20, 50100 and 500 lats. There are also 1 and 2 lat coins, as well as smaller change. Almost all major hotels and restaurants accept credit cards these days. Most major banks are able to cash traveller's cheques. There are plenty of cash machines around. C urrency exchange offices accept a wide range of foreign banknotes, but always check rates. US dollars and euros are the easiest to exchange, although other Baltic and European currencies aren't far behind. (From Baltic City Guide.)
Dialog ue 7
At the post offi ce, F i o n a has a letter and some postcards to send. She needs some stamps.
Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece
Fiona
Man vajag pastmarkas. Te ir vestule. Uz kurieni jGs gribat sutit vestuli? Uz Amerikas Savienotajam Valstim. Un tad vel bus divas pastkartes uz Franciju. Uzlieciet vestuli uz svariem ...Vai jGs gribat ierakstit? Ne. Pastmarka vestulei bus 55 santimi, un abam pastkartem uz Franciju - tas ir Eiropas Savieniba divreiz 36 santimi. Kopa bus 1 lats un 27 santimi. Kur ir pastkaste, ludzu?
Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece
Tepat, sturi. Vai jus redzat to lielo dzelteno kasti? Vel pedejais jautajums ... Ja, ludzu? Kur es varetu nopirkt aploksnes? Blakus - gramatnica. worker / employee post office postage stamp letter to send postcard put on (imp.) scales to register (mail) European Union twice postbox box question envelope
2 0 n o
r nD)udu n r ^ u e v B ) p l l r i s v e s e b u
darbiniece (f.) pasts (m.) pastmarka (f_) vestule (f.) sutlt pastkarte (f.) uzlieciet (uzlikt) svari (m. pi.) ierakstlt Eiropas Savienlba (f_) divreiz pastkaste (f.) kaste (f.) jautajums (m.) aploksne (f_)
PIECI LATI
IATVUAS BANKAS NAUDAS 2tME
__
DESMiTLMU
A5101206 H
Language points
Prieksa joti Tsus At the front, very short
The front, the back and the si des are prieksa, aizmugure and sani respectively. These words can be used to describe other things such as houses, gardens, clothingsculptures and other objects. When you want to say at the front you use the locative form - prieksa, at the back is aizmugure and at the si des is sanos. Similarly, in the middle is vidu. At the top is augsa and at the bottom is apaksa.
rn ^ 2 p a t t u d u n e v a r J L l l r 2 0 n o o i k tv e s e b u
Nemt un griezt To take and to cut

The verb nemt simply means to take, butwith the addition of various pref ixesgains other meanings: iznemt (to take out or withdraw,sanemt (to receive) and pienemt (to accept). The verb griezt means to cut. In the previous chapter we saw its reflexive f orm pagriezties (to turn). Here are the simple present tense conjugations of both verbs: nemt (to take) es ijemu mes êmam tu nem jus nemat viijs, viâ, V191viîas êm griezt (to cut) es griezu mes griezam tu griez jus griezat viijs, viija, viî, viijas griez
The past tense forms are es nemu and es griezu. The future tense is quite straightforward for e m t (es ^lemsu), but a little unusual for griezt, as it takes on an additional syllable: es griezisu mes griezisim tu griezisi jus griezisit vi^s, viâ, vipiviâs griezis
The passive voice

The passive is used when it is not known or not imoortant to know who exactly is performing the action (or who did so in the past): Banka ir atverta. Muzejs ir slegts. Es neesmu parliecinata. Renins ir samaksats. The bank i s open. The museum i s closed. I'm not convi nced. The bi ll is / has been pai d.
The passive participle is f ormed by adding masculine or feminine, singular or plural endings to the infinitive of the verb. Notice that once again the endings match the nouns that they are referring to: Mes esam ielugti. Friziere ir aiznemta. Pusdienas ir ieskaitltas. We are invited. The hai rdresser i s busy. Lunch i s included.
r ^p a
l l r 2 0 n o 3 i k tv e s e b u T
r s u d un e v a
Sometimes the verb tikt is used instead of the verb but, especially when speaking about the process of something happening, or getting something done: The food gets / is getting prepared. Dokuments tika parakstits. The document got si gned. Maja tiks uzcelta. The bouse wi ll get built. Often passive past participles are used as adjectives: Kresls ir salauzts. The chai r is broken. (salauzts kresls a broken chai r) Masina tiek lietota. The car gets / i s getting used. (lietota masina a used car) Zelês tiek adltas. The socks get kni tted. (adltas zekes kni tted socks) Also: Kartupeji tiek cepti. The potatoes are getting fri ed. (cepti kartupeji fried potatoes) Olas ir varitas. The eggs are / have been boi led. (varitas olas - boiled eggs) Like adjectives, these participles can have def inite endings: at)autais atrums aizliegtie augji the permitted speed i forb dden frui t Ediens tiek sagatavots.
Tikt, satiktlikt, palikt To get, to meetto put to remain

All of these verbs work in the same way, in all tenses. If you know one, it is possible to work out the others. Note the stem change for the tu f orm: tikt (to get) es tieku tu tiec vi^s, viîa tiek mes tiekam jus tiekat viiji, viâs tiek
In the future tense it will be es tiksu (satiksu, liksu, paliksu) and so on. In the past tense it is es tiku (satikuliku, paliku).
r ^ B u d un e v a > par 3 r 2 0 n o p i k t v e s e n b u
| <
O Dialog ue 8
The f riends are discussing travel. Nigel loves travelling, and tells everybody all about his adventures. Peteris is not so sure. Nigel Es esmu lidojis pari Alpiem gaisa balona, dzeris zirga pienu kopa ar mongoju jatniekiem, edis ceptus skorpionus ... Vai jus esat bijusi Klna? Ne, es nekad neesmu bijusi Azija. Bet es esmu dzirdejusi, ka tur ir joti interesanti. Mani tas nemaz neinterese. Es nekad neesmu velejies ce|ot. Tiesam? Mans kaimins nekad nav bijis arzemes. Vins doma, ka, ja cilveks ir daudz lasljis, vinam nekur nav jabrauc. Es ari nekad neesmu sapratis kapec jaklejo pa pasauli. Vai nav labi majas? Es pazistu sievieti, kura daudzus gadus bija dzivojusi Afrikas dzungjos. Kad vina atgriezas Eiropa, vina bija nelaimiga. Nevareja pierast pie pilsetas dzives. Tomer, ja cilveks ir daudz celojis un redzejis ... vins ir bagats. Vinam paliek atminas, iespaidi, fotografijas. Un kur tu dzivosi? Es nekur neesmu braucis, un tagad esmu varejis nopirkt dzrvokli. Ja es butu gribejis, es bGtu nopircis. Tad jau labak vienkarsi palikt majas. Visu var noskatlties televizora.
Gundega Peteris Elita
Peteris
Nigel Peteris Nigel ita
gaisa batons (m.) zirgs (m.) mongoji (m. pi.) jatnieks (m.) skorpions (m.) na (f.) Azija (f.) mani tas neinterese velejies (veleties) nemaz jaklejo (klejot) Afrika (f.)
hot air balloon horse Mongolians horseman scorpion China Asia that doesn't interest me wished, desired (m. participle) not at all, none one must wander or roam Africa
sieviete (f.) atgriezas (atgriezties) nelaimlgs, nelaimlga nevareja pierast dzlve (f.) bagats, baga vam paliek (palikt) atmipas (f_ pi.) iespaidi (m. pi.) palikt
woman returned
unhappy (m.f.)
was unable to get used to life rich (m.t f.) he is left with memories impressions to stay, remain
Exercises
1 2 Pick out all the participles in Dialogue 8. Answer the f ollowing questions? a a c d e f 3 Kur Kur Kur Kur Kur Kur var var var var var var nosutit vestuli? samainit naudu? nopirkt pastmarkas? apgriezt matus? labot zobus? atvert kontu?
Here you can practise using the perf ect tense. Remember that it is made up of two parts: the auxiliary (a form of but) and the the participle (a f orm of the verb). There is a list of participles in the grammar section at the back of the book. a b c d e f g h i j k 1 Es vienmer (dzivot) lielas pilsetas. Viî (but) arzemes daudzas reizes. Mes (est) jaunaja restorana. Viâs nav (redzet) f ilmu. Deivids (aizbraukt) pie vecakiem Anglija. Vai tu (dzert) sampanieti? Viâ (aiziet) iepirkties. Vai jus (dzirdet) so dziesmu? Tris stundas mes (gaidlt) arstu! Es neesmu (lasit) tavu gramatu. Mes neesam (saêmt) naudu. Vai vigs (rakstlt) vestuli savam delam? Where is the post of f ice? I need an envelope and some stamps.
How would you say the f ollowing in Latvian? a b
206
r r P 3 s t t u d un < v t t k D r n o v i k t v e s e n b c
c d 5
I would like to change money, Where is the nearest bank?
You are at the hairdresser's. You want a washa cut and a dry. Put the f ollowing in the right order: izzavet, mazgat, apgriezt. Respond to the questions or statements, using the perf ect tense. a b c d Vai jus veletos pusdienas? (No, thank you, we have eaten.) Restorana es gribetu sedet pie kamina. (Yes, I have spoken to (wi th) the wai ter.) Vai jums garso greipf rutu sula? (Yes, I have drunk grapefruit ju i ce.) Vai jus zinat, ka tirgu tagad var atrast lîniesu garsvielas? (Yes, I have bought Ch i nese spi ces at the market.) Vai jus pazlstat Londonu? (Yes, I have li ved in London.) Kas vainas? Kas jums sap? what's the di fference? A f riend can't meet because he is saaukstejies - what's wrong? The doctor tells you that you have augsts asinsspiediens what's that? In Latvian how would you tell the doctor that your back hurts? In Latvian how would you ask someone f or an aspirin?
^
7
e a b c d e
Answer the f ollowing questions.
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Laima Direktors How are you? I heard that you'd been ill. Yes, for the last few days I had a headache and a sore throat I also had a cough and a temperature. I began to think that I have the flu. And how is it today? Are you now better? Yes, today I'm feeling a lot better. I don't have a headache any more, and the cough - as if it had never been. Were you using medication for (lit against) the flu?
Laima Direktors
Laima
Direktors Laima
No, I haven't taken (lit drunk) any medicine. Only camomile tea with honey and lemon. Oh yes? Usually at times like these I take aspirin.
r 2 0 n o p i k t v e s e n b u
rn r ^ 7 p t t C u d un e v a D
Dialogue 2
Tija Karlis Tija Karlis Tlja KSriis Tija Kaiiis How are you feeling? I don't feel well. What's wrong? What's the matter with you? I have a stomach ache and nausea. Have you been to the doctor? Not yet. I haven't been to the doctor yet. You must go to the doctor at once. YesI'm going, I'm going [lit. I'll goI'll go]. I've already made an appointment I have an appointment [for] tomorrow. Who are you seeing? (lit At whose?) General practitioner Vaimane. Do you have an appointment? Yes, of course. At 10.50. Yes ... Karlis Ozolins? That's me. What is your personal identity number? 150762-11834 Do you have an insurance policy? No, I haven't Then you will have to pay. (Over) there is the cashier. First of all pay, then go to the doctor's consulting room. Doctor Vaimane's consulting room is on the third floor.
Reîstratura Kaiiis Re^fistratura Kaiiis Reîstratura Karlis Reîstratura KaHis Reîstratura Kaiiis Reîstratura
Dialogue 3
Kaiiis Aptiekare Kaiiis I need some medicine. For the last two days I've had a stomach ache and /Ve had diarrhoea. Do you have a prescription? Yes, here is the prescription.
Aptiekare
Here is the medicine for stomach pain: three drops in a glass of water to be taken every six hours. T hat's for the pain. And then this medicine as well: it must be
208
r n o J i k t v e s e b u T R
taken three times a day, two tablets before meals. That will be for the diarrhoea. Aptiekare Klients Good day. How can we help you? Over the weekend we were in the countryside. I was bitten by mosquitoes, and now I'm itching all over. What would you recommend? This cream will definitely help. Where were you? We were by a lake in the middle of the forest Mosquitoes like water. Didn't you have a bonfire? Mosquitoes don't like smoke. But next time use some sort of mosquito repellent
r t t u d un e v a parn
Aptiekare Klients Aptiekare
Dialogue 4
Elita Friziere Elita I would like to cut (my) hair. You'll have to wait T he hairdresser is busy. Perhaps come back in half an hour? I'll wait here on the spot
Friziere Elita Friziere Elita Friziere Elita Friziere Elita
Please sit here. What would you like? Would you like a perm? No, (my) hair is simply too long, can't see anything. I only want a cut I'm going on a first date tonight And how? At the front, on the forehead very short, but at the back long. Also at the sides, please leave it as it is. And what shall we do with the parting? Let the parting stay in the middle. (Do you want us) to wash (it)? Yes, but afterwards please blow dry.
Dialogue 5
Frizieris Nigel What? You want to colour your hair? Why not? See, I've got grey hair. I don't want to look old. Frizieris But you have a moustache (lit whiskers). And they are white! Nigel (One can) shave the whiskers off. Frizieris And the beard? Nigel T hat too.
Dialogue 6
David Banka David Banka David Banka I would like to open an account. What must I do? Do you want a foreign currency or lat account? A lat account You must fill in a form. At the bottom you will have to sign. In order to take out money from my account, will I be able to use my credit card? Yes, of coarse. There are cash machines at every bank. Enter the PIN number and.. But without a card we shall need your passport and bank details - a card with the name and number of the account I would like to change some money also. From what to what? From dollars to lats? No, from pounds to lats. What's the exchange rate today?
rn p a t t u d u n e v a r - k r 2 0 n o p i k t v e s e n b u
David Banka David
Dialogue 7
Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece I need stamps. Here is the letter. Where do you want to send the letter? To the United States of America. And then there will be two postcards to France. Put the letter on the scales... Do you want to register it? No. A stamp for the letter will be 55 santims, and for both postcards to France - that's within the EU - two times 36 santims. Together that will be 1 lat and 27 santims. Where is the postbox, please? Right here, in the corner. Do you see that big yellow box? Another final question... Yes, please? Where could I buy some envelopes? Next door - in the bookshop.
Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece Fiona Darbiniece
Dialogue 8
Nigel I have flown across the Alps in a hot air balloon, drunk horse milk together with Mongolian horsemen, eaten roasted scorpions Have you (ever) been to China? No, I've never been to Asia. But lve heard that it is very interesting there.
Gundega
Peteris Elita
Peteris
Nigel
^
Peteris Nigel Elita
I'm not interested at all (in that sort of thing). I've never wanted to travel. Really? My neighbour has never been abroad. He thinks that if a person has read a lothe doesn't have to go anywhere. I too have never understood why you have to wander around the world. Isn't it nice to be at home? I know a woman who had lived for many years in the African jungle. When she returned to Europe, she was unhappy. She couldn't get used to city life. Nevertheless, if a person has travelled and has seen a great deal ... he's rich. He is left with memories, impressions, photographs. And where are you going to live? I haven't travelled anywhere, and now I've been able to buy a flat If had wanted to, I would have bought (one). Then you may just as well (lit it's better) simply stay at home. You can see (lit watch) everything on T V.
o pfi)r
n t t u d u
l l r 1 2 n o X J i k tv e s e b u
r ^ n o v m
In this unit you will learn about the weather and the seasons of the year about seasonal festivals and personal celebrations how to say dates (months and years) to describe how you feel
Dialog ue 1
Having got up late on a Sunday morning, Laima asks Karlis what the weather is like outside. Laima Kads ara ir laiks? Karlis Ara ir silts, spld saule. Skaista saulaina diena. Jauks laiks. Laima Brlnisklgi! Pec pusdienam brauksim uz jurmalu varesim saujoties. Karlis Reizem jurmala pecpusdiena pG vess vejs ... vej ar zobiem. spld (spldet) jauks, jauka saujoties reizem pu (pust) vej (m.) shines, is shining nice, pleasant (m f.) to sunbathe at times, sometimes blows wind
r o
a i , 1v cik(Akaistil
Dialogue 2
Peteris has just come into the office looking gloomy. Viesturs asks him why. Viesturs Peteris Viesturs Peteris Kapec tik nelaimigs? Kas noticis? Nejauks laiks. Viss slapjs ... fui! Ka, vai ara lietus? Kad nacu uz darbu, spldeja saule. Ja, no rita bija saulains, bet tagad list, un tiesi sodien izgaju no majas bez lietussarga. Lietusmeteli ari nepanemu. Ta vienmer ir. Ja lietussargs ir nelist, bet ja nav lietussarga, tad lietus ir garantets. Kads laiks bus rit? Neesmu redzejis laika prognozi. Sinoptiki solija, ka skaidrosies. Sodien bGs apmacies, bet rit gaidams silts laiks. Cerams, ka nells. Kas noticis? (notikt) What's happened? nejauks, nejauka unpleasant (m., f.) slapjslapja wet (m., f.) fui yuk nacu (nakt) I came Ust (Ut) it's raining
Viesturs Peteris Viesturs
lietus (m.) lietusmetelis (m.) garantets laika prognoze (f.) sinoptifjLis (m.) soll]a (solft) skaidrosies (skaidroties) apmacies gaidams cerams
rain raincoat guaranteed weather forecast forecaster promised will clear up overcast expected it is to be hoped / hopefully
Language points
Temperatura
plus gradi = virs nulles vess, silts, karsts
minus gradi = zem nulles vess, auksts
Laika zinas The weather forecast

Read the text and see if you can work out what the weather is going to be like. Will you need to take an umbrella? Will you need to wear your thick warm winter coat? Sodien mainlgs makonu daudzumsvietam lietus, putis ziemeju, ziemejrietumu vejs 510 metru sekunde, gaisa temperatura nakti +8 gradidiena +16 gradi. Makonains, skaidrosies. Briziem neliels slapjs sniegssniegs. Ceji bus slideni. Austrumu, dienvidaustrumu vejs, 3 - 1 3 m/s, gaisa temperatura nakti 4 gradi, diena +2 gradi.
mainlgs makopu daudzums vietam putis (pust) sekunde (f_) grads (m.) makonains slidens
variable cloud cover in places will blow second degree cloudy slippery
Q Dialog ue 3
Fo David is about to leave work. He asks his secretary about the weather. David Sekretare David Sekretare Kads sodien laiks? Kada sodien gaisa temperatura? Sodien ir diezgan auksts. Plus divi gradi. Debesis ir tumsi pelekas, apmakusas. Laikam bus sniegs. Varbut. Ce|i jau tagad ir apledojusi. Esiet uzmanigi! debesis (f. pi.) apledojis, apledojusi Esiet uzmanigi! the sky frozen over (m., f.) Be careful!
Gadalaiki Seasons of the year

Here are some descriptions of the seasons. Cover up the vocabulary box and read the text. See if you can work out the meaning of the new words f rom the context. Can you work out which seasons are being talked about? Look up the words you didn't know and read the text again. Ziema - auksts, sniegs un ledus, svinam svetkus. Pavasaris - sak kust sniegsdienas klust garakas, daba mostasplaukst koki. Vasara - siltspat karstsbiezak spld saule, visur ziedi, dienas ir garas un naktis Isas. Rudens - vesaksvejains, koki maina krasu, krit lapas.
svinam (svinet) svetki (m. pi.) pavasaris (m.) kust kjust (k|ut) daba (f.) mostas (mosties) plaukst (plaukt) vasara (f.) ziedi (m. pi.) rudens (m.)
we celebrate festivities, celebration, festival spring to melt becomes nature awakens is budding summer blooms, blossoms autumn
Language points
Gada ir 52 nede|as un 12 menesi There are 52 weeks and 12 months in a year
These are the months of the year: Janvaris, f ebruaris, marts, aprllis, maijs, junijs, julijs, augusts, septembris, oktobris, novembris, decembris. Like the days of the week, the names of months are not written with a capital letter (unless starting a sentence, of course).
D Let's practise!
Gada ir 12 menesi: janvaris, f ebruaris, marts, aprilis, maijs, junijs, julijs, augusts, septembrisoktobris, novembris, decembris.
Laika apstakji un dabas paradlbas Weather conditions and natural phenomena

nokrisni lietus (list) krusa (krit) sniegs (snieg) rasa sals saule (spld) meness zvaigznes vejs (pus) makoî precipitation rain (rai ns) hail (falls) snow (snows) dew frost sun (shi nes) moon stars wind (blows) clouds negaiss vetra perkons zibens varaviksne putenis migla pludi zemestrice thunderstorm storm thunder lightning rainbow blizzard
fog
floods earthquake
16<3__o5rH M
p
sniegs
makopi
vejs
Kads laiks sodien? What's the weather like today?

Everyone likes to talk about the weather. Here are two stories about people's experiences of the weather. One of them is told by Gundegathe other by Viesturs. Read them and see if you can work out what happenedwithout looking up the new words.
Gundega atceras Gundega recalls
Es atcerostas bija pirms diviem gadiem. Bija vasaras brivlaiks. Draudzene bija atbraukusi ciemos pie mums uz vasarnlcu Saulkrastos. Lai gan laiks nebija labs - makoijains, vess - viija Joti gribeja iet peldeties jura. Vectevs jau teica, ka bus negaiss bet mes neklausijamies. Aizgajam lldz jurai. Jura lieli vijî. Bija apmacies, taluma tumsi melni makoî. Vareja redzet, ka bus vetra. Un tad ... Vispirms mes redzejam zibenitad dzirdejam perkonu. Saka pust stiprs vejs un tad: vispirms lietus, pec tam krusa. Trakums! Mes skrejam uz majam, bet lietus lija tik stipri ka mums vajadzeja paslepties zem ceriû kruma. Gaidijam, kamer paries. Gaidijam un nosalam. Pec kada laika lietus
apstajas un debesis paradijas skaista varaviksne. Tacu mes par to vairs nepriecajamies. Diemzel mums abam bija slikts garastavoklis. Abas bijam slap j as un slikta oma. Parnacam majas un vectevs mums jautaja: Vai udens bija silts?'Mes neatbildejam ... atceros (atcereties) brlvlaiks (m.) neklausljamies (klausities) vilnis (m.) taluma skrejam (skriet) paslepties ceripu krOms (m.) kamer paries (pariet) nosalam (nosalt) apstajas (apstaties) paradljas (paradlties) nepriecajamies (priecaties) garastavoklis (m.) oma (f.i parnacam (parnakt) neatbildejam (atbildet) 1 remember vacation we didn't listen wave in the distance we ran to hide lilac bush until, also whilst it will blow over, pass we froze stopped appeared didn't take joy in mood mood we returned we didn't reply
Viesturs atceras Viesturs recalls

Sogad mums bija dlvaina ziema. Neparasti silta. Temperatura turejas virs nulles. Mes visi gaidljam sniegu. Paris reizes uzsniga. Tad neka. Cilveki kjuva nervozi. Beidzot, vienu nakti aprill, pec Lieidienam, uzsniga kartigs sniegs. Nakama j a rita pilseta bija tira un balta. Cilveki priecajas un smaidosi staigaja pa pilsetas ielam. divains, dfvaina odd, strange (m., f.) neparasti unusually turejas (turties) held paris (m.) a couple beidzot finally Lieldienas (f_ pi.) Easter
kartlgs, kartlga smaidoSs, smaidoa staigaja (staigat)
decent (m f.) smiling (m., f.) walked
1 8 < _ . . o T r c
Language points
Spldet9 ITtpust un snigt To shineto rain, to blow and to snow
Spidet is a typical zinat verb, but lit, pust and snigt are all irregular. Only the third person of these is used: sodien rit vakar saule spld spldes spideja lietus list lis lija vejs pus putis puta sniegs snieg snigs sniga
Skaidroties means to clear up. It can be used to describe processes of external physical f actors, such as the weather or a body of water. It also means to make excuses, literally, to explain oneself, (Skaidrot means to explai n or to clari fy).
Cerams, ka nells Hopefully it won't rain

The words cerams (hopef ully) (or literally it can be hoped) and gaidams (to be expected) are slightly dif f erent f orms of a participle, the present passive participle, as indicated by the -ams and -ams endings. These have been derived f rom verbs ceret (to hope) and gaidit (to wait). Another present passive participle we have seen is pazistams (acquai nted, known), f rom the verb pazit (to be acquai nted). Vai jus esat pazlstami? Do you know each other? Sometimes there are similarities between the -ams or -ams suffixes and the -able suf f ix in English: Vai sis udens ir dzerams? Vai si sene ir edama? Karstums ir neciesams. Vi 9 u berni ir nevaldami. Is thi s water dri nkable? Is thi s mushroom ed i ble? The heat i s unbearable. Their chi ldren are uncontrollable. Patlkams cilveks A li keable person. Neaizmirstams cejojums. An unforgettable journey. Viîs ir ieverojams akstnieks. He's a notable wri ter. Neticami! Unbelievable!
W Latvieu svetki un svetku dienas Latvian celebrations Prieclgas Lieldienas! Happy Easter! Celebrating the arrival of spring and new life, traditionally Easter is associated with painting and decorating eggs. Often the eggs are boiled in brown onion skins, imparting them with a warm golden brown hue; leaves and petals are tied on with thread to make imprints and form patterns. The Sunday before Easter is known as Pupolu svetdiena (Willow Sunday), a time for giving or collecting bunches of pussy willows. On Easter Sunday (Lieldienu svetdiena( everyone, both young and old, is meant to take a turn on the upoles, the swingsto clear away the cobwebs and to shake out the winter malaise. Jani June 24th is the varda diena for all those named Janis, but for Latvians it is a more universal celebration. Basically marking the summer solstice, Jani is the most popular and joyous of festivities, when everyone who can escapes to the countryside to spend the shortest night of the year in celebration. It is also known as LTgo svetki, as many of the songs that are sung on this occasion have a refrain of Ugo, Ugo. Revellers wear wreaths of flowers and oak leaves on their heads, drink beer and eat Japu siers, a type of fresh cheese with imenes (caraway seed). There are bonfires, and it is considered bad luck to go to sleep. Some, however, may go off into the forest to seek the legendary papardes zieds (fern blossom), which is alleged to bloom on this one night only. Preclgus Ziemassvetkus! Happy Christmas! Celebrations start on December 24th with C hristmas Eve (Ziemassvetku vakars), sometimes called svetvakars (holy evening). People may attend church services, and for some families the evening meal will be one of fish. Candles are lit in the Christmas tree, there is carol-singing and presents are exchanged. December 25th itself is known as Pirmie Ziemassvetki. At Christmas you have to eat nine times, so that the following year will bring wealth and happiness. LaimTgu Jauno gadu! Happy New Year! Instead of New Year's Eve, Latvians come together for Vecgada vakars (Evening of the Old Year). A typical activity on this evening
is laimes lieana, literally pouring luck or fate. Spoonfuls of hot molten lead are dropped into a bucket of cold water, and the resultant shape is then interpreted as an omen or an indicator as to what can be expected in the coming year. New Year's Day is Jaungada diena. Other official holidays include Latvijas Republikas Proklameanas diena or Valstssveki (National Day) on November 18th, Darba svetki (Labour Day) on May 1st and NeatkarTbas pasludinaanas svetki (Independence Day) on May 4th. Although not an official holiday, Sievieu diena (Women's Day) is also marked on March 8th, when women are presented with flowers by the male half of the population. Other significant occasions are the Kapu svetki (Graveyard Festival) and SvecTu diena (Day of Candles). Quite possibly as a relic from their Sanskrit past and a vestige of belief in an afterlife, the Baltic people - Lithuanians as well as Latvians lavish great care and attention on the graves of those departed. Kapu svetki takes place in the summer and is a time when Latvians visit cemeteries, however distant, to tidy the graves of their relatives and to decorate them with flowers. The occasion also becomes a kind of reunion, because many people who have moved away from their hometown come back on this day to pay their respects. SvecTu diena is in November, a time of mists and fogs which used to be known as Ve|u menesis the month of the ve|i - (the ghosts or spirits of those departed). Once more, people visit family graves and candles are lit in remembrance of deceased relatives and friends.
JanvarT vai maija? In January or in May?

You may have noticed that some months end with an -sand others with an -is. This means that when you want to say i n January, f or exampleand need to use the locative caseyou say janvari, but when you want to say i n March, you say marta: janvans janvan februaris f ebruari aprilis aprili septembris - septembri oktobris oktobri novembris - novembri decembris decembri marts marta maijs - maija junijs - junija julijs - julija augusts - augusta
Q Let's practise!
Janvarl, marta, maija, julija, augusta oktobri un decembri ir 31 diena. April!, junija, septembri un novembri ir 30 dienas. Februarl parasti ir 28 dienas, bet dazreiz garaja gada f ebruari ir 29 dienas. pavasaris vasara rudens ziema
Vel par gadalaikiem More about the seasons

Read the f ollowing text. If there are words that you do not understand, look them up and then read the text once more. Once you have studied the text and f eel confident about what it all means, go to the end of the chapter and see if you can complete Exercise 6.
Vasara (jQnijs, jGlijs, augusts(

Vasara sakas ar svetkiem - Janiem. Saka, ka Janu nakts ir vislsaka nakts gada. Vasara ir ogu laiKs: visi ar prieku ed svaigas zemenes, avenes, mellenes. Julija, it seviski, ja uzspld saule, ir pat karsts. Silta j a laika cilveki dodas projam no pilsetas uz laukiem vai pie udens. Dauazi strada darza, citi brauc uz jurmalu peldeties un saujoties kapas. Augusts ir atputas un atvajinajumu laiks.
Rudens (septembrisoktobrisnovembris(
Laiks kjust vesaks. Tie, kam patik, iet uz mezu seôt, ari tirgu paradas dazadas senes.1.septembri sakas skola. Oktobri jabrauc uz Siguldu, Piebalgu vai Terveti apbrinot rudens krasas. No ziemejiem pus auksts vejs. Reizem ir migla. Arvien biezak list lietus. Novembri vakari ir tumsi un gari.
Ziema (decembrisjanvaris, februaris(

Gaidam Ziemassvetkus. Ir tadi gadi, kad lldz svetkiem nav sniega: dienas ir aukstas un dregnas, Isas un pelekas. Kad uzsnieg sniegsir skaisti, jo uzreiz viss kjust gaiss. Berni brauc ar ragaviâm. Dazi brauc uz kalniem, lai slepotu. Janvari sakas Jaunais gads. Kad ir skaidrs laiks un uznak sals, tad gan ietves, gan ielas ir ledainas un slidenas.
Pavasaris (martsaprTUsmaijs(
Un tad atkal ir pavasaris. Ar martu lenam dienas kjust siltakas un garakas. Sak kust sniegs un ledus, no jumtiem krit lastekas. Daba mostas: visur sak plaukt un ziedet. Pirmie zied pupoli, tiem seko sniegpulkstenisi, narcises. Arvien biezak ir saulains. Pavasari svinam saules un dzlvibas svetkus Lieldienas. Parasti sie svetki lekrit aprili. Maijs ir visskaistakais menesis: visur zajo koki un zied pukes. it seviljLi dodas (doties) kapas (f. pi.) atputa (f_) seôt apbrTnot arvien bieiak Ziemassvetki (m. pi.) dregns, dregna uzreiz ragavipas (f. pi.) Jaunais gads (m.) ietve (f.) lasteka (f.) atkal pupoli (m. pi.) sniegpulksten pi.) especially make their way, go sand dunes rest, also recreation to pick mushrooms to admire increasingly more often Christmas chilly (m.f f.) immediately toboggan New Year footpath icicle again willow-catkins snowdrops (coll.)
narcises (f. pi.) daffodils dzlviba (f) life Lieldienas (f, pi.) Easter za|o (zajot) are greening
Language points
Kads sodien ir datums? What's the date today?
Dates in Latvian, like building floorsclothing sizes and public transport numbers, are expressed as ordinals. As in English, you talk about January 1stApril 4th and so on. We learnt previously that ordinal numbers behave like adjectives, and agree with the noun (see Unit 6). Names of months are masculine, so here the ordinals have a masculine ending: January 1st March 4th June 14th September 16th December 26th 1.janvaris 4. marts 14. junijs 16. septembris 26. decembris pirmais janvaris ceturtais marts cetrpadsmitais junijs sespadsmitais septembris divdesmit sestais decembris
Note that with the numbers six and f our, it goes f rom a 'crunchy' sound to a sof t sound: sesi and sestais, cetri and ceturtais. With the numbers 14 and 16however, the accent stays, and cetrpadsmit becomes cetrpadsmitais, similarly sespadsmit becomes sespadsmitais. You may find these a little awkward to pronounce at first. Don't worry, take them slowly and you will get used to them.
O Dzimanas diena un varda diena Personal

celebrations Perhaps even more important than a person's dzimanas diena is their varda diena (name day). On each day of the year, somebody somewhere in Latvia will be celebrating their varda diena. There is also a day (22. maijs( set aside for all those whose names do not appear in the calendar. Your varda diena is a day when anybody who wishes may turn up to offer their congratulations and greetings, however, your dzimanas diena (birthday) is considered a more private, family affair and guests will only arrive if invited.
Dialogue 4
Zane arrives at work and is surprised with a bunch of flowers from her colleagues. Colleagues Zane Karlis Zane Karlis Daudz laimes dzimanas diena! Apsveicu! Daudz laimes! Paldies. Kads parsteigums! Ka jus zinajat, ka man aja diena ir dzimsanas diena? Kalendara pie 1 datuma ir tavs vards. Bet kalendara parasti ir atrodamas tikai varda dienas! Es pierakstiju. Tu man teici, ka tev dzimsanas diena ir 4. marta. Es atcerejos. fortune, luck birthday 1 congratulate Happy Birthday! What a surprise! calendar date name day noted
laime (f.) dzimanas diena (f.) apsveicu (apsveikt) Daudz laimes dzimanas diena! Kads parsteigums! kalendars (m.) datums (m.) varda diena (f.) pierakstiju (pierakstlt)
Language points
Kura datuma? Saja diena ... On which date? On this day...
When we want to say that something is taking place on a certain date, we use the locative case. Both the month and the ordinal number go into the locative. Remember that the locative ending for ordinals (both masculine and feminine) is -aja: on on on on on January 1st March 4th June 14th September 16th December 26th 1.janvari 4. marta 14. junija 16. septembri 26. decembri pirmaja janvari ceturtaja marta cetrpadsmitaja junija sespadsmitaja septembri divdesmit sestaja decembri
To find out on what date, the interrogative pronoun kurs? is used: Kura datuma ir tava dzimsanas diena? Kura datuma tev ir varda diena? Kura stava jus dzivojat? Kurs to teica? Kurs ir jusu prieksnieks? Kura ir jusu masa? Ar kuru autobusu man jabrauc? On which date is your birth day f On which date is your name dayf On which floor do you live? Who said that? Which one / who is your boss? Which one is your sister? Which bus do I have to take?
Of course kurs can be used in other questions as well:
Dialogue 5
Mara and John have been invited to a formal birthday party. They are in a bit of a hurry, because John got home from work rather late. Mara John Mara John Mara Atrak, atrak. Mums jau tagad vajadzeja tur but. Cik nepieklajlgi... Neuztraucies, es tacu steidzos. Kur ir ielugums? lelQgums ir uz plaukta virs kamina. Vai mums ir davana? Un apsveikuma kartina? Davana noteikti mums ir. Davana ir nopirkta. Bet kartite ... Mlla stundin! Es aizmirsu. Es pilnlgi aizmirsu nopirkt kartiti! Cik nepieklajlgi... Tagad tur vairs neko nevar darit. Vismaz davana ir. Un ziedi ari. Ejam! Labvakar, sveicinati! Prieks jus redzet! Atvainojiet, ka mes tik velu. Nekas, nekas. LGdzu, pie galda! Daudz laimes dzimsanas diena! Apsveicu! Vai, cik jauki! Manas mljakas pukes! Rozes un lilijas, cik skaisti! Un davana ari. Nevajadzeja jau, nevajadzeja. Kas tur ieksa?
John Mara Peteris Mara Peteris Mara John Peteris
At the party they are greeted by the host, Peteris.
Mara hands over the flowers and the present
Later someone proposes a toast. Guest Dargais kolegi! SirsnTgi sveicam tevi jubileja un novelam visu to labako: mllestibu, labu veselibu, veiksmi, un lai visi tavi saprpi piepildltos! Prieka! Uz iGsu vesellbu! Daudz laimes! rude, impolite don't worry invitation gift, present greeting card Dear me! 1 forgot completely Nice to see you! Please, (come) to the table! Oh, how nice! dear (m.f f.) cordially we greet we wish (you) love health success dream would come true Cheers! (lit. in happiness) To your health!
They clink glasses. All
ro
nepieklajlgi neuztraucies (uztraukties) ielugums (m.) divana (f.) apsveikuma kartiria, kartlte (f.) Mi]a stundin! aizmirsu (aizmirst) pilnlgi Prieks jus redzet! LOdzu, pie galda! Vai, cik jauki! dargais, darga sirsnlgi sveicam (sveikt) novelam (novelet) mllesfiba (f.) veseliba (f.) veiksme (f.) sapnis (m.) piepildltos (piepildlties) Prieka! Uz jusu vesellbu!
D Let's practise!
Apsveicu! Prieka! Daudz laimes! Uz vesellbu! Daudz laimes dzimsanas diena! Daudz baltu dieniû! Daudz laimes varda diena!
O Dialog ue 6
All too soon it is time to go home. Mara John Mara John Peteris Laiks braukt majas. Jabrauc, jabrauc. Berni gaida. Rit agri no rita jabGt darba. Paldies par viesmilibu. Bija |oti jauki. Ja, tiesam jauks vakars. Paldies, ka atnacat. agri no rlta viesmTVTba (f.) Paldies, ka atnacat early in the morning hospitality Thank you for coming
221 o w |
IO
Language points
Kura gada? In which year?
As in many other languages, there are no shortcuts f or saying years in Latvian. The whole f our-digit number has to be expressed, the last digit being an ordinal. 2008f or example is expressed as the two thousand eighth year'. Note that the endings are dropped f or both the two and the thousand: two thousand eighth year div tukstos astotais gads
So that's div tukstos astotais gads, which is written as 2008. gads. The year 1959 will be 1959. gads and expressed as tukstos devinsimt piecdesmit devitais gads. When we want to say that something happened in a certain year, we use the locative case, just as we did f or the date, but only f or the last digit: in 2008 in 1959 2008. gada 1959. gada div tukstos astotaja gada tukstos deviijsimt piecdesmit devitaja gada
These are quite a mouthful to pronounce aand may take a bit of practice. (Aren't you glad you're not a Latvian newsreader?)
Perhaps if someone asks you in which year you were born, Kura gada jus esat dzimis / dzimusi?the simplest way out is to say the century: 20. gadsimta divdesmitaja gadsimta i n the twenti eth century 21.gadsimta divdesmit pirmaja gadsimta i n the twentyfirst century
Dialog ue 7
The next day, Ilze wants to hear all about the party. llze Ka gaja viesibas? Vai bija daudz viesu? Mara Jautri. Par daudz labi. Sodien man sap galva. C ieminu bija maz kidi piecpadsmit. Maz cilveku, bet daudz davanu. llze Ka jubilars? Mara Vins bija laba oma, lai gan ari reizem mazliet noskumis, man ta skita. Tapec ka ... nu, tu zini, ar to skirsanos un ta talak ... llze Tapec jau ari es nebiju ielGgta. Mara Mes vinam uzdavinajam gleznu. Es ceru, ka vinam patiks. llze Kad vinam Isti ir dzimsanas diena? Cik vinam gadu? Mara Dzimsanas diena ir 27. novembri. C ik gadu? Hmmm ... Kura gada vir\s ir dzimis? Man sljciet, ka vins dzimis 1959. gada taja pasa gada, kad mans virs. llze Tas nozime, ka vinam ir 49 gadi. viesis (m.) jautri ciemip (m.) maz jubilars noskumis, noskumusi man ta kiranas (f.) un ta talak ielugta (ielugt) uzdavinajam (uzdavinat) Tsti taja paa gada guest merry, merrily guest, visitor not many the person who is celebrating sad (m f.) it seemed to me divorce and so on, et cetera invited gave (as a present) exactly (lit genuinely) in the (that) same year
Q Dialog ue 8
Gundega is wondering why Laima is looking a bit out of sorts. Gundega Laima Gundega Laima Gundega Sveika, kas tev ir? Tu izskaties satraukta. Es vakar pazaudeju naudas maku. Vakar es biju dusmlga, bet odien es vienkarsi esmu uztraukusies. Arprats! Vai tu zini, kur tu pedejo reizi maku redzeji? Ne, es nevaru atcereties. VarbGt, ka es to atstaju veikala. Mans virs vienreiz aizmirsa savu naudas maku darba. Atstaja uz galda. Par laimi apkopeja pamanija un ielika atvilktne, droa vieta. Kad virs nakama rita ieradas darba un maku atrada, vi bija tik priecigs!... Vai maka bija daudz naudas? Ja - 60 latu! Un vel kredltkartes, fotografijas, autovaditaja aplieclba, viss. Arprats... what's up with you? upsetunsettled (m f.) Ilost insanity occasiontime, instance once luckily cleaner safe (m., f.) arrived driver's licence
Laima Gundega
kas tev ir? satraukts, satraukta pazaudeju (pazaudet) arprats (m.) reize (f.) vienreiz par laimi apkopeja (f.) dros, droa ieradas (ierasties) autovaditaja aplieciba (f.)
Language points
Ka jus jOtaties? How do you feel?
The question Ka jus jutaties? (How do you feel?) is not only about health, it can also apply to a person's mental or emotional state. Often used to express emotions or f eelings (jutas) and when talking about one's mood (oma / garastavoklis), the perf ect tense can be used. The questions Kada jums oma? or Kads jums garastavokiisr can be answered by:
Es esmu noskumis / noskumusi. I am sad. (m f.) Es esmu noguris / nogurusi. I am ti red, (m.f .) Es esmu uztraucies / uztraukusies. I am worri ed, (m.f .) Es esmu nobijies / nobijusies. I am frightened, (m., f.) (or you could also say man ir bailes) (The -ies and -usies endings of the participle are typical of reflexive verbs.) You can of course use other words as wellbut these will behave like adjectives: laimigs (-a, -i, -as) nelaimigs bedigs priecigs vientu|s jautrs nervozs parsteigts satraukts happy, contented unhappy, upset sadsorrowful happy, joyful lonely merry, cheerful anxious, i rri taoi e surprised unsettled, agi tated
^< a i , c _ k
k a i s t i ! M
For example, es esmu priecigs (m.)es esmu prieciga (f .)vini priecigi (m. pl.)vinas ir priecigas (f . pi.).
Exercises
1 Fill in the blanks with the ordinal numbers in the correct gender: Examples: Janvaris ir pirmais menesis. Pirmdiena ir pirma nedejas diena. a b c d e g Februaris ir Septembris ir Tresdiena ir Decemons ir Maijs ir Ceturtdiena ir Junijs ir Sestdiena ir Marts ir Svetdiena ir Augusts ir menesis. menesis. nedejas diena. menesis. menesis. nedejas diena. menesis. nedejas diena. ,menesis. nedejas diena. menesis.
2 Read the following dates out loud and then listen to them on the recording to check your pronunciation. a b c d e f 15. aprllis 25. janvaris 30. septembris 4. junijs 18. augusts 16. julijs
Now read the following sentences out loud. Remember that here the dates will be in the locative case. a b c d e f g h Mana dzimsanas diena ir 15. aprili. Mana vlra dzimsanas diena ir 25. janvari. 1 . j any ari ir Jaungada diena. Ziemassvetki ir 25. decembri. Lieldienas parasti ir pavasarlmarta beigas vai aprija sakuma. Kad ir jusu varda diena? Viâs vards ir Dace, viâs varda diena ir 6. marta. Viû sauc Andrejs, viâ varda diena ir 30. novembri.
What do these sentences mean? 4 Vai tas ir pareizi? Is it correct? a b c d e f 5 a b c d Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja Ja sodien ir 3. aprllis, tad vakar bija 4. aprllis. rit bus 10. maijs, tad vakar bija 8. maijs. vakar bija 23. decembris, tad sodien ir Jani. sodien ir 1.marts, tad vakar bija 31.f ebruaris. vakar bija 31.decembristad sodien ir Jaunais gads, sodien ir 24. decembris, tad rit bus Ziemassvetki. i ii iii iv list snieg spld pus
Sort out and draw a line to join up the mixed up pairs. saule lietus vejs sniegs
Often adjectives are f ormed f rom nounsf or example: saule saulains. Form adjectives f rom the f ollowing nouns: e f g h i vejs migla makoî lietus ledus
Add the appropriate weather description to the month, for example, janvari ja ir sniegs... Don't forget to use the locative case for the month. a b c d e f g h i j k 1 janvaris februaris marts aprilis maijs ir vess, jaiet uz mezu senot, sakas skola. ir karsts, var stradat darza, peldeties, saujoties. ir atputas laiks: nekas daudz nenotiek. vakari ir tumsi un gari, list lietus. auksts vejs pus no ziemejiem, koku lapas maina krasu un krit. junijs ir auksts un dregns: gaidam Aiemassvetkus! julijs ir salsietves ledainas un ielas slidenas. augusts dienas kjust garakas, sniegs sak kust, no jumtiem krit lastekas. septemoris saule sak sildltviss plaukst; jakraso olas. oktobris ja ir sniegs, braucam slepot; svinam Jauno gadu. novembris ir saulains, zajo koki un zied puês. decembris dienas ir garas un naktis Isas: svinam Jaûs! You have
Runasim par laiku. (Let's talk about the weather.) just woken up and haven't looked outside yet.
b
Ask in Latvian what the weather is like today. You are told that visur sniegs. What does this mean? What is the season likely to be? (Answer in Latvian.) Ask whether it is raining in Latvian. In Latvian tell someone that the sun is shining. Ask if there's any snow in Latvian. In Latvian ask whether it is cold outside. ... ir vejains. What does this mean? Sodien bus lietus. Will you take an umbrella? You are about to set off on a car journey and are told to take care, because there is bieza migla. What do you have to look out for? The weather forecast talks about a vetra. What is that? ... kads no gimenes piezvana, Ipasi ja no arzemem? ... dzivokli nav silta udens? ... kads jums iedod davanu? ... jus nevar at atrast dzlvokja atslegu? vilciens kavejas, un jums jagaida? ... jus ejat pari tiltam, un redzat cik talu virs udens jus esat? ... kads runa latviski, un jus saprotat? ... jus neesat gulejis / gulejusi? viss izkrit ara no somas? jus esat pilseta ar auto, un jus atrodat stavvietu? ... jus braucat lifta?
c
d
e
fs h
Ka jus jutaties, kad:

ab c d e fs h i jk
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Laima Karlis Laima Karlis What's the weather like outside? Outside it's warm, the sun is shining. A beautiful, sunny day. Nice weather. Wonderful! After lunch we'll go to the seaside - we'll be able to sunbathe. Sometimes, at the seaside, in the afternoon there's a cool wind blowing ... a wind with teeth.
3v a i ,
l c i k w k a i s f !
Dialogue 2
Viesturs Peteris Viesturs Peteris Why so unhappy? What's happened? Nasty weather. Everything is wet... yuk. How's that, rain outside? When I was coming to work the sun was shining. Yes, in the morning it was sunny, but now it's raining, and today is that day that I went out of the house without an umbrella. Didn't take a raincoat either. That's always the way it is. If you have an umbrella - it doesn't rain, but if you haven't got an umbrella, then rain is guaranteed. What's the weather (like) tomorrow? I haven't seen the weather forecast The weather forecasters promised that it would clear up. Today it will be overcast, but tomorrow sunny weather is expected. Let's hope it won't rain.
Viesturs
Peteris Viesturs
Dialogue 3
David What's the weather (like) today? What's the air temperature? Today it's quite cold. Plus 2 degrees. The sky is grey, overcast There'll probably be snow. Perhaps. The roads have iced over already. Be careful!
David Sekretare
Gundega recalls
I remember, it was two years ago. It was the summer holiday. My f riend had come to visit us at our summer house in Saulkrasti. Although the weather wasn't good cloudy, c o o l she very much wanted to go swimming in the sea. Grandf ather did say that there would be a thunderstorm, but we didn't listen. We went to the sea. There were big waves in the sea. It was
overcast, in the distance dark black clouds (were visible). (One) could see that there's going to be a storm. And then ... First of all we saw lightning, then we heard thunder. A strong wind began to blow and then: f irstly rainaf ter that hail. Madness! We ran for home, but it was raining so hard that we had to hide underneath a lilac bush. We waited until it subsided. Waited and f roze. Af ter some time the rain stopped and a beautif ul rainbow appeared in the sky. But we didn't take any joy in it. Unfortunately both of us were in a bad mood. We both were wet and bad-tempered. We got back home and grandf ather asked us: 'Was the water warm?' We didn't reply.
Viesturs recalls
This year we had a strange winter. (It was) unusually warm. The temperature stayed (lit. held) above zero. We all were waiting for snow. A couple of times it snowed. Then nothing. People became edgy. At lastone night in April, af ter Easter, some decent snow f ell. The next morning the town was clean and white. People were delighted and walked along the city streets smiling.
Dialogue 4
Colleagues Zane Karlis Zane Karlis Happy birthday! Congratulations! Many happy returns! Thank you. What a surprise! How did you know that it's my birthday on this day? Your name was beside this date in the calendar. But usually you only find name days in a calendar? I wrote it down. You told me that your birthday is on 4th March. I remembered.
Dialogue 5
Mara John Mara John Mara Faster, faster. We should have been there already. How rude... Don't worry, I'm hurrying. Where's the invitation? The invitation is on the shelf above the fireplace. Do we have a present? And a card? We definitely have a present. A present has been bought But a card... Oh dear! I forgot I completely forgot to buy a card. How rude ... Nothing you can do about it now. At least we've got a present And flowers too. Let's go!
John Mara
Good evening, greetings! Happy (lit. happiness) to see you. Excuse us being so late. Don't mention it (lit it's nothing). Please, to the table! Happy birthday! Congratulations! Oh, how nice, my favourite flowers. Roses and lilies, how beautiful. And a present too! You didn't need to. Whafs inside? Guest Dear colleague! Heartfelt greetings on your anniversary, and we wish you all the best: love, good health and may all your dreams come true! Cheers! To your health! Congratulations!
Dialogue 6
Mara John It's time to go home. We must go. The children are waiting. Tomorrow morning have to be at work early. Mara Thank you for your hospitality. It was very nice. John Yes, a truly nice evening. Peteris Thank you for coming.
Dialogue 7
Ilze Mara Ilze Mara Ilze Mara Ilze Mara Ilze How was the party? Were there many guests? Lots of fun. (It went) much too well. I've got a headache today. There were (only a) few guests - about 15. Not many people, but many presents. How was the birthday boy? He was in a good mood, though occasionally a little sad, it seemed to me. Because ... well, you know, with the divorce and so on... Well, that's why I wasn't invited. We gave him a painting as a present. I hope that he'll like it When is his birthday? How old is he? (His) birthday is on 27 November. How old? Hmmm ... Which year was he born? I think that he was born in 1959 the same year as my husband. That means that he's 49 years old.
Dialogue 8
Gundega Hi, what's up with you? You look upset. Laima Yesterday I lost my purse. Yesterday I was angry, but today I simply am worried. Gundega Shocking! (lit. Insanity!) Do you know where you saw the purse last? Laima No, I cannot remember. Perhaps I left it in a shop. Gundega My husband once left his wallet at work. He left it on the desk. Luckily the cleaner noticed it and put it into a drawer, in a safe place. The next morning, when my husband arrived at work and found the wallet, he was so happy!... Was there a lot of money in the purse? Laima Yes 60 lats. And also credit cards, photos, driver's licence, everything. Gundega Shocking...
o a s t a s t i e t s v i
In this unit you wnl learn to chat about your educational background to talk about your work and profession to chat about your hobbies and pastimes how to tell people about yourself
tell
l t y r f s a s e u b o u o u
Dialogue
l rs o a s t s t i e t X J t t e v i
A journalist is interviewing David about his work and his background. Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David Kur jus stradajat? Es stradaju centralaja banka, Valdemara iela. Par ko jus stradajat? Es stradaju par konsultantu. Kur jGs stradajat agrak? Pirms daudziem gadiem es stradaju par analltiki. Tad pagajusaja gada es stradaju par finansu direktoai privata uznemuma. Cik ilgi jus esat stradajis Latvija? Piecus menesus. Un jums ir augstaka izglltlba tautsaimnieclba? Ja, man ir magistra grads ekonomika. Kuru universitati jGs esat beidzis? Vispirms es macijos Edinburgas universitate, tad dazus gadus velak studeju Parize, kur ieguvu magistra gradu. Velak an apmekleju kursus Londonas Biznesa augstskola. journalist consultant previously see note ago - see note analyst last (preceding) year finance private enterprise, company higher education economics master's degree economics graduated (to finish) 1 learnt / studied 1 obtained 1 attended course tertiary educational institution
^ to
Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David
<
zurnaliste konsultants (m.( agrak pirms analltikis (m.( pagajua gada (m.( finanses (f. pl.( privatais uznemums (m.( augstaka izglltlba (f.( tautsaimnieclba (f.( maistra grads (m.( ekonomika (f.( beidzis (beigt( macljos (maclties( ieguvu (iegut( apmekleju (apmeklet( kursi (m. pl.( augstskola (f.(
Language points
Runasim par izglltlbu Let's talk about education
Kada ir jusu izglitiba? (What is your education is a somewhat formal way of asking about educational background. Here are some possible replies: Es macljos / es studeju ... latviesu valodu / valodas matematiku vesturi geografiju zinatni politiku pamatskola vidusskola augstskola universitate Man ir ... augstaka izglitiba bakalaura grids magistra grads diploms i learnt /1 studied the Latvian language / languages mathematics history geography science politics at at at at primary school secondary school a tertiary institution university
rs , 3 p a s s t i e tp a e v i CA# w
higher education bachelor's degree master's degree a diploma
The verb beidzat (the infinitive is beigt) actually means finished, but when speaking of education it means graduated.
Dialogue 2
At a cocktail party, a guest is chatting to Gundega about what she does for a living. Viesis Gundega Viesis Gundega Viesis Gundega Viesis Gundega Kada ir jusu nodarbosanas? Es esmu marketinga menedzere. Interesanti! Kur jus stradajat? Jau vairakus gadus es stradaju reklamas agentura. Faktiski man ir bakalaura grads tieslietas. Bet man nepatika stradat par advokatu. Kur jus studejat? Sakuma es macljos Latvijas Universitate, velak Vidzemes Augustskola. Kad jus beidzat? Es beidzu 2001.gada.
CO
l rs 4p a s s s t i e t p a e v i
nodarboanas (f. pl.( marketings (m.( menediers, menediere (m., f.( reklama (f.( a\entura (f.( faktiski tieslietas (f. pl.( sakuma (m.(
occupation marketing manager (m.t f.) advertising agency in fact law at the beginning
Language points
Runasim par darbu un profesiju Let's talk about work and profession
Kada ir jusu nodarbosanas? (What is your occupation) is a fairly formal question and would be used by someone who doesn't know you or in an of f icial situation. In an inf ormal situation Kur jus stradajat? is more common and means What do you do? Kada ir jusu profesija? (What is your prof ession?) official. Here are some occupations: skolotajs / skolotaja pardevejs(-a) uzîemejs (-a) dejotajs (-a) stradnieks / stradniece pastnieks (-niece) makslinieks (-niece) rakstnieks (-niece) lauksaimnieks (-niece) zinatnieks (-niece) jurnieks (-niece) direktors (-e) oficiants (-e) arsts (-e) zobarsts (-e) teacher (m. / f .) sales assistant entrepreneur dancer worker or labourer (m. / f .) postman artist writer farmer scientist mariner director (m. / f .) waiter doctor dentist is also a little
zurnalists (-e) sekretars (-e) muzilîs (-e) gramatvedis (-e) inzenieris (-e) kasieris (-e) ierednis (-e) profesors (-e) pensionars (-e)
journalist secretary musician accountant engineer cashier official or clerk professor pensioner
Notice that the ending -ajs or (-ejs) goes to -aja (-eja) f or the female version, -nieks to -niece. All the others have an -e ending in the f emale versionwith some exceptionsf or example, the words f or actor and actress are aktieris and aktrise.
Kur jus stradajat agrak? Where did you work previously?

Note the dif f erent use f or the word agrak, which we know to mean earlier. It is also used to mean previously: Agrak dzivojam Londona, bet tagad mes dzivojam Riga. Previously we lived in London, but now we live in Riga. Similarly, the preposition pirms (bef ore) can also mean ago: pirms daudziem gadiem pirms gada pirms stundas many years ago a year ago an hour ago
Cik ilgi? How long?

Often, when talking about timethe accusative case is used. We have already seen (in Unit 9) visu dienu and katru dienu (all day and every / each day) The questions Cik ilgi? (How long?) will also be answered in the accusative: Vienu gadu / divus gadus / daudzus gadus. With a unit of time which is a f eminine noun it will be Vienu nede)u / divas nedelas / daudzas nedelas. However, if the question is Uz a k llgu laiku? (For how long (a time), the preposition uz will come into play, and it is answered by: Uz vienu gadu / uz diviem gadiem / uz daudziem gadiem. (The feminine: Uz vienu nedelu / uz divam nedelam / uz daudzam nedelam.)
Beigt To finish
The verb beigt is irregular in that it undergoes a consonant change (palatalization) in the stem. Otherwise, it has all the usual endings. es beidzu mes beidzam tu beidz jus beidzat viijs, viria, vini, vinas beidz The verbs lugt (to request, pasniegt / sniegt (to hand over) and kliegt (to shout) work in exactly the same way: es ludzi/, es pasniedzM, es kliedzn and so on. The f uture tense of these verbs works according to the standard pattern, but the past tense is as f ollows: es beidzu mes beidzam tu beidzi jus beidzat vins, viija, viiji, vinas beidza
rs 4p a s t d s t i e t p a e v i X
Dialogue 3
Whilst in the pub, Peteris and Viesturs discuss holidays. Peteris Viesturs Ko jus parasti darat brivdienas? MGsu gimene ta ir sarezglta problema. Brivdienas man patik braukt uz kalniem, jo man patik sleposana. Sievai, savukart, patik bGt kaut kur pie udens. Vina vienmer grib cejot uz siltam zemem, lai varetu peldeties un saujoties. Tas nozime, ka jums vajag divus atvajinajumus gada: vienu ziema un otru vasara. Vai ari - jabrauc brivdienas atsevisî. To gan es neveletos. complicated (m., f.) problem because skiing for his (her) part somewhere country or earth separately 1 wouldn't want that.
Peteris
Viesturs
sareTtssareTta problema (fa( jo slepoana (f.( savukart kaut kur zeme (f.( atsevi i To gan es neveletos (veleties(.
Dialogue 4
It is Friday evening. Elita and Ojars are making plans for the weekend. Cikos rit brauksim uz jurmalu? Ta ap 11.00. Tik velu? Tu tacu zini, ka sestdienas rita man nepatlk agri celties. Ja mes izbraucam pec 11.00, tad pludmale ieradlsimies tikai kados 12.00 vai 12.30. Elita Kas tur tik slikts? Paedlsim pusdienas un tad varesim mierigi kapas sauloties. Ojars Pec pusdienam tacu nevar uzreiz iet peldeties. Vismaz stunda jagaida. Ka Tas nav ilgi. Varam palikt jGrmala visu dienu, lidz pat vakaram. Pant tacu svetdiena, visa nedelas nogale vel prieksa! Ojars Elita Ojars Elita Ojars
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rs 9p a s t d s t i e t p a e v i |GJ
velu celties e r a d T s i m i e s (ierasties( Kas tur tik slikts? mierlgi uzreiz vismaz ilgi pat
late to get up we will arrive What's so bad (about that)? quietly, peacefully immediately at least long (duration) even
Language points
Par un pret For and against
The preposition par has a number of uses or meanings: it can mean as, f or or about. A singular noun that f ollows the preposition will be in the accusative: Es stradaju par konsultantu. Vins maksas par visu. Mes runajam par darbu. Students doma par eksameniem. I work as a consultant. He will pay f or everything. We are talking about work. The student is thinking about exams.
Do not conf use it with the preposition pa, which also takes the noun in the accusative, but has a completely dif f erent meaning. Pret also has more than one meaning. When talking about a match or a conf rontation, it means against: Sveice spele pret Latviju. Es esmu pret so ideju. Switzerland is playing against Latvia. I am against this idea.
rs 4 p a s s . s t i e tp a e v i
Paradoxically, when you take medicine f or something, you use the word pret: zales pret apaukstesanos medicine f or a cold the Singular nouns with pret are also in the accusative case. Finally, par un pret is the pro and the con, the f or and against and is used in voting (balsosana).
Reflexive verbs
Like non-ref lexive verbs, the ref lexive verbs, f or learning purposes, can also be placed into three main conjugation patterns or categories (which until now we have called f amilies) providing they are regular. Some reflexive verbs have consonant or pronunciation interchanges in the stemhowever endings are constant. These are the main groups: macities {to learn) es tu vins,vina mes jus vini, viijas macos macies macas macamies macaties macas mazgaties (to wash) mazgajos mazgajies mazgajas mazgaj amies mazgajaties mazgajas veleties (to wish or want) velos velies velas velamies velaties velas
Some other reflexive verbs we have already encountered in various forms are: izskatlties atcereties iepazlties preceties skirties atrasties parsesties steigties griezties to to to to to to to to to look / to appear remember get acquainted marry part / to divorce be situated / located change (means of transport) hurry turn
Dialogue 5
David and Karlis are chatting about sport. David wants to know what the favourite sport is in Latvia. David Karlis Kads ir vispopularakais sporta veids Latvija? Es domaju, ka ledus hokejs, lai gan basketbols arl ir populars. Latvijas ledus hokeja komanda ir diezgan speclga. Dazi latviesu hokejisti spele klubos arzemes, citas valstis: Kanada, Somija, Krievija. Un ar kadu sportu nodarbojas sievietes? Sievietes ari spele basketbolu, un vel pie tam joti labi. Latvijas izlase nesen piedalljas olimpiskajas speles. Man liekas, ka sleposana un peldesana ari ir iecienitas. Gari sievietes, gan viriesi spele tenisu. Un dejo tautas dejas. Vai tautas dejas ir sporta veids? the most popular (m.) type of sport team powerful (m.f f.) hockey player is engaged in national team participated Olympic Games popular (m.t f.) (lit favoured) to dance folk dance
David Karlis
David
vispopularakais sporta veids (m.) komanda (f.) speclgs, speciga hokejists (m_) nodarbojas (nodarboties) izlase (f.) piedalljas (piedallties) olimpiskas speles (f. pl.) iecienlts, iecienlta dejot tautas deja (f.)
Language points
Ko jums patlk darlt brlvaja laika? Kads ir jusu valas prieks jeb hobijs? What do you do in your free time? What is your favourite pastime or hobby?
Man patik ... senosana peldesana dziedasana laslsana I like ... mushroom picking swimming singing reading
sleposana dejosana burasana makskeresana
skiing dancing sailing fishing (angling)
rs a s s s t i e t p a e v i 1 4p
laslsana
spelet gitaru Man patik spelet ... basketbolu tenisu ledus hokeju futbolu
makskeresana I like to play ... basketball tennis ice hockey football
volejbolu kartis bridzu sahu gitaru kiavieres vijoli Man patik apmeklet koncertus teatri makslas izstades
volleyball cards bridge chess the guitar the piano the violin I like to attend .. concerts the theatre art exhibitions
rs 4 . P 3 3 s s t _ e tp a e v _ o
Dialogue 6
Viesturs and Gundega are discussing a f ootball match f rom the evening bef ore, in which Latvia played against Switzerland. Viesturs Gundega Viesturs Gundega Vai tu vakar vakara skatljies speli? Sveices izlase speleja pret Latvijas komandu. Dramatisks macs, vai ne! Sakas mierigi un izskatljas, ka rezultats bus neizskirts, tomer beigas ... Ja, pirmaja puse nekas nenotika. Otra puslaika sakuma aktivak uzbruka sveiciesi. Es nebrinos. Latviesi nespeleja parliecinosi. Un tad aizsargs saka strideties ar tiesnesi un sanema dzelteno kartiti. Vel sliktak pec tam, kad vins iespera uzbrucejam un sanema sarkano kartiti - un noraidijumu. Pedeja bridi. Ja, un vel pie tam soda laukuma! Es nesaubljos, ka sveiciesu soda sitiens bGs vartos. Viniem laimejas. Sitiens bija vajs. Latvijas vartsargs teica, ka bumba bija slapja un izslldeja no rokam. Ta ari Sveice uzvareja un Latvija zaudeja. last night, yesterday evening dramatic (m., f.) result draw (lit undecided) at the end attacked the Swiss I don't wonder convincingly
Viesturs Gundega Viesturs
vakar vakara dramatisks, dramatiska rezultats (m.( neiz|j:irts beigas (f" pi.( uzbruka (uzbrukt( veiciei (m. pi.( nebrlnos (brlnlties( parliecinoi
aizsargs (m.( strldeties tiesnesis (m.( iespera (iespert( noraidljums (m.( pedeja brldl (m.( soda laukums (m.( neaubljos (aublties( soda sitiens (m.( varti (m. pl.( sitiens (m.( vaj, vaja vartsargs (m.( izslldeja (izsUdet( uzvareja (uzvaret( zaudeja (zaudet(
defender to argue referee, also judge kicked a sending off at the last moment penalty area I didn't doubt penalty kick goal, also gates kick, also hit weak or poor (m., f.) goalkeeper slipped out won lost
rs 4 8 p a s s s t i e tp a e v _ C A .
Language points
Vai tu vakar skatljies " Did you watch last night?
For all reflexive verbs the past tense endings are regular, with the usual long sounds predominating. The stem is obtained by removing the -ties ending (mazga-ties, maci-ties, vele-ties) and the endings are: -jos, -jies, -jas-jamies, -jaties. If the letter bef ore the inf initive ending -ties is a consonantthen the past tense endings drop the -j. Past tense stems of irregular reflexive verbs can also be unpredictable, although the endings i regular. Compare the f ollowing: ierasties (to arrive) es tu 3rd person mes jus ierados ieradies ieradas ieradamies ieradaties steigties (to hurry) steidzos steidzies steidzas steidzamies steidzaties satikties (to meet) satikos satikies satikas satikamies satikaties griezties (to turn) griezos griezies griezas griezamies griezaties
Gerunds or verbal nouns

Gerunds are formed from verbs and have the ending -sana. Theoretically, virtually any verb can be made into a gerund or verbal noun (a noun indicating an action) by removing the last -t of the infinitive and adding the ending: senot (to pick mushrooms)-^ senosana slepot (to ski) sleposana dziedat (to sing) -> dziedasana lasit (to read) lasisana {mushroom (skiing) (singing) (reading) picking)
4
r ttstistiet p t t
^ M < . ^
Often they correspond to English words ending with -ing, but not always! There is a singular form (senosana, sleposana, dziedasana, lasisana and others): Latviesiem patik seôsana. Latvians like mushroom picking. Sveice ir laba sleposana. There is good skiing in Switzerland. Viâs milakais vajas prieks Her favourite pastime ir dziedasana. is singing. Populars vajas prieks A popular hobby is reading. ir lasisana. There is also a plural form (zinasanas, velesanas): Viâm ir plasas zinasanas. He has vast knowledge. Nak velesanas. The elections are coming. Note that occasionally the meaning can change completely: Ta nav tava darisana. That's none of your business. Ta ir tikai tuksa runasana. That's only idle (lit. empty) talk.
Dialogue 7
Peteris and Fiona are chatting about what they like doing in their f ree time. Fiona likes travelling, but Peter pref ers walks in the f orest and picking mushrooms. Peteris Fiona Peteris Fiona Ko jus darat brlvaja laika? Man joti patik cejot. Jusu hobijs ir ce|oana? Ja, ir interesanti braukt uz citam zemem, pastaigaties pa svesu pilsetu, apmeklet makslas muzejus un turisma objektus, un vel iepazlt kadu citu kulturu. Un kads ir jusu valasprieks?
50
l rs p a s s i s t e tp a i
Peteris
Man labak patik but kaut kur pie dabas: pastaigaties pa mezu, vai pie juras. Rudeni labprat eju senot. Fiona Ka jus zinat, kuras senes ir edamas un kuras indigas? Peteris Es pazistu visas. Zinu, kuri ir sampinjoni, kuras gailenes, baravikas, berzlapes. Musmires visi pazist - tas ir tas sarkanas ar baltiem punktiem. brlvais laiks (m.) hobijs (m.) pastaigaties svesvea turisma objects (m.( iepazlt kultura (fa( vajasprieks (m.( d a m s , edama indlgs, indlga gailene (fa( baravika (fa( berzlape (f.( mumire (f.( punkts (m. pl.( free time hobby to go for a stroll unfamiliar (m., f.) tourist attraction to get to know culture favourite pastime, hobby edible (m., f.) poisonous (m., f.) chanterelle (type of mushroom) boletus (type of mushroom) russula (type of mushroom) toadstool dot
un kori Music and choirs Latvia seems to have an inexhaustible supply of musical talent, both singers and instrumentalists. Despite a small population, the country boasts a number of world class opera stars and three major orchestras. Top choral conductors are revered. Once every four years or so the Dziesmu un deju svetki (Song and dance festival) takes place. In essence it is the culmination of a fiercely fought nationwide choral contest. Thousands of choirs, as well as folk-dancing groups, compete in heats across the country for the chance to perform at the festival, but the greatest honour of all is to participate in the final concert. The main events of the festival take place on a specially constructed open-air stage the size of a sports stadium in the Riga suburb of Meaparks. The sight and sound of the massed choir with thousands of singers in national dress is breathtaking. The singing continues after the event in trams and buses which transport the participants and the audience back to the centre. The festival opens with a parade through the streets of Riga. I n 2008 the parade had 35,000 participants and lasted about seven hours.
O Dialogue 8
Ilze is really pleased that the choir she sings in has been chosen to perf orm at the nationwide Song and dance f estival. This is a major national eventwhich doesn't take place every year. It is a great achievement to be chosen to take part. Mes )oti priecajamies, ka mGsu koris piedalisies Dziesmu un deju svetkos. Zane Apsveicu! Ilze Dirigents uztraucas, ka neesam sagatavojusas. Bija jamacas daudz jaunu dziesmu. Bet skates mes nodziedajam parsteidzosi labi. Zane Ja, es klausljos, un Tpasi pedeja skate tiesam skaneja labi. Faktiski labak nevaretu veleties. Dirigents var justies apmierinats. Ilze Tiesam nav par ko sGdzeties. Tagad atpGtisimies, bet pec daam dienam bus jaierodas Mezaparka, lai uzstatos Atklasanas koncerta. Ilze
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piedallsies (piedallties( dziesma (f.( diluents (m.( sagatavojuas (sagatavoties( skate (fa( parsteidzoi klausljos (klauslties( Tpai skaneja (skanet( atputlsimies (atpusties( bus jaierodas (ierasties( lai uzstatos (uzstaties( Atklaanas koncerts (m.(
will participate song conductor prepared (f. pi.) heat surprisingly 1 was listening particularly it sounded we will rest we will have to show up in order to perform, appear Opening concert
Language points
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Musu koris piedallsies Our choir is going to participate

The f uture tense of ref lexive verbsas with the non-ref lexive verbsis largely regular throughout. Although once again the endings are the same, stem changes do occur, especially in irregular verbs. Regular stems are as f or the past tense, and the endings are -sos, -sies-sies-simies and -sities. Even irregular verbs f ollow exactly the same pattern, except f or verbs with an s or a z bef ore the ending -ties. These acquire an extra syllable. Here are some examples: griezties atpusties es griezisos atputisos mes griezisimies atputlsimies ierasties ieradisos ieradisimies justies jutisos jutisimies
Mes nodziedajam parsteidzosi labi We sang surprisingly well

There is an adverbial f orm of another type of present active participle, one that is characterized by the -oss, -osa ending. It can be used as a descriptive word, like an adjective apmierinoss rezultats (a satisf actory result), ziedosa puê (a flower in bloom)9 smaidosas sejas (smiling f aces) - or as an adverb (parsteidzosi, parliecinosi): Vigi nespeleja parliecinosi. They didn't play convincingly. The adjectival participle can have both def inite and indef inite forms: raudoss berns raudosais berns a crying child the crying child
Gerunds from reflexive verbs

Gerunds or verbal nouns f ormed f rom ref lexive verbs tend to have a long -a in the ending. They can be awkward to use, as in the nominative both the singular and plural is the same. In adaition, these words only exist in the nominative, genitive and accusative f orms. The gerund tiksanas (meeting) satikties ) to meet: is f rom the verb ukties (or
nominative genitive
Man sodien ir tiksanas ar prieksnieku. Today I have a meeting with the boss. Tiksanas laika mes parrunajam dazadas problemas. During the meeting we discussed various problems. Es tagad eju uz tiksanos. I am now going to a meeting.
l r 5 p a s t t t s t i e tp a W
accusative
s e v i
Some other examples of gerunds f ormed f rom ref lexive nouns are velesanas (wish or desire) f rom veleties, nodarbosanas (occupation) f rom nodarbotiesiepazisanas (acquaintance) f rom iepazities and the f amiliar Uz redzesanos!, which is an accusative f orm based on the verb redzeties (to see each other again).
English words ending with ing'

In English, the suf f ix -ing is characteristic of the present active participle and of gerunds (verbal nouns). In Latvian, however there is more than one equivalent and f unction f or -ing words: 1 2 3 As a present tense verb: he skis / he is skiing As a gerund (verbal noun): skiing As a present participle: (whilst) skiing viijs slepo sleposana slepo jot
Exercises
1 Iepazisimies! Let's get to know each other! Some of the characters you have already met in the dialogues have been asked what they do and what they like doing in their spare time. Read these people's stories and then answer the questions. Try not to look back or use the glossary. Deivids stasta Esmu dzimis Skotijabet jau ilgus gadus dzlvoju Londona. Apmekleju vietejo pamatskolu un 1983. gada beidzu Eainburgas universitati ar bakalaura gradu ekonomika. Tad vairakus gadus stradaju privata konsultantu f irma. Nesen man piedavaja iespeju stradat Riga. Kad es uzzinaju, ka brauksu uz Rigu stradat, es saku maclties latviesu valodu. Tagad esam nodzlvojusi Riga piecus menesus. Brivaja laika man patik spelet golfu. Vispar man patik nodarboties ar sportu. Vasara es speleju tenisu. Ziema biezi eju uz trenazieru zali.
Fiona stasta Ar Deividu es satikos, kad man bija 19 gadu. Abi stude jam universitate. Divus gadus velak apprecejamies. Tad piedzima berni vispirms Harijs, pec tam Millija. Uz daziem gadiem dzivojam Londona. Faktiski man nav daudz brlva laika man tacu ir divi berni. Vel macos neklatieneLondonas Universitate. Vakaros esmu nogurusi, varbut parak biezi skatos televizoru. Sakuma berni dzivo j a Anglija, bet kops septembra viî apmekle starptautisko skolu Jurmala. Man joti patik cejot. Kapec? Lai iepazitos ar citam zememar citam kulturam. Karlis stasta Kada ir mana nodarbosanas? Pec profesijas esmu inzenierisbet pedejos 10 gadus esmu stradajis f inansu joma. Esmu gramatvedis, direktora paligs. Jau ilgus gadus es stradaju Latvijas centralaja banka. Esmu precejies. Mana sieva Laima ir skolotaja, viija maca vieteja pamatskola. Man nepatik sports, bet man patik but ara, briva daba. Speleju sahu. Mani interese ari politika un vesture. Vasara biezi braucam uz Kolku peldeties jura un saujoties kapas. Gundega stasta Pec prof esijas esmu jurists, macijos Latvijas Universitates Tieslietu f akultate. Velak stuaeju marketingu un man laime jas atrast darbu reklamas agentura. Nesen saku dzivot kopa ar Naidzelu. Mes satikamies darba. Vins bija nesen atbraucis no Nujorkas uz Rigu un neprata runat latviski. Man bija jatulko. Un ta mes iepazinamies. Ko es daru on vaja laika? Man patik iepirkties! Veikali, izpardosanas, atlaides un nocenosanas ta ir mana pasaule! Naidzels stasta Neesmu no Latvijas, esmu dzimis un audzis Jaunzelande. Pec skolas beigsanas dazus gadus cejoju pa pasauli. Kadu laiku dzivoju Anglija, apmekleju Londonas Biznesa augstskolu. Kadu laiku biju arl precejies man ir dels, bet vins dzivo pie mates. Ilgus gadus stradaju lûjorka. Mans hobijs ir burasana. Mans sapnis ir dzivot pie juras. llze stasta Esmu dzimusi un augusi Riga. Kops skolas beigsanas es stradaju Latvijas Banka. Neesmu precejusies, bet man ir kakis. Dzivoju kopa ar divam draudzenem. Man Joti patlk muzika. Dziedu kori, apmekleju koncertus. Mans vajasprieks ir dziedasana un dejosana. MIlu ari makslu. Biezi eju uz izstadem un makslas muzejiem. Patiesiba pati arl mazliet gleznoju.
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Peteris stasta Esmu liepajnieks, bet stradaju teatri Riga. Reizem ari nodarbojos ar reklamu. Jaunlba beidzu Makslas Akademiju. Kads ir mans vajasprieks? Lasisana. Patik ari klausities muziku. Nesen nopirku dzivokli. Tagad to remonteju. Es nekad neskatos televizoru. Labprat stradaju darza, lai gan man pasam darza nav. Bet maniem draugiem ir neliels lauku Ipasums, labprat villus apciemoju. Ejam pastaigaties pa mezu, rudeni seôjam. a b c d e f g h i 2 What did David study? How long have David and Fiona been in Riga? What does Fiona do perhaps too of ten? What is Karlis doing nowand what was he previously? Where does Gundega work? How did she meet Nigel? What is Nigel's f avourite pastime? How long has Ilze been working at the bank? Which town is Peteris f rom?
rs 5 p a s t n s t _ e tp a e v i W
Match the occupations to their place of workto f orm the sentence: (Kas) strada (kur). Example: Sekretare strada biroja. a b c d e f g h i j f o iciants skolotaja arste pardevejs stradnieks kasieris pastniece lauksaimnieks aktrise uznemejs i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x slimnlca lauki rupnica pasts teatris restorans veikals uznemums banka skola
Match the time phrases in Latvian with their counterparts in English. b d pec daziem menesiem pagajusaja gada tagad vakar katru dienu nakamnedej nesen sobrid pirms stundas vairakus gadus reiz uz vienu nedelu i yesterday ii each or every day iii recently iv at the moment v for a number o f years vi for a week vii once viii next week ix last year x in a f ew months xi now xii an hour ago
4
rs p a s s s t i e tp a e v i
Complete the following sentences by changing the words in brackets into Latvian. All the words will have -sana / -sanas / -sanas endings. a b c d e f g h i No visiem sporta veidiem man vislabak patik (skiing). Profesoram ir plasas (knowledge) par Eiropas vesturi. Apvienotas Karalistes (elections) piedalljas tikai trls politiskas partijas. Mana masa iet Makslas Akademija un macas {painting). Braunu gimene daudz cejo pa pasauli, viû vajasprieks ir (travelling). Ko vins stasta? Ta ir tikai tuksa (talking), Latvija populars vajasprieks jeb hobijs ir (mushroom picking). Kada ir jusu (occupation)} Viram sodien ir (a meeting) banka.
Answer the following questions. A Latvian asks you Kada ir jusu nodarbosanas? what do they want to know? b f I someone says Es straaaju par what will they tell you? c Name two things that you studiedusing a complete sentence. d How would you ask someone How long? (ref erring to time) e Ko jus darat brivaja laika? and Kads ir jusu valas prieks? are two ways of asking you much the same thing. What is it? a
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David Zurnaliste David Where do you work? I work at the central bank, in Valdemara iela. What do you do? (lit What do you work as?) I am a consultant. Where did you work previously? Many years ago I worked as an analyst Last year I worked as the financial director in a private company. Zurnaliste How long have you worked in Latvia? David Five months. Zurnaliste And you have higher education in economics? David Yes, I've Qot a master's degree in economics.
Zurnaliste Which university did you graduate from? David At first I studied at Edinburgh University, then, some years later, I studied in Paris, where I obtained the master's degree. Later, I also attended courses at London Business School.
rs ^ 5p a s t s t i e t p a e v i 1o
Dialogue 2
Viesis Gundega Viesis Gundega What is your occupation? I'm a marketing manager. That's interesting! Where do you work? For a number of years now I have been working for an advertising agency. In fact, I have a bachelor's degree in law, but I didn't like working as a lawyer. Where did you study? At the start I studied at the University of Latvia, later at the Vidzeme University College. When did you graduate? I graduated in 2001.
Viesis Gundega Viesis Gundega
Dialogue 3
Peteris Viesturs What do you usually do on holiday? In our family it's a tricky problem. On holidays, I like to go to the mountains, because I like skiing. My wife, on the other handlikes to be somewhere by the water. She always wants to go to warm countries so as to be able to swim and to sunbathe. That means that you need two vacations in a year: one in the winter and the other in the summer. Or also - go on holiday separately. I wouldn't like that
Peteris
Viesturs
Dialogue 4
Ojars Elita Ojars Elita Ojars Elita At what time are we going to the beach tomorrow? Around 11 o'clock. So late? You know that on Saturday morning I don't like getting up early, don't you? If we leave after 11,then we'll get to the beach at only about 12.00 or 12.30. What's so bad about that? We'll have lunch and then we'll be able to peacefully sunbathe in the dunes.
Ojars Elita
You can't go swimming straight after lunch. You have to wait an hour at least. That's not long. We can stay at the seaside all day long, even up until evening. The day after tomorrow is Sunday, we've got the whole weekend ahead of us!
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Dialogue 5
David What is the most popular sport in Latvia? Karlis I think that it's ice hockey, although basketball is also popular. The Latvian (national) hockey team is quite strong. Some Latvian hockey players play in clubs abroad: in Canadain Finlandin Russia. David And what sports do women do? Karlis Women too play basketball, and moreover very well. The Latvian team recently took part in the Olympic Games. I think that skiing and swimming are also well liked. Both women and men play tennis. And do folk dancing. David Is folk dancing a sport?
Dialogue 6
Viesturs Did you watch the game last night? The Switzerland team played against the Latvian team. Gundega It was a dramatic match, wasn't it! Began quietly and looked as though the result would be a draw, however in the end... Viesturs Yes, in the first half nothing happened. At the start of the second half the Swiss attacked more actively. Gundega I dont wonder. The Latvians didn't play convincingly. And then the defender started to argue with the referee and received a yellow card. Viesturs (It was) even worse afterwards, when he kicked the attacker and received a red card and got sent off. At the last minute. Gundega Yes, and in the penalty area as well! I didn't doubt that the Swiss penalty kick would be a goal. Viesturs They got lucky. It was a poor kick. The Latvian goalkeeper said that the ball was wet and slipped through his hands. So Switzerland won and Latvia lost
Dialogue 7
Peteris Fiona Peteris Fiona What do you do in your spare time? I really like to travel. Your hobby is travelling? Yes, itfs interesting to travel to other countries, to stroll around an unfamiliar city, to visit art galleries and tourist sites, and to get to know another culture. And what is your hobby? Peteris I prefer to be somewhere with nature: to go for a walk in the forest, or by the sea. In the autumn I like to go mushroom picking. Fiona How do you know which mushrooms are edible and which ones are poisonous? Peteris I know them all. I know which are the champignons, which are the chanterelles, the boletus, the russula. Everyone knows toadstools they're the red ones with white spots.
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Dialogue 8
We 're really pleased that our choir is to participate in the Song and dance festival. Zane Congratulations! Ilze (Our) conductor was worried that we weren't prepared. We had to learn lots of new songs. But in the competition heats we sang surprisingly well. Zane Yes, I was listening, and in the last one especially it sounded good. In fact, you couldn't hope for better. The conductor can feel satisfied. Ilze Really, there's nothing to complain about Now we'll have a rest, but in a few days' time we'll have to be (lit arrive) at Meaparks, in order to perform at the Opening concert. Ilze
Let's get to know each other

David I was born in Scotland, but f or many years now have lived in London. I went to the local primary school and in 1983 I graduated f rom Edinburgh University with a bachelor's degree in economics. Then f or a number o f years, I workea in a private consultancy f irm. Recently I was o ff ered the opportunity to work in Riga. When I f ound out that I would be going to Riga to workI started learning Latvian. Now we have been in Riga
five months. In my f ree time I like to play golf . Generally I like doing sport. In the summer I play tennis. In the winter I o f ten go to the gym. Fiona I met David when I was 19 years old. We both were studying at university. Two years later we got married. Then the children were born: f irst of all Harry, a f ter that Milly. For a number f o years we lived in London. In f act I don't have a lot of f ree time -I've got two childrenaf ter all. I am still studyingdistancelearning, at the University o f London. In the evenings I am tired, perhaps I watc"1 V too of ten. Initially the children stayed in England, but since September they have been attending the international school in Jurmala. I like travelling a lot. Why? To get to know other countriesother cultures. Karlis What's my occupation? According to pro f ession I'm an engineer, but f or the last ten years I've worked in the f inancial sector. I am an accountanta director's assistant. For many years I have been working at the central bank o f Latvia. I'm married. My wif e Laima is a teachershe teaches at the local primary school. I don't like sportbut I do like to be outside in the f resh air. I play chess. I'm also interested in politcs and history. In the summer we of ten drive to Kolkato swim in the sea and to sunbathe in the dunes. Gundega According to pro f ession, I'm a lawyer I studied at the University o f Latvia, in the f aculty f o law. Later I studied marketing and I was lucky to f ind a job in an advertising agency. Recently I started living together with Nigel. We met at work. He had recently come over to Riga f rom New York and didn't know Latvian. I had to interpret. And thaf s how we got to know each other. What do 1 do in my f ree time? I love shopping! Shops, sales, reductions and discounts that's my world! Nigel I'm not f rom Latvia, I was born and grew up in New Zealand, On f inishing school I travelled around the world f or a f ew years. For a while I lived in England, attended the London School f o Business. For a while I also was married - I have a sony but he lives with his mother. For many years I worked in New York. My hobby is sailing. My dream is to live by the sea.
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I was born and grew up in Riga. Since I lef t school I have worked at the Bank of Latvia. I'm not marriedbut I have a cat. I live together with two f riends. I like music a lot. I also sing in a choir and attend concerts. My hobby is singing and dancing. I also love art. I of ten go to exhibitions and art galleries. To tell the truth I also paint a little ... Peteris lm f rom Liepaja, but I work in the theatre in Riga. Sometimes I also get involved in advertising. In my youth I graduated f rom the Academy f o Art. Whaf s my hobby? Reading. I also like to listen to music. Recently I bought a f lat. Now I'm renovating it. I never watch television. Z7/ happily work in the garden, although I don't have a garden mysel f . But my f riends have a smallish country property, I like to visit them. We go f or walks in the f orestin the autumn we pick mushrooms.
In this unit you will learn about using the car about travelling around Latvia a bit about history more on dates
O Dialogue 1
David is in the car, racing to the airport to meet Fiona. He is running late and is stopped on the road by a traffic policeman. Policija Stop! Te riedrikst braukt. 1 ir vienvirziena iela. Vai neredzejat bridinajuma zimi? lebraukt aizliegts! Un vel jGs parsniedzat atjauto brauksanas atrumu. Ko, IGdzu? Es esmu arzemnieks. Jus braucat par atru. Jums bGs jamaksa sods. Kur ir jusu autovaditaja aplieclba? Es esmu britu pilsonis. JGsu pasi, ludzu. Atvainojiet. Es steidzos. Man jabrauc uz lidostu. Sodien ierodas mana sieva. Man vienalga. Kaut vai ierastos karaliene ... likums ir likums! police one-way street warning sign no entry you exceeded permitted driving speed too fast penalty, fine citizen 1 don't care even if were to arrive queen the law
6 laimlgu c e u ! |-^
David Policija David Policija David Policija

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policija (f.( vienvirziena iela (f.( brldinajums (m.( zlme (m.( iebraukt aizliegts parsniedzat (parsniegt( atjautais braukanas atrums (m.( par atru sods (m.( pilsonis (m.( man vienalga kaut vai ierastos (ierasties( karaliene (f.( likums (m.(
Language points
Satiksmes noteikumi Road rules
jabrauc ar drosibas jostu f sa ety belts mandatory jaievero maksimala atruma the speed limit must be ierobezojums observed
Parkapumi Offences parkapt (noteikumus, likumu) brauksanas atruma parsniegsana brauksana bez tieslbam brauksana bez droslbas jostas Ce(a zlmes Road signs iebraukt aizliegts velosipediem braukt aizliegts apstaties aizliegts velosipedu cejs nedrikst apdzlt atjautais brauksanas atrums maksimalais atrums 50 maksimala atruma ierobezojuma zona beidzas
&s f g u m
l l c e c
to break (the rules, the law) breaking the speed limit driving without a licence driving without a seat belt no entry no bicycles no stopping cycle way no overtaking permitted speed maxiumum speed limit SO end of speed limit
miglas zona f og ceja remonts road melnais ledus black
works ice
bezmaksas stawieta f ree parking degviela: bez svinaA-85, A-6 f uel: leadf reeA-8Sy A-6 tehniska pase technical passcar registration
Dialogue 2
Arvlds' car suddenly broke down in the middle of the road. He doesn't know what's the matter with it. He now has taken the car to a mechanic. Arvlds Autoserviss ArvTds Autoserviss ArvTds Masina nedarbojas. Kas vainas? Kas notika? Griezos pa labi, un peksni masina apstajas. Benzlns ir? Ja, protams. Nupat biju auto mazgatava un degvielas uzpildes stacija. Tvertne ir pilna. Autoserviss Kad masina pedejo reizi bija autoservisa?
Neatceros. Bet zinu, ka bija tehniska apskate, un parbaudlja visu bremzes, parnesumkarbu, e||u, izputeju, gaismas ... pat ritenus un riepas. Autoserviss Nu jaaa ... VarbGt kaut kas salGzis. Tulit apskatisim. Cerams, ka varesim salabot. nedarbojas (darboties( Kas notika? (notikt( griezos (griezties( pekni apstajas (apstaties( benzins (m.( nupat auto mazgatava (f.( degvielas uzpildes stacija (f.( tvertne (f.( pilns, pilna tehniska apskate (f.( parbaudlja (parbaudit( bremzes (f. pi.( parnesumkarba (f.( izputejs (m.( ritenis (m.( riepa (f.( saluzis, saluzusi salabot isn't working What happened? 1 was turning suddenly stopped petrol just now car wash petrol station tank full (m.f f.) roadworthiness inspection checked, tested brakes gearbox exhaust wheel tyre broken (m f.) to fix
Arvlds
Language points
Problemas ar automaslnu Problems with the car
Es pazaudeju atslegu. trukst degvielas Bremzes nedarbojas. Spogulis saluzis. pardurta riepa vilkt (masinu) trose I lost the key. out of fuel The brakes aren't working. The mirror is broken, punctured tyre to tow tow rope
266
Kaut kas ir saluzis Something is broken

To express that something happened at some indef inite time, or at an unspecif ied place, or when talking about someone or something (we don't know who or what), the word kaut is used, followed by the word kas, kad or kur whatwhen or where. Kaut kas ir saluzis. Varbut kaut kad julija? Viâ dzivo kaut kur Latgale. Something is broken, Perhaps at some time in July? She lives somewhere in Latgale.
A similar construction kaut kads / kaut kada - can be used for some kind of or some sort o f. Vins spele kaut kadu datora speli. Kads or kada can also mean Kads klauve pie durvim. He's playing some sort o f computer game. someone. Someone is knocking at the door.
They can also be used as a noun modif ier meaning a, an, a certain or some: Kada meitene tevi mekleja. Some girl was looking f or you. Vai tev nav kads latins? Do you have a lat (or two)?
Dialogue 3
David and Fiona have decided that they would like to spend a weekend outside Riga and are planning to drive out to Sigulda in the countryside. They call to book a room. David Vai jums bGtu kada briva istaba? ViesnTca Kadu jums vajag? Cik cilvekiem? Vienvietigo vai diwietigo? David Diwietigo, diviem cilvekiem. Viesnica Ja, viens numurs mums paslaik ir brivs. Tikai viens. Jums laimejas. Saja gada laika parasti visi numuri ir aizriemti. David Vai numurs ir ar vannu un dusu? ViesnTca Vannas nav, bet ir duskabine un tualete. Vai nemsit? David Ja, nemsim. Cik maksa, lOdzu? ViesnTca 60 latu, ieskaitot brokastis. Uz cik ilgu laiku?
David Tris naktis. ViesnTca Ttad no piektdienas lldz pirmdienai. Cikos jus varam gaidit? David Pasreiz vel esam Riga. Pie jums ieradlsimies pec apmeram divam stundam.
r
>67 s*
I I
vienvietlga diwietlga numurs dukablne (f.(
single double room (in a hotel), also number shower cubicle
Dialogue 4
David and Fiona are ariving along a country roadwhen they arrive at the scene of an accident. They stop to see if they can help. Skatitajs is an onlooker. Fiona SkatTtajs Fiona SkatTtajs Fiona Skatitajs Fiona SkatTtajs Kas notika? Auto avarija. Masina iebraukusi koka. Vai ir kadi cietusie? Vai kds ir ievainots? Ja, viens cilveks sabraukts, ari soferis ir ievainots. Kads ir sabraukts! Zvaniet 112! Izsauciet atro palldzlbu un policiju! Mes jau izsaucam. Paskaties, izsists aizsargstikls! Ka tas notika? Esot braukusi caur mezu. Peksni ceja vidu esot paradljusies mea cuka. Masina strauji bremzeja, bet ce|s bija slidens, un ta ietriecas koka. Dieml aiz koka staveja mednieks. Vai jus esat liecinieks? Ne, es pats tur nebiju un neko neredzeju. To visu noskatijas senotaji. Un ka ar cietusajiem? Kadam tacu vajag palldzet? Soferim bus labi. Un kas ir ar mednieku? Vinam ari bus labi. Gribeja nosaut briedi bet koks trapija vinam pasam! Sa vai ta, vins pats ir arsts. Tagad vares sevi arstet...
Fiona Skatitajs Fiona SkatTtajs Fiona SkatTtajs
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lfi)jnfllgu
skatltajs (ma( auto avarija (f.( cietuais (m.( ievainots, ievainota izsauciet (izsaukt( atra (neatliekama( palfdzlba (f.( izsists (izsist( aizsargstikls (m.( caur paradljusies (paradlties( meza cuka (f.( strauji bremzeja (bremzet( ietriecas (ietriekties( staveja (stavet( mednieks (m.( liecinieks (m.( pats sepotajs (m.( noaut briedis (m.( traplja (traplt( paam a vai t i sevi arstet
onlooker car accident victim injured (m., f.) call out (imp ) ambulance knocked out, broken windscreen through appeared wild boar sharply, also swiftly braked slammed into was standing hunter witness myself (m.) (see below) mushroom picker to shoot stag hit (the target) himself (see below) anyhow, one way or another himself (see below) to treat or to cure
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Language points
The relative mood
The relative mood (also known as the conjunctive mood) is often used when retelling or recounting an event to someone who may not have necessarily been there. It is also used to repeat, as hearsay, what someone else has said. That is why it most of ten f eatures in news reports and newspaper articles. It can also be used when or if there is some doubt about the factual accuracy or truthf ulness of what was said: Tirgu neesot banani. There aren't any bananas in the market (so I heard).
Viiâ teica, ka vina esot slima. She said that she is ill (apparently). Viîi saka, ka neesot vainlgi. They say that (they) aren't guilty It can also be used in a perfect tense: Vi^s teica, ka esot palidzejis matei. He said that he had his mother. helped (allegedly).
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The relative mood is f ormed by adding the ending -ot to the present tense stem (or the ending -oties f or ref lexive verbs). There are some irregular f ormationsf or example, esot (allegedly or apparently is) and ejot (allegedly or apparently goes). There is also a future form. This is formed by adding the ending -sot to a future tense stem: busot and lesot. There is no simple past tense, but instead a type of perfect tense where the auxiliary verb esot is used with the usual participle of the verb.
Koks trapija vinam pasam The tree got him

The word pats, when used with nouns or pronouns, adds emphasis to the word with which it associates and means -self . It is a type of ref lexive pronoun, and changes with the gender number and case: Vina teica, ka vina to izdaris pati. Vins pats ir arsts. V191 pasi neko nedara. She said that she would do it herself. He hi mself is a doctor. They don't do anything themselves. We ourselves didn't see Mes pasi nevienu anybody. neredzejam. Mes pasas esam dejotajas. We ourselves are dancers, (f .)
The word is also used to express that something is the same: Tas ir tas pats, or Ta ir That is the same, (m. f .) ta pati. Tie ir tie pasi. or They are the same. Tas ir tas pasas. f (m both plural)
O The four historic regions of Latvia The regions or novadi of Latvia are Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Latgale. Both the geographical features and the people who live in these areas have their own particularities. Kurzeme is the home of the ancient Livs (llbiei( and the Curonian tribe (kuri(. Predominantly coastal, it is characterized by fishing villagessand dunescliffs and beaches. I t is also the most forested region in Latvia. One of Europe's widest waterfalls (though not very high) - Ventas rumba - is to be found there, as is Europe's northernmost vineyard at Sabile. Vidzeme has the highest population, mainly because this is the region where Riga is located. Gaizikalns or Gaiziris, Latvia's highest mountain is in Vidzeme, as is Sigulda National Park, complete with the ancient castle Turaida and an Olympicstandard bobsled track. The valley of the river Gauja is traditionally held to be one of the most picturesque in the country. The Vidzeme coastline towards Estonia is a mixture of sandy shore and rocky outcrops. Zemgale is the fertile breadbasket of Latvia', the most productive farmland and birthplace of five of Latvia's presidents. It is also the home of some of the most impressive castles and stately homes, including Rundale, the palace built by Rastrelli. The horses of Tervete are highly regarded, as is the beer. The area is also known for its pine trees, some of which are thought to be about 250 years old. Latgale has suffered even more from foreign domination than other parts of Latvia and has always been the poorest part of the country. Sometimes called Zilo ezeru zeme (Land of the blue lakes), it is also a bird-watchers' paradise and, in the summer, hosts numerous stork families. Lubans, the largest lake in the country, is in Latgale, as is the Christian shrine of Aglona - a place of pilgrimage for believers from all over Europe. Letgalians are known for their pottery as well as for their unpretentious warmth and an offbeat sense of humour.
O Dialogue 5
Ilze and Elita are talking about their mutual f riends Nigel and Gundega, who have just been on a holiday. Es dzirdeju, ka Naidzels un Gundega esot atgriezusies no atvajinajuma. Vai tu nezini, kur vipi Wja? Elita Vini teica, ka esot bijusi Latgale. Ilze Un ko vini tur darija? Elita Esot bijusi pie Velnezera. Tas ir tads mazs, bet arkartlgi dzils ezers. Tas esot apmeram 20 metru dzi|s ta vini stastlja. Nekas tur nedzivo, ne zales, ne zivis. Ilze Ja, patiesam? Bet ka tas var but, ka Gundega nebija aizgajusi kaut kur iepirkties? Elita Nu ir tacu suveniri! Netalu no Rezeknes vini iegriezas keramikas darbnica. Gundega atkal sev nopirka visadus mala podus un svecturus. Vispar vini daudz ko esot redzejusi. Daugavpili apskatlja 19. gadsimta cietoksni, Varakjanos grata Borha pili un parku un Ludza - pilsdrupas. Visskaistaka esot bijusi apkartne pie Sauleskalna, netalu no Baltkrievijas robeas. arkartlgi dzi|dzi(a suvenlrs (ma( keramika (f.( darbnlca (f.( mala pods (m.( svedturis (m.( vispar grafs (m.( pilsdrupas (f. pi.( extremely deep (m.f f.) souvenir pottery workshop clay pot candlestick generally count or earl castle ruins Ilze
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Dialogue 6
Karlis is about to go on holiday. David wants to know about nis plans. David / Kur jGs domajat pavadlt brivdienas? Kaut kur arzemes, vai tepat Latvija? Karlis Pern mes bijam Lietuva, bet sovasar mes paliksim tepat Latvija. Dosimies uz Salacgrivu. Vidzeme nav tikai un vienigi Riga, Sigulda un Gauja, lai gan ari tur ir daudz, ko varetu apskatlt. Mes brauksim ekskursija gar Rigas juras I lea
David Karlis
David Karlis
austrumu krastmalu, aiz Saulkrastiem un talak lldz Salacgrivai. Tas ir gars brauciens. Vel mazliet talak uz prieksu un turpat pie Igaunijas robeas ir Ainazi, kur 19. gadsimta (1864. gada) Krisjanis Valdemars dibinaja pirmo jurskolu Latvija. Tatad brivdienas pie juras. Ne tikai. I ekzeme ir Cesis. Ta ir skaista maza pilsetirâ, faktiski Latvijas karoga dzimtene. Un pie Vecpiebalgas esot atrodamas gleznainas dabas ainavas. pavadFt pern dosimies (doties( ekskursija (f.( Ucis (m.( krastmala (f.( turpat dibinaja (dibinat( jurskola (f.( iekzeme (f.( karogs (m.( dzimtene (f.( atrodamas gleznains, gleznaina ainava (f.( to spend (time), also to accompany last year we will head for / make our way excursion gulf coastline right there founded, established naval school inland flag birthplace are to be found picturesque (m., f.) scene, landscape
Language points
More about reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer to the subject of the sentence whatever that grammatical person may be. There are two types of reflexive pronouns: the personal and the possessive. The personal pronoun sev / sevi occurs only in the singular and indicates the relation of the f irst, second or third person with itself. It corresponds to the English -self : Es redzu sevi spogull. i see myself in the mirror. Tagad vins vares sevi Now he'll be able to treat arstet. f himsel .
It also has an indirect object form: Vina sev perk jaunu masinu. She is buying a new car for herself. c
The possessive pronoun savs doesn't exist in English. It refers to one's own belongings and indicates possession by the subject of the sentence. It has both singular and plural forms as well as cases. In English its meaning is approximate to the relevant possessive pronoun + own: Peterim ir savs dzlvoklis. Peteris remonte savu dzivokli. Neaizmirstiet savus draugus! Vai jus atradat savas atslegas? Vini jutas labi savas majas. Pasakiet saviem draugiem. Peter has his own flat. Peter is renovating his flat. Don't forget your friends! The pronoun changes to match the direct object is it referring to:
Did you find your keys? They feel good in their own home. Tell your friends.
Dialogue 7
At a dinner party Fiona is chatting to Viesturs, whom she has known for some time, but not very well. She is surprised to discover that he doesn't live in Riga. Fiona Es nezinaju, ka jus dzlvojat Jelgava. Viesturs Ja, ta ir Zemgales galvena pilseta. Fiona Mes nekad neesam bijusi Jelgava. Vispar Zemgale neesam bijusi. Viesturs Ir verts apskatities. Ari Jelgava, tapat ka Rundale, ir itaju arhitekta Rastrelli projekteta pils. Nevaru ticet, ka jus vel neesat apskatljusi Rundales pili? Fiona Mani interese arhitektGra. Bet neviens man nekad nebija stastijis, ka ari Latvija ir atrodami Rastrelli celti nami. Viesturs Ja, un Dobele padomju laika bija liels padomju armijas garnizons. Bauska, savukart, ir vieta, kur satek divas upes. Starp upem atrodas viduslaiku pils, kas celta 15. gadsimta. Turpat pie Bauskas ir Tervetes dabas parks. Taja ir ari seno priezu parks, putnu verosanas takas ... Fiona Vai berniem tur butu interesanti?
Viesturs Protams. Ir tads Pokainu mezs ar interesantiem akmeniem. Nesen kopa ar berniem bijam uz Pasaku pasauli. Ja gribat, varat parnaksnot Meotnes pill,ielupes krasta. JGs jutisities ka karaiiene! Fiona BGtu es to zinajusi! Es jau ilgaku laiku visiem esmu jautajusi, kur mes varetu aizbraukt kopa ar berniem. Neviens nekad neko nav varejis atbildet. galvena verts apskatTties projekteta (projektet( ticet apciemot celti (celt( padomju armija (f.( garnizons (m.( savukart satek viduslaiki (m. pl.( putnu veroana (f.( taka (f.( akmens (m.( pasaka (f.( parnaknot Butu es to zinajusi! the chiefthe main worth, worthwhile to take a look planned to believe to visit built the Soviet army garrison, base on the other hand flow together Middle Ages bird watching path, track rock, stone fairytale, tale to stay overnight If 1 had known!
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Dialogue 8
Nigel loves activities to do with the sea. Having been to Liepaja oncehe is now chatting to Peteris, a liepajmeks, about the western coast or Latvia. Peteris JGra, jOra vismaz viena tresa dala Latvijas robeas ir ar jGru. Tapec jau ari Kurzeme ir gandriz pussala. Tas talakais ziemeju punkts ir Kolkas rags, kur atrodas liela baka )oti svariga kugnieclbai. Es gribetu burat ar jahtu gar Kurzemes piekrasti. Vai ari braukt ar vejdeli pa Baltijas juru. Pavilosta ir Latvijas vejdeju sporta paradize. Ta atrodas pusceja starp divam lielam ostam: Liepaju un Ventspili. Abas is ostas ir joti atskirigas. Liepaju sauc par 'pilsetu, kura piedzimst vejs'. Liepaja ir vienmer bijusi aktiva
Nigel Peteris
Nigel Peteris Nigel Peteris
mOzikas dzive, tur notiek interesanti koncerti. Ventspils ir rGpniecibas pilseta. No Ventspils izved naftu un citas preces. Kops 1997. gada Ventspill atrodas augstskola. Mana masica tur macas tulkosanu. Ventspill ir ari starptautiskais radioastronomijas centrs, vai ne? Ja, I rbene ir milzigs radioteleskops, viens no lielakajiem pasaule. Kads man teica, ka no Liepajas varot leti lidot uz Daniju. Ja. No Liepajas ari iet pramis uz Vaciju, bet no Ventspils pramis atiet uz Zviedriju. viena trea daja (f.( rags (m.( pussala (f.( baka (f.( svarlgs, svarlga ku\nieclba (f.( gar piekraste (f.( vejdelis (m.( pusceja (ma( starp at\irTgs, atkirlga rupnieclbas pilseta (f.( izved (izvest( nafta (f.i kop tulkoSana (f.( starptautiskais milzigs, milzlga one third cape peninsula lighthouse important (m.f f.) shipping along seacoast windsurfer halfway between different (m., f.) industrial city export crude oil since translation international enormous, giant (m., f.)
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Language points
Neviens man nekad neko nesaka! Double negatives
Whereas it may be considered incorrect English to use double negatives (he doesn't do nothing, in Latvian you have to use themotherwise the sentence is meaningless: you cannot say he does nothing, you have to say he doesn't do nothing. Viijs neko nedara. Es neko negribu. Nesaki neko! He doesn't do anything. I don't want anything, Don't say anything!
Neko (here in the accusative form, in the nominative it is nekas) actually means nothing. Other negation words are nekur (nowhere)^ nekad {never) and neviens (nobody). There can be as many negations in a sentence as required: Mes nekur nevaram atrast atslegas. Vins nekad neko nedara. Es viâi nekad vairs neko nedosu. Neviens man nekad neko nesaka. We cannot find the keys anywhere. He never does anything. I won't ever give her anything anymore. Nobody ever tells me anything.
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Tikai vienu latinu Just one lat

A characteristic feature of the Latvian language, and one that is difficult to illustrate in another language, is the extensive use of diminutives. A lats will often be a latins, children are addressed as saulite (literallylittle sun)^ someone may ask f or a bit of maiziti ar sviestinu (bread and butter). The diminutive doesn't necessarily only indicate size (or smallness)it is also a way of expressing endearment or af f ection f or an object or a person. A directeven brusque manner can be softened by the usage of the diminutive; quite of ten it is used when requesting a f avour or stating a possibly unpleasant f act. There is a set way of f orming diminutive: Masculine nouns ending in -s change to -i^s Masculine nouns ending in -is change to -ltis Masculine nouns ending in -us change to -utins ending in -a Feminine nouns e change to -iâ ending in -e Feminine nouns e change to -Ite virs virins
dzivoklis dzivoklitis alus sieva aukle alutins sieviâ auklite
You could say that these endings are vaguely similar to the French -ette, Italian -ino / -ina and German -ein endings.
Some words undergo consonant alternationsf or example: cilveks, dzlvnieks (personanimal) cilvecins, dzivniecins sniegs, oga (snow, berry) sniedzins, odziâ pakakuka (packet, cake) pacina, kuciiâ A number of words have irregular diminutives, especially the feminine nouns ending in -s: sirds {heart) acs (eye) auss (ear) govs (cow) sirsniiâ actinia austiâ gotiâ {guest,
<S'
The following words are not diminutives: ciemins visitor)9 kaimins (neighbour, trenins (training).
Dialogue 9
Karlis tells David about the history of Latvia. Karlis Jau senos laikos tur, kur tagad atrodas musdienu Latvija, dzlvoja dazadas baltu ciltis: kursi, zemgaji, latgaji un se|i. Nebija Latvijas valsts ka tadas. Tad, 12.gadsimta, ieradas vacu tirgotaji. Tiem sekoja krustnesi. Pirma baznica tika uzcelta I kskile, tas drupas ir redzamas vel sodien. Uz kadu laiku, lidz 16. gadsimtam (1561. gadam), Latvija kopa ar mGsdienu Igauniju tika uzskatltas par pavesta valsti Livoniju. Tad naca... Kas ir valdljui Latvija? Gandriz visi! Visilgak jau vaciesi, bet ari krievi, zviedri, poji, dani ... pat Napoleona karaspeks ir sojojis pari Latvijas teritorijai. Turpretim, kad Kurzeme valdlja Hercogs Jekabs, uz daziem gadiem Kurzemes hercogistei piedereja kolonijas Tobago sala un Gambija. Kad Latvija k|uva par neatkarigu valsti? Latvijas valsts tika proklameta 1918. gada 18. novembri. Tapec saja diena tiek svineti Valsts svetki. Kas notika Otra pasaules kara laika? Vispirms Latviju okupeja padomju karaspeks, tad ienaca vaciesi un pec tam atkal krievi. Kara beigas Latvija atradas padomju zona. Un tur ari palika. Bet Latvija tagad ir neatkarlga valsts? Ja, Latvija atguva neatkaribu 1991.gada augusta.
David Karlis
David Karlis David Karlis
David Karlis
senos laikos musdienas (f. pl.( dazadas baltu ciltis (fa pl.( kuri (m. pl.( zemgaji (m. pl.( Iatga|i (m. pl.( se|i (m. pl.( ka tadas vacu tirgotajs (m.( tiem sekoja (sekot( krustnei (m. pl.( drupas (f. pl.( uzskatltas (uzskatlt( pavesta valsts (f.( Livonija (f.( valdijui (valdlt( vaciei (m. pl.( krievi (m. pl.( zviedri (m. pl.( po|i (m. pl.( dapi (m. pl.( karaspeks (m.( sojojis (so|ot( teritorija (f.( turpretim hercogiste (f.( sala (f.( neatkarTgs, neatkarlga proklameta kar (m.( okupeja (okupet( atguva (atgut( neatkarlba (f.(
in ancient times contemporary, present day various Baltic tribes Courlanders Semigallians Letgallians Selonians as such German trader they (dat.) were followed Crusaders ruins were considered papal state Livonia ruled Germans Russians Swedes the Polish Danes army marched territory on the other hand duchy island independent (m., f.) was proclaimed war was occupied regained independence
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Language points
Kops 1991. gada Since the year 1991
The preposition kops takes the genitive case. This also applies when talking about dates or years: Kops 1991. gada Latvija ir neatkariga. Latvia has been since 1991. independent
The f ormal way of saying the date is to say the year f irst, with the last digit expressed in the genitive case, and then the actual day and month in the locative. If you want to say on August 21st, 1991 you say tukstos devinsimt devugidesmit pirma gada divdesmit pirmaja augusta. Literally this amounts to on August 21st o f (the) thousand nine hundred and ninetyf irst year. In writing - in letters and other communication - this will usually appear as 1991. gada 21.augusta (sometimes the gada is abbreviated to g.) Moving on to the present century, on October 14th2008, will be written as 2008. gada 14. oktobri and expressed as div tukstos astota gada cetrpadsmitaja oktobri. There is no other way of saying it in Latvian, but it's not likely that you'll have to talk about dates in this way very of ten (unless you are a historian!).
Exercises
1 You meet a motorist who seems to be having trouble. a b c d How would you ask him what the matter is? He tells you kaut kas ar bremzem. What has happened? Ask if you can help. The problem is worse than you thought. Of f er to phone a garage.
Here are some words connected with cars and driving. Match up the Latvian words with their English equivalent. a b dizejdegviela bremzes benzins riepas gajeju pareja aizsargstikls autoserviss bez svina degviela pagrieziens luksofors i ii
IV VI
vii vm ix x xi
windscreen traffic lights turn-off fuel lead-free service station diesel pedestrian crossing tyres petrol brakes
What are the f our historic regions of Latvia? Here are 20 questions about Latvia. Can you answer them
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Latvijas galvaspilseta ir ... Otra lielaka pilseta Latvija ir ... Augstakais kalns ir ... Galvena upe ir ... Lielakais ezers ir ... Kura ir pilseta, kura dzimst vejs? Latvijas kaimins ziemejos ir ... Latvijas kaimini dienvidos ir ... (divas valstis) Ko latviesiem patlk darlt rudeni? Cik gara ir Latvijas juras robeza? Vissvarigakie latviesu svetki gada ir ... Kura gadalaika svin Lieldienas? Kura menesi svin Ziemassvetkus? Kura gada proklameja neatkarigo Latvijas valsti? Ko dzer Jaôs? Novads, kura atrodas Rundales pils ir ... Novads ar divam lielam ostam ir ... Kuru novadu sauc par zilo ezeru zemi? Kura novada ir visvairak cilveku? Latvijas karoga dzimtene
Transcripts
Dialogue 1
Policija Stop! You're not allowed to drive here! It's a one-way street Didn't you see the warning sign? No entry! And you also exceeded the speed limit (lit permitted speed). David What, please? I'm a foreigner. Policija You were going too fast You'll have to pay a fine. Where is your driver's licence? David I am a British citizen. Policija Your passport, please. David Excuse me. I'm in a hurry. I have to go to the airport. My wife is arriving today. Policija I don't care. Even if the queen were to arrive ... the law is the law!
Dialogue 2
ArvTds Autoserviss ArvTds Autoserviss The car's not going. What's wrong? What happened? I was turning to the right, and suddenly the car stopped. You've got petrol?
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res, of course. I've just been to the car wash and the petrol station. The tank is full. Autoserviss When was the car last serviced? Arvlds I don't remember. But I know that there was a roadworthiness check, and everything was inspected _ the brakesthe gearbox, oil, exhaust, lights... even the wheels and tyres. Autoserviss Well ye-e-e-s ... Perhaps something's broken. We'll take a look straight away. I hope that we'll be able to fix it.
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Dialogue 3
David ViesnTca David ViesnTca Would you have a room free? What sort of room do you need? For how many people? Single or double? A double, for two people. Yes, we have one room available. Only one. You got lucky. At this time of the year we're usually fully booked (lit. all rooms are engaged or taken). Is the room en suite? (lit. with bath and shower) There's no bathbut there's a shower cubicle and a toilet Will you take it? Yes, we'll take it How much does it cost, please? 60 lats, including breakfast How long for? Three nights. So then from Friday until Monday. At what time can we expect you? Right now we are in Riga. We'll be arriving in about two hours.
David ViesnTca David ViesnTca David ViesnTca David
Dialogue 4
Fiona Skatitajs Fiona SkatTtajs What happened? Car accident A car has gone into a tree. Any victims? Is anyone injured? Yes, one person was run over, and the driver too is injured. Fiona Someone run over! Ring 112. Call out an ambulance and the police! SkatTtajs We already did. Fiona Look, the windscreen has been knocked out! How did it happen? Skatitajs They'd been driving through the forest Suddenly a wild boar appeared in the middle of the road. The car braked
sharply, but the road was slippery, and it ran into a tree. Unfortunately there was a hunter standing behind a tree. Fiona Are you a witness? SkatTtajs No, I myself wasn't there and didn't see anything. Some mushroom pickers saw it all. Fiona And what about the victims? Someone ought to help, shoudn't they? SkatTtajs The driver will be OK. Fiona And what about the hunter? SkatTtajs He'll also be OK. He wanted to shoot a stag but the tree got him. One way or another, he's a doctor (himself). Now he'll be able to treat himself...
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Dialogue 5
llze I heard that Nigel and Gundega are back from their vacation. Do you know where they were (went)? Elita They said that they'd been in Latgale. llze And what did they do there? Elita They'd been to Velnezers. That's a small but extremely deep lake. It's about 20 m deep - so they said. Nothing lives there, neither weeds, nor fish. llze Yes, really? But how can it be that Gundega hadn't gone shopping anywhere? Elita Well, there's souvenirs (aren't there)! Not far from Rezekne they dropped into a ceramics workshop. Gundega bought herself all kinds of clay pots and candlesticks. Generally they'd seen lots of things. In Daugavpils they looked at the nineteenth century fortress, in Varaklani Count Borh's palace and park, and in Ludza the ancient castle ruins. The most beautiful was the countryside near Saulekalns, not far from the Belarus border.
Dialogue 6
Where are you thinking of spending your holidays? Somewhere abroad, or right here in Latvia? Karlis Last year we were in Lithuania, but this summer we'll stay right here in Latvia. We're going to Salacgrlva. Vidzeme isn't only and solely Riga, Sigulda and Gauja, although there's so much to look at there as well. We are going on an excursion along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Riga, beyond Saulkrasti and further, as far as Salacgrlva. David That's a long trip. David
Kariis A little further on and right there by the border of Estonia there's Ainazi, where in the nineteenth century (in 1863) Krisjanis Valdemars established the first naval school in Latvia. David So then holidays by the sea. Karlis Not only. Inland there's Csis. That's a beautiful little town, in fact it's the birthplace of the Latvian flag. And near Vecpiebalga one can find pictureque natural landscapes.
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Dialogue 7
Fiona I didn't know that you were living in Jelgava. Viesturs Yes, it's the main city in Zemgale. Fiona We've never been to Jelgava. We haven't been in Zemgale at all. Viesturs It's worth having a look. In J elgava also, as in Rundale, there is a castle which was designed by the Italian architect Rastrelli. I can't believe that you haven't visited Rundale castle yet? Fiona I'm interested in architecture. But nobody ever told me that one can find buildings built by Rastrelli in Latvia as well. Viesturs Yes, and during the Soviet period in Dobele there was an enormous Soviet army base. Bauska, on the other hand, is at the confluence of two rivers (lit a place where two rivers flow together). Between the rivers there is a castle from the Middle Ages, built in the fifteenth century. Right there by Bauska there's the Tervete nature park, which has an ancient pinetree plantation, bird-observation tracks ... Fiona Would it be interesting for the children there? Viesturs Of course. There's Pokainu forest with interesting rock formations. Recently we went to Fairytale World together with the children. If you want to, you can stay overnight in Mezotne castle, on the banks of the Lielupe. You'll feel like a queen! Fiona If I had known! For a longer [period ofj time now I have been asking everybody where we could go together with the children. Nobody has ever been able to answer anything.
Dialogue 8
Peteris The sea, the sea ... at least one third of Latvia's border is with the sea. That's why Kurzeme is almost a peninsula. Its furthermost point is the cape of Kolkawhere there's a big
lighthouse ~ vital for shipping. I'd like to sail a yacht along the coast of Kurzeme. Or go windsurfing in the Baltic Sea. Peteris Latvia's windsurfing paradise is Pavilosta. It's to be found halfway between two large ports: Liepaja and Ventspils. Both of these ports are very different Liepaja is called the city where the wind is born'. Liepaja has always had a very active musical scene, interesting musical events take place there. Ventspils is an industrial city. From Ventspils they export crude oil and other goods. Since 1997 there's been a university college in Ventspils. My cousin is studying translation there. Nigel Venstpils has got an international radioastronomy centre, hasn't it? Peteris Yes, in Irbene there's a huge radio telescopeone of the largest in the world. Nigel Somebody told me that from Liepaja you can fly to Denmark cheaply. Peteris Yes. From Liepaja there is also a ferry to Germany, but from Ventspils the ferry goes to Sweden. Nigel
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Dialogue 9
Karlis In ancient times the (territory) of contemporary Latvia was populated by various Baltic tribes: Couronians, Semigallians, Letgallians and Selonians. There wasn't a Latvian state as such. Then in the twelfth century German traders came. They were followed by the Crusaders. The first church was built in Ikskile. Its remains can still be seen today. For some time, until the sixteenth century (until 1561)Latvia together with today's Estonia were regarded as the Papal State of Livonia. Then came... Who has ruled in Latvia? J ust about everybody! The Germans for the longest [period], but also the Russians, Swedes, Poles, Danes ... even Napoleon's army has marched across Latvian territory. On the other hand, when Duke Jacob ruled in Kurzeme, for a while the Duchy of Courland owned colonies on the island of Tobago and in Gambia. When did Latvia become an independent state? The state of Latvia was proclaimed on 18 November, 1918. That's why the National Day is celebrated on this day. What happened during World War II? First Latvia was occupied by the Soviet army. Then the
David Karlis
David Karlis David Karlis
Germans came in and after that - the Russians again. At the end of the war Latvia found itself in the Soviet zone. And there it remained. David But Latvia is now an independent state? Karlis Yes, Latvia regained independence in August 1991.
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Introduction E x . 1 : 1 ( v i e n s ) , 2 (divi), 3 (trls), 4 (cetri), 6 (sesi), 8 (astoî). Missing numbers: 5 7 9 1 0 . Ex. 3: m f f m m m, f f m Ex. 4: i) b; ii) d; iii) a iv) c; v) e; vi) i; vii) g; viii) h; ix) k; x ) 1 ; x i ) j; xii) f . Ex. 5: i) h; ii) e; iii) b; iv) n; v) p vi) j; vii) f; viii) c; ix) a; x) i; xi) d; xii) g; xiii) o; xiv) m; xv) k; xvi)1. Ex. 6: a) daudz (the others are verbs); b) puikstenis (the others are members f o the f amily); c) kugis (f ood items); d) dels (room f urnishings) e) soma (units of time); f ) bralis (water in various f orms); g) gimene (drinks); h) nauda (sources f o illumination); i) ola (media); j) kaimins (parts o f the day); k) meita (urban elements);1)cukurs (plant f li e); m) ziema (accommodation); n) dzungji (f eatures o f a restaurant).
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Unit 1 E x . 1 : a ) labrit; b)labdien; c)labdien; d)labrit; e)labvakar. Ex. 2: Uz redzesanos, ata, visu labu. Arlabvakar, arlabunakti. Ex. 3: a) vina ir Laima; b) vina ir Mara; c) vins ir Naidzels; d) vins ir Karlis; e) vina ir Millija; f ) viijs ir Carlzs; g) vins ir Peteris; h) vins ir Harijs; i) vina ir Zane; j) vins ir Dzons; k) vina ir Ilze;1)vina ir Gundega. Ex. 4: a) Vai jus esat Kariisr; b) Kas tas ir?; c) Vai jus esat latviesi?; d) Vai vina ir Mara?; e) Vai ta ir Ilze?; f) Kas vi^s ir? g) Vai vins ir arsts?. Ex. 5: teatris (m.)divritenis (m.)naktis (t. pL), brokastis (f . pl.), durvis (f . pl.), puikstenis (m.)dzivoklis (m.), pilis (f . pl.). Ex. 6: gramatas, avizes, zurnali, dienas, nedejas, menesi, gadi, ma jas, kaimini, koki, pukes, zales, gimenes, Srnideli, meitasbraji, masas, skapji, masinas, ielaspilsetas, skoti, briti, angli, latviesi, latvietes, puisidraugi. Ex. 7: a) Es esmu Deivids. b) Mani sauc Karlis. c) Mans vards ir Ilze. d) ir mans virs. e)
SI ir mana sieva. Ex. 8: a) Labrttl b) Jôti patlkamu c) Vai jus 28 esat latvietis / latvietef d) liels paldies; e) ludzu f ) es neesmu latvietis / latviete or mes neesam latviesi. Ex. 9: a) es esmu; b) jus esat; c) vi^s ir d) vipa ir e) mes esam f ) mes neesam; g) viî S ir; h) viâs ir. o
Unit 2 E x . 1 : a ) Somija; b) Lietuva; c)Igaunija; d) Anglija (Lielbritanija); e) Zviedrija; f ) Baltkrievija. Ex. 2: a) Ne, Riga ir Latvija; b) Ne, Maskava nav Vacija. Maskava ir Krievija; c) Ne, Oslo nav Polija. Oslo ir Norvegija; d) Ne, Berime nav Krievija. Berllne ir Vacija; e) Ne, Varsava nav Latvija, Varsava ir Polija; f) Ne, Kopenhagena nav Anglija. Kopenhagena ir Danija. Ex. 3: a) viesnica; b) parka; c) vestnieclba; d)ledusskapi,e) biroja, f ) mezag) aptieka, h) baseina; i) kafejnlca; j) garaza; k) stadiona; 1)bara; m) kroga; n) gulta. Ex. 4 a) banka; b) upe; c) kaf ejnica; d) darza; e) soma; f )ledusskapi;g) pill; h) kroga; i) gimene; j) aptieka; k) ziema, jura. Ex. 5: a) i) si bijete; ii) ta teja; iii) ta maja; iv) si kafija; v) sis kresls; vi) tas udens; vii) tas restorans; viii) si maize; ix) sis dzivoklis; b) i) sie berni; ii) tie veikali; iii) tas olas; iv) tas pukes; v) sis somas; vi) sis fotografijas. Ex. 6: a) Es esmu viesnica. b) Viesnlca nav Jurmala. c) Viesnica ir Riga, d) Mana sieva ir veikala. e) Viija runa mazliet latviski. f) Es dzivoju Latvija, bet gimene dzlvo Anglija. g) Mans virs ir darba. h) Vins neruna latviski. i) Berni ir brivdienas. j) Mes nedzivo jam Riga, mes cejojam. Ex. 7: es runaju, dzivoju, stradaju, celoju, domaju, studeju; tu runa, strada, cejo, doma, stude; vins, vina runa, dzivo strada, doma, stude; mes runajam, dzivojam, cejojam, doma jam, studejam; jus runajat, dzivojat, strada j at, cejojat studejat; vini, vipas runa, dzlvo, strada, cejodoma.
Unft3 E x . 1 : a ) 7; b)14 c) 20; d) 5; e ) 1 7 ; f ) 9; g) 4 h ) 1 3 ; i)10 j ) 1 1 . Ex. 2: a) 4; b) 3; c ) 1 7 ; d) 20; e) 8 )13; g) 2. Ex. 3: a) Restorans 67299787; b) Bernu slimnlca 67399441 c) Taksometru parks 80001313; d) Nacionalais teatris 67006300; e) Skonto stadions 67020925; f ) Valsts opera 67073778; g) Kaf ejnica 57542282; h) Lielbritanijas vestnieclba 67774700. Ex. 4: a) mans (vards); b) mana (maja); c) mana (iela); d) mana (nauda); e) mans (dzlvoklis); f ) manas (atslegas); g) mans (kresls); h) mana (bagaza); i) mani (berni); j) mana (karte); k) mana (pase);
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1)mana (adrese); m) musu (automasina); n) vinu (dzivoklis); o) viâ (berni) p) viû (atslegas); q) viija (maja); r) vinas (karte); s) musu (iela); t) vina (kresls); u) vinu (pases); v) jusu (nauda). Ex. 5: a) slikts laiks (bad weather); b) garlaiclga gramata (a boring book); c) skaists darzs (a beautiful garden); d) interesants cilveks (an interesting person); e) veca f otograf ija (old photo); f ) jauna automasina (a new car); g)labi kaimiî {good neighbours); h) liels dzivoklis (a large flat); i) gara iela (a long street)'^ j) gars koks (a tall tree), k)isas bikses (short trousers)^ 1)mazi berni (small children), m) saulaina diena (sunny day). Ex. 6: a) es varu; b) vi^s grib; c) mes drikstam; d) viijas var; e) jus drikstat; f) tu gribi. Ex. 7: a) Es esmu seit. b) Vai drikst smelcet? c) Es negribu est. d) Vai jus gribat dzert? e) Kur ir bars? f) Vai drikstu? g) Vai drikstam iet? Unit 4 E x . 1 : a ) Deivida; b) Fionas; c) Deivida; d) Karja; e) Ilzes; f) Millijas; g) Harija; h) Fionas un Deivida; i) Laimas. Ex. 2: a) viii; b) vi; c) vii; d) v; e) ii; f) iii; g) i; h) iv. Ex. 3: a) pareizi; b) pareizi; c) nepareizi; d) mes nezinam; e) pareizi; f) nepareizi; g) nepareizi; h) mes nezinam. Ex. 4: a) Glazgovas; b) sejienes; c) drauga; d) stacijas; e) Rigas; f) operas; g) kanala; h) galda; i) gultas; j) muzeja. Ex. 5: a) Dzounsas kundze; b) Klunija kungs; c) Braunas kundze; d) Kidmenas kundze; e) Vilciîa kungs; f) Tomsona kungs; g) Eglltes kundze; h) Baltiijas kundze; i) Bonda kungs; j) Griras kundze; k) Vaita kungs;1)Brauna kungs; m) Ozolina kungs; n) Ozolinas kundze. Ex. 6: a) es zinu; b) mes meginam; c) vins gaida; d) jus darat; e) viija raksta; f) tu lasi. Ex. 7: a) Brivlbas iela; b) Rigas lidosta; c) Matisa tirgu; d) Latvijas Banka; e) Londonas Universitate; f) Latvijas laukos; g) Doma laukuma; h) Kaleju iela; i) draugu dzivokli; j) Teatra iela. Ex. 8: a) Kads ir jusu telefona numurs?; b) Es dzivoju or Mes dzivojam netalu no stacijas.; c) What is your surname?; d) I am a foreigner. Ex. 9: a) Rezekne atrodas austrumos; b) Valka atrodas ziemejos; c) Kuldlga atrodas rietumos; d) Daugavpils atrodas dienvidaustrumos; e) Aluksne atrodas ziemejaustrumos. Unit 5 E x . 1 : a ) v; b) viii; c) vii; d) iii; e) iv; f) i; g) ii; h) vi. Ex. 2: a) Deividam; b) Karlim; c) Fionai; d) Ilzei; e) Brauniem; f) draudzenem; g) kolegiem; h) sievai; i) pardevejam; j) draugam. Ex. 3: a) man; b) viijam; c) jums; d) mums; e) viniem; f) Harijam; Millijai; g) berniem; h) Brauniem; i) Marai; Fionai; j) vinam k) Karlim. Ex. 4: a) Masai ir divdesmit divi gadi. b)
Bralim ir piecpadsmit gadu. c) Vectevam ir septiîdesmk tris gadi. d) Vecmaminai ir sesdesmit astoî gadi. e) Masas meitai ir cetri gadi. f ) Bralenam ir divdesmit septiî gadi. g) Delam ir devini gadi. Ex. 5: a) They want to know where your parents live, b) Vai jums ir berni? c) Vai jums ir braji un masas? d) The colour of their eyes, e) Vai jus esat precejies or precejusies? f ) Their children were born in Scotland, g) Ka jums / tev iet? and Ka jums / tev klajas? Ex. 6: a) 21 years old. b) From Riga, c) He is a student and works in a shop at the weekends, d) He is not married, e) He has a daughter, f ) She was born in Liepaja. g) She lives with her mother. Ex. 7: a) Mana masa ir jaunaka. b) Mans bralis ir vecaks. c) Es esmu vienigais berns. d) Man ir tris masas. e) Kura ir vecaka? Ex. 8: a) Do you have a large f amily? b) Our family has a f lat in London, c) I have three children, d) My son was born in Estonia, e) My daughter was born in Lithuania, f ) Do you have a car? g) Our neighbours have a large garden, h) My husband has friends in Ventspils. i) I'm divorced, j) My wife is 21 years old. Ex. 9: a) Roma ir vecaka ka / neka Riga, b) Latvija ir lielaka ka / neka Igaunija. c) Teja ir labaka ka / neka kafija. d) Ventspils ir mazaka ka / neka Daugavpils, e) ahs ir interesantaks ka / neka golf s. E x . 1 0 : a) Daugava, b) Lubans. c) Gaizinkalns or Gaiziijs. d) NoRiga is the largest town in Latvia. E x . 1 1 : a ) No. b) White, c) No. d) No, she's a little bit fat. e) Yes (but she has a male f riend). Unit 6 E x . 1 : a ) v; b) vi; c) i; d) iii; e) vii; f ) ii; g) iv. Ex. 2: a) Y; b) Y; c) N; d) N; e) N; f ) Y. Ex. 3: a) the Brown f amily f lat / apartment; b) five roomsor seven rooms including kitchen and bathroom; c) it is on the third f loor (English and European style), or f ourth f loor (American and Latvian style); d)large bookshelves, photos on the walls, a TV, sof atwo armchairs, a lamp and a f ireplace, an old paintingcushions and a mat; e) a mat; f ) the cat; g) f our; h) curtains. Ex. 4: a) oven virtuve; b) sink virtuve and vannas istaba c) f ridge - virtuve; d) bed gulamistaba; e) table - everywhere except f or the tualete and vannas istaba; f ) sof a - viesistaba g) bath vannas istaba. Ex. 5: a) busu; b) runas; c) nevaresim; d) busit; e) zinasu; f ) bus; g) naksit; h) iesu. Ex. 6: a) Es gribetu satikties. b) Uz redzesanos sestdien. c) Tas butu jauki. d) Es jums sutisu e-pastu. e) Es esmu Joti aizêmts / -a. f ) Dzlvoklis ir sestaja stava. g) Pecousdiena es busu brivs / -a. h) Sovakar es busu majas. i) Rit es neousu darba.
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Unit 7 E x . 1 : E s gribetu, ludzu, ... abolus, sulu, olas, merci, ledu ievarijumu, teju, burkanuskaf iju, sviestumaizi, lasi, cepumus, zupu, sokoladi. Ex. 2: Mes gribetu / Mums, ludzu / Iedodiet, ludzu / Mes veletos ... a) teju ar pienu; b) teju bez piena; c) kafiju ar pienu un (ar) cukuru d) maizi ar sviestu; e) salatus bez ejjas f) zemenes ar krejumu; g) bez riekstiem. Ex. 3: Man negarso ... a) medus tapec, ka tas ir parak salds; b) ... sijkes tapec, ka tas ir parak sa}as; c) ... citroni tapec, ka tie ir parak skabi; d) ... alus, tapec ka tas ir parak rugts. Ex. 4: a) xi; b) xiv; c) i; d) xii; e) vii; f) ii; g) ix; h) iv; i) xiii; j) v; k) vi;1)viii; m) x; n) iii. Ex. 5: a) sula ar ledu; b) teja ar citronu; c) maize ar desu; d) maize ar sieru; e) teja ar pienu; f) kafija ar krejumu; g) omlete ar senem; h) zivs ar rlsiem; i) saldejums ar zemenem; j) pica ar spinatiem; k) karbonade ar kartupejiem un merci. Ex. 6: a) Es gribetu / man, ludzu / iedodiet man, ludzu / es velos mineraludeni or simply mineraludeni, ludzu; b) the f irst course; c) Ko tu gribi / velies ... Ko jus gribetu / veletos? d) Ko jus ieteiktu?; e) Ko tu gribi / velies jus gribetu / veletos dzert?; f) garsigs. Unit 8 E x . 1 : a ) sesus gatavus bananus; b) cetrus sullgus apelslnus; c) desmit svaigas olas; d) piecas zavetas aprikozes; e) devinus saldus abolus; f) septinus kupinatus lasus; g) divas lielas zivis; h) trls mazus kukujus maizes; i) simts gramus cukura; j) trls kilogramus ga(as; k) divas glazes vina;1)sesas skeles desas; m) astonas tases kafijas. Ex. 2: a) kilograms cepumu; b) gabaliris siera; c) puslitrs piena; d) traucins ievarijuma; e) gabals gajas; f) pudele ejjas; g) kukulis maizes; h) paciâ garsvielu; i) paka miltu; j) litrs mineraludens; k) 200 grami makaronu;1)skele desas; m) pusotrs kilograms tomatu. Ex. 3: Ludzu, iedodiet man ... a) apelsinu sulu; b) senu merci; c) plumju ievarijumu; d) kiploku desu; e) ga|as salatus; f) siera maizi; g) slpolu zupu; h) vistas karbonadi. Ex. 4: a) vi; b) iii; c) i; d) v; e) ii; f) iv. Ex. 5: a) augjus; b) zaketi; c) avizi; d) Rigas karti; e) partiku; f) gleznu. Ex. 6: a) rutaini svarki b) svltrains krekls; c) ertas kurpes; d) silts metelis; e) vilnas salle; f ) adas rokassoma. Ex. 7: a) tas sarkanas kurpes; b) tas baltais krekls; c) tie rutainie svarki; d) sis dzeltenais dzemperis; e) tas svitrainas bikses; f) si pul<:aina kleita; g) ta bieza cepure; h) ta spilgta kaklasaite. Ex. 8: a) par garu; b) par platu; c) par Isu; d) par mazu; e) par lielu. Unit 9 E x . 1 : a ) Pulksten sesos no rita; b) vini ed brokastis; c) vipai jabut darba pusdevinos; d) parasti ir pusdienu partraukums;
e) viâ iet iepirkties; f ) darba diena beidzas piecos; g) vakarinas yiî ed ap deviîem; h) ne, biezi virs ed velak. Ex. 2: a) septinos mes parasti edam brokastis; b) pusdivpadsmitos es esmu darba; c) astoôs divdesmit (or astoiôs divdesmitas) berni iet uz skolu; d) piecos es sodien busu pilseta (or more rarely septiijpadsmitos) e) cetros desmit es nekad neesmu majas (or cetros demitas); f ) tnjos mes bijam naktskluba; g) sesos vini vienmer ed vakariijas (or astonpadsmitos); h) pusdeviôs sakas Panorama; i) devinos visa gimene ir majas \divdesmit vienos is also possible, but not likely). Ex. 3: a) Cikos beidzas?; b) It opens at 9 o'clock; c) No - she has gone out; d) Cik ir pulkstenis?; e) Zvaniet velak; f) After lunch. Ex. 4: a) Es zvaniju restoranam; b) Karlim; c) policijai; d) Deividam; e) draugiem; ) Fionai; g) skolotajam; h) Ilzei; i) draudzenei; j) kolegim. Ex. 5: a) Ar arstu.; Ludzu, pasaKiet viâm, ka mans berns ir slims. Vi^tam sap auss. b) Ar sekretari Ludzu, pasakiet viâi, ka sodien es nebusu darba. Es stradasu majas. c) Ar tanti / krustmati.; Ludzu, pasakiet viîam, ka es sovakar nevaresu (at)nakt ciemos. d) Ar Deividu.; Ludzu, pasakiet vinam, ka mes busim restorana septiôs. Mes pasutisim galdu / galdiû. Ex. 6: Es gribetu pasutit galdu / galdiiju.; Sestdien(pulksten) astonos.; Septiijiem cilvekiem.; your name spelt the Latvian way; Mes gribetu sedet pie kamina, ja iespejams. Unit 10 E x . 1 : a ) iii; b) i; c) iv; d) vii; e) ix; f ) ii; g) vi; h) v; i) viii. Ex. 2: a) Es mekleju ; b) Kur atrodas ?; c) Cik talu lldz ?; d) Ka var nokjut lidz . e) Kur ir tuvaka autobusa pietura?; f ) Autoosta ir blakus tirgum. Ex. 3: a) Vai sis tramvajs iet uz Juglu?; b) Ar kuru trolejbusu es varu braukt uz leiku?; c) Vai sis autobuss iet uz Sarkandaugavu d) Vai ar so vilcienu es varu braukt lldz Ciekurkalnam?; e) Ar ko es varetu braukt uz Mezaparku?; f ) Ar kuru tramvaju man jabrauc uz Imantu?; g) Vai ar so autobusu mes varam braukt ndz PJavniekiem?; h) Vai sis trolejbuss iet uz Purvciemu?; i) Vai sis autobuss iet uz Rigas lidostu?; j) Vai ar so trolejbusu es varu braukt lidz pilsetas centram?; k) Vai sis tramvajs iet lidz Matisa tirgum? Ex. 4: a) nepareizi; b) pareizi; c) nepareizi;d) nepareizi; e) pareizi. Ex. 5: a) No musu majas pa labi lidz Skolas ielaitad pa labi un taisni uz prieKsu pa Skolas ielu lidz galam un stacija bus jums prieksa; b) No viesnlcas pa kreisi lidz Brivibas ielai, banka bus pari ielai un mazliet pa kreisi un blakus skolai; c) No skolas pan ikiviDas ielai un pa labi, baseins bus kreisaja puse, aiz parka; d) No universitates pa labi un pa Skolas ielu lldz galam (lidz Kaleju
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ielai)biblioteka bus uz stura kreisaja puse; e) No musu majas pa labi lidz Skolas ielai, tad pa labi un uz prieksu lldz krustojumam, tur pa kreisi. Ex. 6: a) no teatra b) blakus kanalam; c)lldz sestdienai; d)lldz stacijai; e) no Baltijas juras; f ) blakus stacijai; g) no lidostas lidz centram; h) no deviniem lldz pieciem i) no desmitiem lldz trijiem; j) lldz nedejas nogalei. Ex. 7: The place names go into the dative case with both prepositions, becuase they all are plural in f orm. Unit 11 Ex.1:lidojis, dzeris, edis, bijusi, bijusi, dzirdejusi, velejies, bijis, lasijis, sapratis, dzivojusi, celojis, redzejis, braucis, varejis, gribejis, nopircis. Ex. 2: a) pasta; b) banka c) pasta d) pie friziera; e) pie zobarsta; f ) banka. Ex. 3: a) esmu dzivojis / dzivojusi; b) ir bijusi; c) esam edusi; d) nav redzejusas; e) ir aizbraucis; f ) esi dzeris / dzerusi; g) ir aizgajusi; h) jus esat dzirdejusi; i) esam gaidljusi; j) neesmu lasi j is / lasijusi; k) mes neesam sanemusi / sanemusas;1)vins ir rakstijis. Ex. 4: a) Kur ir / Kur atrodas pasts?; b) Man vajag aploksni un pastmarkas.; c) Es gribetu samainit naudu.; d) Kur ir tuvaka banka?; Ex. 5: mazgat, apgriezt, izzavet. Ex. 6: a) Ne paldies, mes esam edusi / edusas; b) Ja, es esmu runajis / runajusi ar of iciantu/of icianti; c) Ja es esamu dzeris / dzerusi greipfrutu sulu; d) Ja, es esmu pircis / pirkusi kiniesu garsvielas tirgu; e) Ja, es esmu dzivojis / dzivojusi Londona. Ex. 7: a) What's wrong} and What is hurting?; b) He's got a cold.; c) high blood pressure; d) Man sap mugura.; e) Vai jums ir / butu (kads) aspirins? Unit 12 E x . 1 : a ) otrais; b) devltais; c) tresa; d) divpadsmitais; e) piektais; f) ceturta; g) sestais; h) sesta; i) tresais; j) pedeja or septita; k) astotais. Ex. 2: a) Piecpadsmitais aprilis; b) divdesmit piektais janvaris; c) trlsdesmitais septembris; d) ceturtais junijs; e) astonpadsmitais augusts; f ) sespadsmitais julijs. Ex. 4: a) nepareizi; b) pareizi; c) nepareizi; d) nepareizi; e) pareizi; f ) pareizi. Ex. 5: a) iii; b) i; c) iv; d) ii; e) vejains; f ) miglains; g) makonains; h)lietains; i)ledains = windyf oggy, cloudy, rainy, icy. Ex. 6: a) Janvari ja ir sniegsbraucam slepot; svinam Jauno gadu. b) Februari ir sals, ietves ledainas un ielas slidenas. c) Marta dienas kjust garakas, sniegs sak kust, no jumtiem krit lastekas. d) Aprill saule sak sildlt, viss plaukst; jakraso olas. e) Maija ir saulains, za}o koki un zied pukes, f ) Junija dienas ir garas un naktis Isas: svinam Jarius! g) Julija ir karsts, var stradat darza, peldetiessaujoties. h) Augusta ir atputas laiks: nekas daudz nenotiek. i) Septembri ir vess, iaiet uz mezu senot, sakas
^k e y
t o
l r t h ( p < p x ( c < o ) D D M
skola. j) Oktobri auksts vejs pus no ziemejiem, koku lapas 293 maina krasu un krit. k) Novembri vakari ir tumsi un garilist 311 lietus.1)Decembri ir auksts un dregns: gaidam Ziemassvetkus! Ex. 7: a) Kads laiks sodien? b) There's snow everywhere.; c) ziema; d) Vai list?; e) Saule spld.; f ) Vai ir sniegs?; g) Vai ara ir auksts?; h) It is windy.; i) yes; j) thick f og; k) a storm. Ex. 8: (Answers can vary the f ollowing are only examples) a) laimigs, prieclgs, satraukts; b) nelaimlgs, dusmigs; c) priecigs, parsteigts; d) nervozs uztraucies; e) dusmlgsnervozs; f ) nobijies satraukts; g) priecigs, laimigs h) slikta oma; i) dusmlgs; j) parsteigts, priecigs k) nervozs.
r k e yt ot h ee x e c i s e s
i i ,^, fx
7,-p
Unit 13 E x . 1 : a ) economics; b) f ive months; c) watches TV; d) accountant, engineer; e) at an advertising agency; f ) at work she had to interpret f or him; g) sailing; h) since leaving school; i) Liepaja. Ex. 2: a) vi Of iciants strada restorana. b) x Skolotaja strada skola. c) i Arste strada slimnica. d) vii Pardevejs strada veikala. e) iii Stradnieks strada rupnica. f ) ix Kasieris strada banka. g) iv Pastniece strada pasta, h) ii Lauksaimnieks strada laukos. i) v - Aktrise strada teatri. j) viii Uzîemejs straaa uzêmuma. Ex. 3: a) x; b) ix; c) xi; d) i; e) ii; f) vni;g)in; h) iv; i) xii; j) v; k) vn;1)vi. Ex. 4: a) sleposana; b) zinasanas; c) velesanas; d) gleznosana; e) cejosana; f ) runasana; g) senosana; h) nodarbosanas; i) tiksanas. Ex. 5: a) What is your occupation?; b) what they do; c) Es studeju ... / Es macijos ; d) Cik ilgi?; e) What do you do in your spare time? / What is your hobby? Unit 14 E x . 1 : a ) Kas vainas? or Kas noticis / notika?; b) Something is wrong with the brakes; c) Vai varu palidzet? or Ka varam palidzet?; d) Piezvanisu autoservisam. Ex. 2: a) vn; b) xi; c) x; d) ix; e) viii; f) i; g) vi; h) v; i) iv; j) iii; k) ii. Ex. 3: Kurzeme, Vidzeme, ZemgaleLatgale. Ex. 4: a) Riga; b) Daugavpils; c) Gaiziîs or Gaiziijkalns; d) Daugava; e) Lubans; f ) Liepaja; g) Igaunija; n) Lietuva and Baltkrievija; i) senot; j) 531 km; k) Jaiji or Ligo svetki;1)pavasarl; m) decembri;n)1918. gada; o) alu; p) Zemgale; q) Kurzeme; r) Latgale; s) Vidzeme; t) Cesis.
l l l l I f f i i f
abiabas both (mf.) abols (m.) apple acs, aci s (f .f . pl.) eyes acumirkli just a tick ada (f.) skin / leather adits, adi tas knitted adrese (f.) address advokatu firma (f.) law firm Afrika (f.) Africa agentura (f .) agency agrak earlier / previously ainava (f .) scene / landscape aiz behind aizbraukt to go away (by vehicle) aizdot to lend aiziet to go away aizkars (m.) curtain aizliegt to forbid / prohibit aizliegts forbidden aizmirst to forget aizmugure at the back aiznemts, ai znemta busy (m., f.) aiznest to take / to carry aizpildit to fill in (a form) aizsargs (m.) defender aizsargstikls (m.) windscreen aizvakar day or evening before last akademija (f .) academy akmens (m.) rock / stone aktieris, aktri se actor, actress alergija (f .) allergy
alus (m.) beer ambulance (f .) out-patient clinic amerikanis (m.) an American (m.) Amerikas Savienotas Valsti s (f. pl.) United States of America analltikis (m.) analyst angina (f .) sore throat Anglija (f ) England anglis, angli ete, ang\i , anglietes Englishman, Englishwoman, English people (m.f.) angliski English (language) anketa (f.) form ap around, about apaksa at the bottom apaksbikses (f . pl.) underpants apafs, apa\a round (m.f .) apbrinot to admire apciemot to visit apdrosinasana (f .) insurance apdzit to overtake apelsms (m.) orange (fruit) apgerbs (m.) clothing apgriezt to trim apgulties to lie oneself down apkartne (f .) surroundings apkopejs, apkopeja (mf .) cleaner apkure (f.) heating apledojis, apledojusi f rozen over (m f.) aploksne (f.) envelope apmacies overcast
apmeklet to attend atgriezties to return aptneram approximately atgut to regain apmierinats, apmi eri nata satisfied atiesanas laiks (m.) departure time (m.f.) atiet to depart (transport) apmierinoss satisfactory atkal again appreceties to marry atkartot to repeat aprikoze (f .) apricot Atklasanas koncerts (m.) Opening aprilis (m.) April concert apskatlt to look at atlaide (f .) discount, rebate apskatities to take a look atfauja (f .) permit / permission apstaties to come to a stop at\aut to permit apsveikt to congratulate atlautais brauksanas atrums (m.) aptieka (f .) pharmacy permitted driving speed aptiekare (f .) pharmacist atminas (f . pi.) memories Apvienota Karaliste (f .) United atnakt to come / to arrive Kingdom atnakt ciemos to come visiting ar with atnest to bring ara outside atpakaf back art also atpusties to rest / to relax arkartigi extraordinarily atputa (f .) rest / recreation arlabunakti good night atra (neatli ekama) palidziba (f .) arlabvakar good evening (said ambulance when departing) atradu see atrast arprats (m.) insanity atrak quicker arstet to treat or to cure atrast to find arsts (-e) doctor atrasties to be situated / located arvien increasingly / as ever atrodamas are to be found arzemes (f . pi.) abroad atsevisî separately arzemju valuta (f .) foreign atsîrigs, atski i ri ga different currency (m . f.) arzemnieks (m.) foreigner atslega (f .) key asinsanalize (f.) blood test atstarotajs (m.) reflector asinsspiediens (m.) blood pressure atstat to leave aspirins (m.) aspirin atsutit to send ass sharp / hot atvainojiet excuse me astoridesmit eighty atvert to open astoni eight atverts, atverta open (m.f.) astonpadsmit eighteen atvilktne (f .) drawer astotais, astota eighth audzis, augusi grown (mf.) atd bye auglis (m.) fruit augsd at the top atbalstit to support augstaka izglitiba (f .) higher atbildet to reply / to answer atbraukt to come (by vehicle) education atcereties to remember augstsaugsta high (m., f.) atgadinat to remind augstskola (f .) tertiary educational
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baravika (f .) boletus (type of institution mushroom) augusts (m.) August barda (f.) beard aukle (f.) nanny aukstais udens (m.) cold water bars (m.) bar auksts, auksta cold (m., f.) baseins (m.) swimming pool auskari (m. pi.) earrings basketbols (m.) basketball auss, ausis (f .f . pl.) ear, ears baznica (f .) church australietisaustraliete, australi esi , bedigs sad, sorrowful australietes Australian (m f .) beidzot finally Australians (m.f . pl.) beigds (f . pl.) at the end austrumi (m. pl.) east beigt to finish / to graduate auto mazgatava (f .) car wash beigties to finish / to end (of its automasina (f .) car own accord) autoosta (f .) coach station / bus benzins (m.) petrol station Berime (f.) Berlin autoserviss (m.) garage / service berns (m.) child station / car mechanic berzlape (f .) russula (type of autovaditaja apliectba (f .) driver's mushroom) licence bet but avarija (f .) accident bez without avene (f.) raspberry bezmaksas free avize (f .) newspaper bezmiegs (m.) insomnia avizu kiosks (m.) newspaper kiosk biblioteka (f .) library biete (f .) beetroot azija (f ) Asia biezi often biezpiens (m.) cottage cheese / bagats, bagata rich (m., f.) curd cheese bagaza (f .) luggage, baggage biezs, bi eza thick (m.f.) baidtties to fear bikses (f . pl.) trousers bailes (f. pl.) fear bi\ete (f .) ticket baka (f). lighthouse birojs (m.) office bakalaura grads (m.) bachelor's bistami dangerous degree baklazans (m.) eggplant, aubergine bite (f.) bee bizness (m.) business balllte (f .) party (coll.) blakus next to / alongside balons (m.) balloon bfoda (f .) bowl balsosana (f .) voting blonds, blonda blond(e) (m.f.) baltais the white bluze (f.) blouse Baltais nams The White House Braitona (f .) Brighton balti (m. pi.) Baits, Baltic people bra\ade\s, masasdels (m.) nephew Baltkrievija (f .) Belarus brafameita, masasmei ta (f .) niece baits white bralens (m.) male cousin banans (m.) banana bralis (m.) brother banka (f .) bank bankomats (m.) ATM, cashpoint brauciens (m.) tripjourney
brauksana (f .) driving brauksanas atruma parsniegsana (f.) exceeding the speed limit braukt to go (by vehicle) bremzes (f . pi.) brakes bremzet to brake brtdinajums (m.) warning bridis (m.) moment / instant bridzs (m.) bridge briedis (m.) stag brilles (f . pi.) glasses / spectacles brinisfîgi wonderful brinities to be amazed / to wonder briti (m. pi.) Brits, British people brivdienas (f . pi.) holidays, vacation briviba (f .) freedom brivlaiks (m.) vacation brivs, bri va free (m.f.) brokastis (f . pi.) breakfast bruns brown bumbieris (m.) pear burkdns (m.) carrot burulaiva (.f ) yacht but to be cau hi and bye caur through caureja (f .) diarrhoea cekiris (m.) receipt (check) celins (m.) parting cefojums (m.) journey / trip / voyage cefosana (f .) travelling cejot to travel cefs (m.) road celt to build celties to get up cena (f.) price centrala stacija (f .) the central station centralaiSy centrala the central
(m.f.)
cepts fried / roasted / baked cepumi (m. pi.) biscuits cepure (f.) hat cerams hopefully (lit. it is to be hoped) ceret to hope cerinu krums (m.) lilac bush cetrdesmit forty cetri four cetrpadsmit fourteen ceturtais, ceturta (m f.) fourth ceturtdiena (f.) Thursday abas (f. pi.) slippers ciemins (m.) guest / visitor cietoksnis (m.) fortress ciets, cieta hard (m.f.) cietusais (m.) victim cigarete (f .) cigarette cik question word for quantity cikos at what time cilts (f .) tribe cilveks (m.) person cimdi (m. pi.) gloves cipsi (m. pi.) crisps citi others citrons (m.) lemon
citscita another (m.f .)
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citur elsewhere cukgafa (f .) pork cukurs (m.) sugar daba (f.) nature dabas paradibas (f . pi.) natural phenomena daksina (f .) fork daja (f .) part daî (m. pi.) Danes Danija (f .) Denmark darbdiena (f .) weekday darbinieks (-ni ece) employee / worker darbnica (f .) workshop darboties to work / to operate darbs (m.) work / job dargak more expensive
centrs (m.) centre cept to roast / to bake / to fry
dargs, darga expensive (m.f.) darisana (f .) business / concern / affair darit to do darzeni (m. pl.) vegetables darzins (m.) garden (dim.) darzs (m.) garden dators (m.) computer datums (m.) date daudz much / many daudzums (m.) quantity davana (f .) gift / present dazadi various dazi some dazreiz sometimes debesis (f. pl.) the sky decembris (m.) December deguns (m.) nose degviela (f .) fuel degvielas uzpildes stacija (f .) petrol station degvins (m.) spirit (alcoholic drink) dejotajs (-a) dancer delegacija (f ) delegation dels (m) son deret to fit desa (f.) sausage desmit ten desmitais, desmi ta (m f.) tenth devindesmit ninety devini nine devinpadsmit nineteen devitais, devita ninth devu see dot dibinat to establish diemzel unfortunately diena (f.) day dienasgramata (f.) diary Dienvidafrika (f.) South Africa Dienvidamerika (f.) South America dienvidi (m. pl.) south diezgan rather / quite / enough dilles (f. pl.) dill diploms (m.) diploma direktors (-e) director
dirigents (m) conductor dwains, divaina odd / strange

(m.f.)
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divans (m.) sofa divdesmit twenty divi two divpadsmit twelve divreiz twice divritenis (m.) bicycle divvietigais, di vvi eti ga double
(m.f.)
dize\degviela (f .) diesel dokuments (m.) document dolars (m.) dollar domat to think Doms (m.) cathedral dot to give doties to make one's way / to go dramatisks, dramati ska dramatic (m., f) draudzene (f.) friend draugs (m.) friend dregns, dregna chilly (m.f.) drikstet to be allowed driz soon drosi vien probably drostbas josta (f.) safety belt dross, drosa safe (m.f.) drupas (f. pl.) ruins dumi (m. pl.) smoke durvis (f. pl.) door dusa (f.) shower duskabine (f.) shower cubicle dusmtgs, dusmlga angry (m.f.) dzeltens yellow dzelzcela stacija (f .) railway station dzelzcefs (m.) railway dzemperis (m.) jumper dzeramsdzerama drinkable
(potable) (m.f .)
dzeriens (m.) drink / beverage dzert to drink dziedat to sing dziesma (f .) song dzils, dzi la deep (m.f.)
dzimis, dzimusi born (m f.) dzimsanas diena (f.) birthday dzimtene (f.) birthplace dzintars (m.) amber dzirdet to hear dzive (f.) life dzivtba (f.) life dzivnieks (m.) animal dzivoklis (m.) flat / apartment dzwoklitis (m.) flat / apartment (dim.) dzivot to live dzungji (m. pi.) jungle
fens (m.) hairdryer filma (f.) film finanses (f. pi.) finance fotografija (f.) photo fri kartupeli (m. pi.) French fries friziere (f.) hairdresser fui yuk (exclamation) futbols (m.) f ootball gabalins (m.) small piece gabals (m.) piece gadalaiks (m.) season gadljums (m.) instance / occasion gads (m.) year gaidams expected gaidisana (f.) waiting gaidtt to wait / expect gailene (f.) chanterelle (type of mushroom) gaisi light (literally: lightly) gaisma (f.) light gaiss (m.) air gaitenis (m.) passage / corridor gajeju pareja (f.) pedestrian crossing gaju see iet ga\a li ellopu gafa, cukgafa, jera gafa, tela gafa (f.) meat: beef, pork, lamb, veal galapunkts (m.) terminus / final stop galda piederumi (m. pi.) cutlery galdauts (m.) tablecloth galdins (m.) table (dim.) galds (m.) table gals (m.) end galva (f.) head galvaspilseta (f .) capital city galvenais, galvena the chief / main gandriz almost gar along garam past garamgajejs (m.) passer-by garastavoklis (m.) mood garaza (f.) garage
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edams, edama edible (m f.) ediens (m.) food / course edntca (f.) canteen / diner Eiropa (f.) Europe Eiropas Savieniba (f.) European Union ekonomika (f.) economics ekrans (m.) screen ekskursija (f.) excursion elektrlba (f.) electricity i elektrotehnika (f.) electrical equipment e)\a (f.) oil energisks, energiska energetic
(m.f.)
e-pasts (m.) e-mail ertibas (f. pi.) comforts erts, erta comfortable es I esam see but esana (f.) eating esat see but esi see but esmu see but est to eat estgriba (f.) appetite etitiis (m.) vinegar ezers (m.) lake faktiski in fact februaris (m.) February
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hokejs (m.) hockey garlaictgs, garlatctga boring (m f.) humors (m.) humour garnizons (m.) garrison / base gars, gara tall / long iebraukt to drive in / to arrive / garsigs, garsiga tasty (m.f.) to enter garsot to like the taste iebraukt aizliegts no entry garsvielas (f . pl.) spices iecienits favourite, popular gatavot to prepare gatavs, gatava ready (m f.) / ripe iedot to give (to someone) ieeja entrance gaze (f.) gas iegut to obtain geografija (f.) geography ieiet to go in gimene (f.) family iekapsarta (f .) boarding gimenes stavoklis (m.) marital iekapsanas karte (f .) boarding card status iekapsanas talons (m.) boarding ginekologs (m.) gynaecologist card glaze (f.) glass iekapt to get (climb) in or on glezna (f.) painting gleznains, gleznaina picturesque iekrist to fall into ieksa inside (m.f.) iekszeme (f.) inland gleznot to paint (paintings) iela (f .) street gleznotdjs (m.) painter ielikt to put in golfs (m.) golf ielugt to invite govs (f.) cow ienakt to come in grads (m.) degree iepaztsanas (f .) acquaintance grafs (m.) count / earl iepazit to get to know gramata (f .) book iepazities to get acquainted gramatnlca (f .) bookshop iepirkties to shop gramatvedis (-e) accountant ieprieks bef orehand grams (m.) gram ieprieksejais the previous gredzens (m.) ring ierakstit to register (mail) greipfruts (m.) grapefruit ierasties to show up / to arrive gribet to want ierednis (-e) official / clerk grida (f.) f loor ierooezojums (m.) limit gridsega (f .) carpet ieskaitit to include griesti (m. pi.) ceiling iesnas (f . pl.) sniffles griezt to cut iespaidi (m. pi.) impressions griezties to turn (oneself) iespaidtgs, iespaidiga impressive gripa (f.) f lu gulamistaba (f .) bedroom gulet to sleep gulta (f .) bed gurfis (m.) cucumber hallo hello hercogiste (f .) duchy hobijs (m.) hobby
(m.f.)
iespeja (f .) opportunity / possibility iespejams possible iespert to kick iet to go iet ciemos to go visiting iet kafam to go on foot ieteikt to recommend
ietriekties to slam / to run into ietve (f.) footpath ievadit to enter ievainots, ievainota injured (m., f.) ievarijums (m.) jam ieverojams notable Igaunija (f.) Estonia ilgi long (duration) ilgst lasts ilgvifpi (m. pl.) permanent wave indigSy indiga poisonous (m., f.) interesants, interesanta interesting
(m.f.)
izskatlgs, i zskati ga good-looking

(m.f.)
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izskatities to look like (appearance) izslidet to slip out izstade (f .) exhibition izveleties to pick out / to choose / to select izvest to export izzavet to dry ja if jd yes jahta (f.) yacht jaka (f.) cardigan Jani or Ligo svetki (m. pl.) summer solstice festival Janu si ers (m.) a type of fresh cheese janvaris (m.) January jatnieks (m.) horseman jau already jauks, jauka nice / pleasant (m.f.) Jaunais gads (m.) New Year jaunakais, jaunaka the younger
(m.f.)
interneta pieslegums (m.) internet connection internets (m.) internet inzenieris (-e) engineer tpasi in particular / particularly tpasums (m.) property ir see but Iret to rent / to hire irs, iriete, iri, irietes Irishman, Irishwoman, Irish people iss, isa short (m f.) istaba (f.) room isteniba actually / in reality isti exactly (lit. genuinely, really) izbraukt to depart / to drive out izdomat to figure out izeja exit izglttiba (f.) education iziet to go out izjuta (f.) sense / feeling izkapt to get off (lit. climb out) izkartot to arrange izlietne (f.) sink izmazgat to wash izmers (m.) size iznemot excepting izriemt to take out / to withdraw izpdrdosana (f.) clearance sale izpardoti sold out izputejs (m.) exhaust izsaukt to call out (telephone)
(m.f. pl.)
jaunaks, jaunaka younger (m., f.) Jaungada di ena (f.) New Years' Day jauniba (f.) youth jaunkundze (f .) Miss jauns, jauna young / new (m f.) jautajums (m.) question jautat to ask / to enquire jautrs merry / cheerful jeb or jera ga]a lamb jo because jogurts (m.) yoghurt jokoties to joke joma (f.) field / domain / sector josta (f.) belt jubilars the person who is celebrating judze (f.) mile
julijs (m.) July jums to you / for you (plural or polite form) jumts (m.) roof junijs (m.) June jura (f.) sea jurists (m.) lawyer jurmala (f .) seaside jurnieks (-ni ece) mariner jurskola (f .) naval school jus you (plural or polite form) justies to feel jusu your / yours jutas (f . pi.) feelings ka that ka how / whose kabata (f . pi.) pocket kabinets (m.) consulting room, office kad when kads, kddakadi, kadas question word (what, what kind of) / someone, / a / an / a certain / some kafejnica (f .) cafe kafija (f .) coffee kaimiris (m.) neighbour kaitet to harm / to be detrimental kaja (f .) leg kaîs (m.) cat kaklasaite (f .) necktie kakls (m.) neck / throat kalejs (m.) blacksmith kalendars (m.) calendar kalns (m.) hill kam to whom / for whom kamer while kamins (m.) fireplace kanadietis, kanadiete, kandaiesi, kanadietes Canadian (m.f.),
Canadians (m.f . pi.)
kanals (m.) canal kapas (f . pi.) sand dunes kapec why
kapi (m. pi.) cemetery / graveyard kaposts (m.) cabbage karaliene (f .) queen karaspeks (m.) army karbonade (f .) meat dipped in beaten egg and fried karogs (m.) flag karote (f .) spoon kars (f.) war karsts hot karstums (m.) heat karte (f .) map kartiba (f .) order karttgs, kdrti ga decent / tidy (m. f.) kartupelis (m.) potato kas what / who kase (f.) cashier kasieris (-e) cashier kaste (f .) box katrskatra each (m f.) kaut kad sometime kaut kads, kaut kdda some kind of / some sort of kaut kas something kaut kur somewhere kaut vai even if kaveties to be late / delayed kaza (f.) goat kazas (f. pi.) wedding kazokada (f.) fur (skin) kazoks (m.) fur coat kefirs (m.) kefir kekss (m.) buttercake keramika (f.) pottery êrmenis (m.) body kilograms (puskilo) (m.) kilogramme (half a kilo) kilometrs (m.) kilometre \pmenes (f. pi.) caraway seed kJmiska tiritava (f.) dry cleaner lîna (f.) China kiosks ^m.) kiosk îploks (m.) garlic îrurgs (m.) surgeon
' l 0 2 L a t v s n E 3 ( Q i s h r 3 0 ( Q o s s a y
klase (f.) class klasiska muzika (f.) classical music klaties to fare klausities to listen klausule (f .) receiver klauvet to knock klejot to wander / to roam klepus (m.) cough kliegt to shout klozetpods (m.) WC klubkresls (m.) armchair k\uda (f .) mistake kludities to make a mistake Klusais okeans Pacific Ocean klussy klusa quiet (mf.) kjut to become ko what (acc.) koks (m.) tree / wood kokvilna (f .) cotton koiegis, kolege colleague (m f.) komandejutns (m.) business trip komats comma / point komplekts (m.) set kompostret to stamp (a ticket) komunalie maksdjumi (m. pi.) utilities (lit. communal payments) koncerts (m.) concert konditoreja (f.) cakes and pastries konfektes (f. pi.) sweets konference (f.) conference konsuls (m.) consul konsultacija (f.) consultation konsultants (m.) consultant kontaktlecas (f. pi.) contact lenses kontrolieris, kontroliere ticket
inspector (m.f .)
konts (m.) account kopa together Kopenhagena (f.) Copenhagen kops since koris (m.) choir kost to bite kostims (m.) suit (women's) krans (m.) tap krasa (f.) colour
krasns (f.) oven krasot to colour / to dye / to paint krastmala (f .) coastline krasts (m.) bank / coast kreditkarte (f .) credit card kredlts (m.) loan / credit kreisais, krei sd the left (mf.) krejums (saldaisskabais) (m.) cream (ordinary, sour) krekls (m.) snirt krems (m.) cream kresls (m.) chair krievi (m. pi.) Russians Krievija (r.) Russia krieviski Russian (language) krist to fall krogs (m.) pub krusa (f.) hail krustnesi (m. pi.) Crusaders krustojums (m.) crossroads / intersection krusturis (m.) bra kugis (m.) ship kugnieciba (f.) snipping kukulis (m.) loaf kultura (f.) culture kumelisu teja (f .) camomile tea kundze (f.) Mrs kungs (m.) Mr kupinats smoked kur where kuriene where (as a place) kurs, kura which (mf.) kursi (m. pi.) course kurst (m. pi.) Courlanders kust to melt kvadratmetrs (m.) square metre kvits (f .) receipt (check) labais the good labak better labdien good day labi well labprat willingly labrit good morning
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labs, laba good (m.f.) lidztgs, li dzi ga similar (m.f.) labvakar good evening liecinieks (m) witness lai in order to / in order that lielaka largest laika apstakfi (m. pl.) weather Lielbritanija (f .) Great Britain conditions Lieldienas (f . pl.) Easter laika prognoze (f .) weather liellopu ga\a (f .) beef forecast lielsliela large (m f.) laikam probably lielveikals (m.) supermarket laiks (m.) time / weather liepajnieks (m.) person from laime (f.) fortune / luck Liepaja laimigi all the best / good luck lieta ({.) thing (lit. happily) lietot to use / to take (medicine) laimigs, lai mi ga happy / contented lietots, lietota used (m.f.) laiva (f .) boat lietus (m.) rain lampa (f.) lamp lietusmetelis (m.) raincoat lapa (f .) leaf lietussargs (m.) umbrella lasis (m.) salmon Lietuva (f.) Lithuania lasit to read lifts (m.) lift lasteka (f .) icicle likt to put / to place latgafi (m. pi.) Letgallians likums (m.) the law lats (m.) lat (Latvian currency lilija (f .) lily unit) lit to rain latvietis, latvi ete, latvi esi , latvi etes litrs (pusli trs) (m.) litre (half a litre) Latvian (m f.)Latvians Livonija (f .) Livonia (m.f. pl.) locini (m. pl.) chives Latvija (f .) Latvia logs (m.) window latviski Latvian (language) lokaini (m. pi.) curly lauki (m. pl.) countryside Londona (f .) London lauksaimnieks (-ni ece) f armer loti very laukums (m.) square / place ludzu please / there you are / ledus (m.) ice you're welcome luga (f.) play ledus hokejs (m.) ice hockey ledusskapis (m.) refrigerator lugt to request letdk cheaper luksofors (m.) traffic lights leti cheap lupas (f.) lip lupu krasa (f .) lipstick lets, leta inexpensive (m., f.) Itcis (m.) gulf lidmasinas bi lete (f .) plane ticket macities to learn / to study macs (m.) match (coll.) lidojums (m.) flight magistra grads (m.) master's lidosta (f .) airport lidot to f ly degree maijs (m.) May lldz until / as far as lidzeklis pret odiem (m.) mosquito mainas kurss (m.) exchange rate mainigs variable repellent mainit to change ltdzi along
mazsaltts slightly-salted maize (baltmai ze, saldskabmai ze, mebelets furnished rupjmaizerudzu maizekviesu medmasa (f.) nurse maize) (f .) bread (white, mednieks (m.) hunter I' sourdough, wholemeal, rye, medus (m.) honey I wheat) meginat to try ^ maja (f .) house meita (f.) daughter i majas (f . pl.) houses / home meitene (f.) girl makaroni (m. pl.) pasta meklet to look for / to seek | makona i ns cloudy mellenes (f. pl.) blueberries makoni s (m.) cloud melnais ledus (m.) black ice maksas stawieta (f .) paid parking melns black maksat to pay / to cost menedzers, menedzere maksi malai s atrums (m.) manager (m.f .) ^ maxiumum speed menesis (m.) month maksla (f .) art meness (m.) moon k makslas muzejs (m.) art gallery merce (f.) sauce J. maksli ni eks (-ni ece) artist mes we 'mala pods (m.) clay pot metelis (m.) coat f man to me / for me metrs (m.) metre man liekas it seems to me meza cuka (f.) wild boar man niez I'm itchy / itching mezs (m.) forest j! man i et it seems to me miegs (m.) sleep man vienalga whatever / mierigi calmly / peacefully I don't care migla (f ). fog mans, mana my / mine (m.f.) mikrins (marsruta taksometrs) (m.) manuprat to my mind microbus service (coll.) I marc i na (f .) pound mikrovilnu krasns (f .) microwave marinets marinated oven [marketings (m.) marketing miksts, mi ksta soft (m.f.) j marsruts (m.) route / itinerary mtlakais, mi laka favourite (m.f.) I marts (m.) March milet to love I masa (r.) sister miljons (m.) million ;masasdels (m.) nephew milti (m. pl.) f lour f masasmeita (f.) niece milztgs, mi lztga enormous, giant J mdsica (f .) female cousin (m.f.) mineraludens (m.) mineral water masina, automasi na (f .) car Minska (f .) Minsk 5 Maskava (f .) Moscow minuss (m.) minus \ mate (f.) mother minute (f.) minute I matemat i ka (f .) mathematics miris, mi rusi died (m., f.) mati (m. pl.) hair maz a little / not many / not much mobilais telefons (m.) mobile mazberni (m. pl.) grandchildren telephone mazliet a little bit moderna maksla (m.) modern art mazs, maza small(m f.) moderns, moderna modern (m.r.)
matstns \m.) carrybag (dim.)
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modinatajpulkstenis (m.) alarm clock mongoli (m. pi.) Mongolians mosties to awaken motorlaiva (f .) motorboat mugura (f.) back mums us / we (dat.) musdienas (f . pi.) nowadays musmire (f .) toadstool musu our / ours mute (f.) mouth muzejs (m.) muesum muzika (f .) music muziîs (-e) musician
negarsigs, negarsi ga unpalatable /

not tasty (m.f .)
negatavs unripe neglits, negli ta ugly neiet to not go neizslprts draw (lit. undecided) nejauksnejauka unpleasant
(m.f.)
Nacionalais teatris National Theatre (m.f.) nafta (f .) crude oil neliels not very large nags (m.) nail nemaz not at all / none nakamais the next nemt to take nakamnedel next week neparasti unusually nakamreiz next time nepatikt to not like nakt to come nervozet to be nervous / anxious nakt ieksa to come inside nesen recently netalu not far nakts (f .) night neticami unbelievable / naktsklubs (m.) nightclub unbelievably naktskrekls (m.) nightdress netvrs, neti ra dirty (m f.) nams (m.) house / building nevaldams uncontrollable narcises (f . pi.) daffodils niezet to itch nauda (f .) money neviens nobody naudas maks (m.) purse / wallet no from nav isn't nazis (m.) knife no rita in the morning ne no nobijies, nobijusies frightened (m.f.) nocenosana (f .) reduction (in price) neaizmirstams unforgettable / markdown neatkariba (f .) independence neatkarigs, neatkari ga independentnodarbosanas (f .) occupation nodarboties to be engaged in (m.f.) noderigs, noderi ga useful(m f). neatliekama palidziba (f .) nodilusi worn away ambulance nodzivot to live / to stay neciesatns unbearable noguris, nogurusi tired (m., f.) nede\a (f .) week nogurt to tire nede\as nogale (f .) weekend neesmu am not nok\ut to reach (as a destination) nokrisni (m pi) precipitation negaiss (m.) thunderstorm
nekd than nekad never nekas nothing neklatiene (f .) distance learning neko nothing (acc.) nekur nowhere nelaimeties to be unlucky nelaimlgs, nelai mlga unhappy
nolaisanas (f )landing nomale (f ) outskirts nomazgaties to wash nopietns, nopi etna serious (m.f.) nopirkt to buy noraidljums (m.) a sending off normali normally / as normal norunats agreed nosalt to freeze nosaukums (m.) name / title nosaut to shoot nosesanas (f.) landing noskumis, noskumusi sad (mf.) noskut to shave nospiest to press noteikti definitely noteikumi (m. pl.) rules notikt to happen / to occur notrukt to come off novemoris (m.) November nozimet to mean / to signify nu labi OK nulle zero numurs (m.) number / room (in a hotel) nupat just now ods (m.) mosquito oficiants (-e) waiter oficiants (m.) waiter oga (f.) berry oktobris (m.) October okupet to occupy ola (f.) egg oma (f.) mood omultgs, omultga cosy (m., f.) onkulis (m.) uncle oranzs orange (colour) orlêstris (m.) orchestra osta (f .) port / harbour otrais, otra second (m.f.) otrdiena (f .) Tuesday pa along / around / on pa dienu during the day
pa kreisi to the left pa labi to the right pacelsanas (f .) take-off pacina (m.) small packet padomju armija (f .) the Soviet army padot to pass / to hand along padsmitnieki (m. pi.) teenagers paest to eat pagaidam for now pagdjusais gads last (preceding) year pagiras (f . pl.) hangover pagrieziens (m.) turn-off pagriezties to turn to / to turn toward paka (m.) packet pakalpojums (m.) service paklajs (m.) rug / mat paldies thank you palidzet to help palikt to remain / to stay pamanit to notice pamatskola (f .) primary school pameginat to try pamodinat to wake panemt to take / to get pankukas (f . pl.) pancakes paparde (f.) fern papezi (m. pi.) heels par as / for / about / pro par atru too fast par garu too long par lielu too large par mazu too small par platu too wide par velu too late paradize (f .) paradise paradlt to show paradities to appear parak too / overly parakstit, parakstities to sign parasti usually parbaudit to check / to test pardevejs (-a) sales assistant
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pastkarte (f .) postcard pardot to sell pastkaste (f .) postbox pardurt to puncture pastmarka (f .) postage stamp pareizais the correct / right pastnieks (-ni ece) postman pareizs, pareiza correct (m.f.) parejie the remaining / the others pasts (m.) post office pasutit to book / to order pargerbties to change (clothing) pat even pari past / over pateikt to tell pariet to blow over / to pass patiestba (f .) truth paris (m.) pair / couple patikami agreeable / pleasant parit day after tomorrow patikt to like Parize (f .) Paris patspatipasi, pasas reflexive parkapums (m.) offence pronouns relating to self parkapt (noteikumuslikumu) pavadit to spend (time) / to to break (the rules, the law) accompany parks (m.) park pavars (m.) chef parliecinats, parliecinata convinced pavasaris (m.) spring (m.f.) pavests (m.) pope parliecinosi convincingly pavisam quite (completely) parnaksnot to stay overnight pazaudet to lose parnakt to come back pazistams acquainted / known parnesumkarba (f .) gearbox pazit to know (to be acquainted) parsesties to change (means of pazudis lost transport) pec after parsniegt to exceed pec tam after that / afterwards parsteidzosi surprisingly pecpusdiena (f .) afternoon parsteigts surprised pedeja bridi (m.) at the last parsteigums (m.) surprise partika (f .) food / foodstuffs moment pdrtikas preces (f. pi.) groceries pedejais, pedeja the last (m.f.) partraukums (m.) break peksni suddenly parvakties to move (house) peldeties to swim pasaka (f .) fairytale / tale pele (f.) mouse pasam to himself (reflexive pronoun) peleks grey pasaule (f .) world pensija retired pasazieru osta (f .) passenger pensionars (-e) pensioner perkons (m.) thunder terminal pern last year pase (f.) passport paslaik presently personas kods (m.) personal or paslepties to hide identity number pasludinat to announce pica (f.) pizza pasniegt (sniegt) to hand over pie by / at pasreiz at present / at the moment pieaugusais grown-up / adult piecdesmit fifty / currently / right now pastaigaties to stroll / to go fo a pieci five walk piecpadsmit fifteen
piedallties to participate pirms before / ago piedavat to offer pirts (f .) sauna piederet to own / to belong to plans, plana thin (m., f.) piedevas (f . pl.) accompaniment / pfdpdt to chatter trimmings plass, plasa spacious (m.f.) piedodiet sorry plats, plata wide (m.f.) piedurknes (f . pi.) sleeves plaukt to bud piekraste (f .) seacoast plauktins (m.) shelf (dim.) piekrist to agree with plits (f .) stove piektais, piekta fifth (m.f.) pludi (m.) flood piektdiena (f .) Friday pludmale (f .) beach piemers (m.) example plume (f.) plum piemineklis (m.) monument pluss (m.) plus piena produkti (m. pl.) dairy poga (f.) button produce pofi (m. pl.) the Polish pienaksanas laiks (m.) arrival time policija (f .) police piettaksanas vieta (f .) platform Polija (f .) Poland where the bus or coach arrives polise (f .) policy pienakt to arrive (transport) politika (f .) politics pienemt to accept porcija (f .) portion piens (m.) miik prakse (arsta) (f .) doctor's surgery pierakstlt to note down pramis (m.) ferry pierakstities to register / to sign on prast to know how to pieraksts (f .) appointment precejusies married pierast to get used to preces (m. pl.) goods piere (f.) forehead preceties to marry piestavet to suit pret against / for / con pietikt to suffice / to be enough preti opposite pietura (f .) stop (transport) prezidents (m.) president piezvanit to call up priecaties to take joy in pikants spicy priecigs, prieciga happy, joyful pildspalva (f .) pen (m.f.) piliens (m.) drop priede (f.) pine tree pilns, pilna f ull (m., f.) prieks (m.) joy pils (f.) castle prieksnieks (m.) boss princips (m.) principle pilsdrupas (f . pl.) castle ruins privatais private pilseta (f .) town problema (f.) problem pilskalns (m.) castle mound profesija (f .) profession pilsonis (m.) citizen profesors (-e) professor PIN kods (m.) PIN number projam away pipari (m. pl.) pepper pirksts (m.) finger projektet to plan / to design pirkt to buy proklamet to proclaim protams of course pirmais, pirma the first (m., f). psihiatrs (m.) psychiatrist pirmdiena (f .) Monday
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pudele (f.) bottle puisis (m.) lad puâins flowery pu^.e (m.) flower pulksten o'clock pulkstenis (m.) clock punkts (m. pi.) dot / spot pupas (f. beans pupoli (m. pi.) willow-catkins Pupolu svetdiena (f.) Willow Sunday (Palm Sunday) puravi (m. pi.) leeks pusceja (m.) halfway pusdienas (f. pi.) lunch puse (f.) side / half puskukulis (m.) half loaf pusnakts (m.) midnight pusotrs (m.) one and a half pussala (f.) peninsula pust to blow putenis (m.) blizzard putns (m.) bird putnu verosana (f.) bird-watching
reiss (m.) flight reize (f.) time / occasion / instance reizem at times / sometimes / occasionally renins (m.) bill remama (f.) advertising rekviziti (m. pi.) details remontet to repair / to renovate remonts (m.) repair rentgens (m.) X-ray resnaks fatter resns, resna fat (m f.) restorans (m.) restaurant reti rarely rezervets reserved rezultdts (m.) result ridzinieks (m.) inhabitant 01 Riga rieksts (m.) nut riepa (f.) tyre rietumi (m. pi.) west Rigas Melnais Balzams (m.) Riga Black Balsam rinda (f.) row risi (m. pi.) rice radi (m. pL) relatives rit tomorrow radioteleskops (m.) radiotelescope ritenis (m.) wheel radioastronomija (f) rits (m.) morning radioastronomy robeza (f.) border ragavinas (f. pi.) toboggan roka (f.) arm rags (m.) cape / horn rokassoma (i.) handbag romantisksromantiska romantic raidijums (m. broadcast rakstit to write (m.f.) rakstnieks (-ni ece) writer roza pink randins (m.) rendezvous / date (coll.) roze (f.) rose rasa (f .) dew rudens (m.) autumn raudat to cry rugts, rugta bitter (m.f.) raudosais the crying ... runasana (f .) talk / talking raudoss a crying ... runat to speak ravejsledzejs (m.) zip fastener rupnica (f.) factory recepte (f.) prescription / recipe rupniecibas pilseta (f .) industrial rediss (m.) radish city redzet to see rutains checked registracija (f .) check-in registratura (f .) registration sa vai td anyhow / one way or reibst is dizzy another
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l l l l l l ^ i i i i i i i $ i i i i 0 g i i , i _ i 1 _ _ i i i i i i i B i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i m M M M M !
saaukstejies, saaukstejusi es has a saraksts (m.) list / timetable cold (m.f .) sarezgits, sarezgtta complicated sabiedriskais transports (m.) public (m.f.) transport sarkanais the red ... sacit to say sarkans red sadi, sadas like this (m.f.) sarunaties to chat / to converse sadzwes tehnika (f .) domestic satecet to flow together appliances satiksme (f .) traffic sagatavot to prepare satikt to encounter sagatavoties to prepare (oneself) satikties to meet saja on / in this satrauktssatraukta upset / sajaukt to mix up unsettled (m. f.) saknes (f. pl.) root vegetables / saubities to doubt roots saukt to call sakt to begin saulains, saulai na sunny (m.f.) sakties to begin (of its own accord) saule (f.) sun sakums (m.) beginning saulesbrilles (f . pl.) sunglasses sala (f .) island sauloties to sunbathe salabot to fix saursy saura narrow (m f.) salati (m. pl.) lettuce sausais dry (wine) salauzts, salauzta broken (m.f.) sauss, sausa dry (m., f.) saldais ediens (m.) dessert sausmas (f. pl.) horror saldejums (m.) ice cream sausmtgs, sausmiga horrible salds, salda sweet (m f.) (m.f.) salle (f.) scarf savakt to collect savsf sava one's own safs salty savukart for his (her) part / on the sals (m.) frost other hand sals (m.) salt sedet to sit saluzis, saluzusi broken (m f.) seit here salvete (f.) napkin seja (f.) face samainit to exchange samaksat to pay sejiene (f.) here (as a place) sampanietis (m.) champagne sekot to follow sanaksme (f.) meeting sekretars (-e) secretary sanakt to come together sekunde (f.) second (unit of time) saitemt to receive se\i (m. pl.) Selonians sanos at the sides sen for a long time santims (m.) centime sene (f.) mushroom sapes (f. pl.) pain senot to pick mushrooms sapet to hurt senotajs (m.) mushroom picker sapltst to come apart / to tear sens, sena ancient (m.f.) saprast to understand septembris (m.) September saprasties to get on / to understand septindesmit seventy septini seven each other septinpadsmit seventeen sapratu see saprast
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septitais, septi ta seventh (m., f.) serkocini (m. pi.) matches sesdesmit sixty sesi six sespadsmit sixteen sestais, sesta sixth (m.f.) sestdiena (f .) Saturday sesties to sit (oneself) down sev to oneself / for oneself sevisî especially sie, sis these (m.,f.) siena (f .) wall siers (m.) cheese sieva (f .) wife sievasmate, vi ramate (f.) mother-in-law sievastevs, vi ratevs (m.) father-in-law sieviete (f .) woman sikie (m. pi.) children (coll.) si]lê (f.) herring siltais udens (m.) hot water (lit. warm water) silts, silta warm (m.f.) simts (m.) hundred sinoptis (m.) forecaster sipols (m.) onion sirds (f .) heart sirmi grey (only when referring to hair)
sis, st this (m.f .)
skatlties to watch / to look skatlogs (m.) shop display window skats (m.) view skele (f.) slice sêrsiela (f.) sidestreet sînîs (m.) ham slprsanas (f.) divorce slprties to divorce / to part s^Ltrusies divorced (pi.) s^Ltvis (m.) plate skola (f.) school skolotajs (-a) teacher skorpions (m.) scorpion Skotija (f.) Scotland skots (m.) a Scotsman skriet to run slaidsslaida slender (m f.) slapjs, slapja wet (m.f.) slavens, slavena famous (m f.) slegts, slegta closed (m.f .) sleposana (f .) skiing slepot to ski slidens slippery slikta dusa (f.) nausea slikts, slikta bad (m.f.) slimibas lapa (f .) medical certificate slimnlca (f .) hospital slims, sli ma ill (m.f.) sfipse (f .) necktie smagssmaga heavy / difficult
(m.f.)
l l 2L a t v a E n ( o i s h l r 3g o s s a y
sitiens (m.) kick / hit skabets picKled skabs, skdba sour (mf.) skaidrot to explain / to clarify skaidroties to clear up skaidrs, skaidra clear (m f.) skaista beautiful skaitit to count skalojamais (m.) cistern skanet to sound skapis (m.) cupboard, wardrobe skapitis (m.) cupboard (dim.) skate (f.) heat / viewing skatitajs (m.) onlooker, viewer
smaiaoss, smai dosa smiling (m., f.) smarza (f .) scent smeket to smoke smiekli (m. pi.) laughter smieties to laugh smiltis (f . pi.) sand sniegpulkstenisi (m. pi.) snowdrops (coll.) sniegs (m.) snow snigt to snow so this sobrid at the moment soda laukums (m.) penalty area
soda sitiens (m.) penalty kick sodien today sods (m.) penalty / fine soferis (m.) driver sokolade (f.) chocolate soltt to promise sofot to march soma (f.) bag Somija (f.) Finland soreiz this time sorit this morning sorti (m. pl.) shorts sovakar tonight / this evening spams (m.) wing spele (f.) match / game spelet to play speleties to play / to toy spidet to shine spiest to press / to squeeze spilgts vivid spilvens (m.) cushion spinati (m. pl.) spinach spogulis (m.) mirror stacija (f.) station stadions (m.) stadium staigat to walk / to stroll starp between starpbridis (m.) interval starptautiskais, starptautiska international(m f.) stastit to tell / to relate stavet to stand stasts (m.) story, tale stavlampa (f.) standard lamp stavs (m.) floor stawieta (f.) a place to park steigties to hurry stiprs, stipra strong (m.f.) Stokholma (f .) Stockholm stradat to work stradnieks (-ni ece) worker / labourer strauji sharply / swiftly strideties to argue students (m.) student
studet to study stunda (f.) hour / lesson sture (f.) steering wheel sturis (m.) corner sudzeties to complain sula (f.) juice suligs juicy suns (m.) dog supoles (f. pl.) swings sutit to send suvenirs (m.) souvenir svaigs, svaiga fresh (m., f.) svari (m. pl.) scales svarigs, svari ga important (m.f.) svarki (m. pl.) skirt svece (f.) candle svecturis (m.) candlestick Sveice (f.) Switzerland sveiciesi (m. pl.) the Swiss sveiki, sveicinati greetings svert to weigh svess, svesa unfamiliar (m.f.) svetdiena (f .) Sunday svetki (m. pl.) festivities / celebration / festival svetvakars (m.) eve (lit. holy evening) sviestmaize (f .) sandwich sviests (m.) butter svinet to celebrate svins (m.) lead svitrains striped tablete (f .) tablet tacu surely / isn't it (tag word) tad then tadi, tadas like that (m f. pi.) tagad now taisni straight taja on / in that taka (f.) path / track taksis (taksometrs) (m.) taxi (coll.) taksometrs (m.) taxi talak further Tallina (f.) Tallinn
l 3L a t v i a n c o i s h n m 3(Dossaly
talons (m.) ticket talu far talums (m.) distance tante (f.) aunt tapec ka because tas pats the same tas, ta that (m f.) tase (f.) cup tatad so then / therefore / hence tautsaimnieciba (f.) economics tavs, tava your / yours (m.f.) te here teatris (m.) theatre tehniska apskate (f .) roadworthiness inspection tehniska pase (f.) car registration (technical pass) teikt to say teja (zafu, melna) (f .) tea (herbal, black) tefa gafa (f .) veal telefons (m.) telephone televizors (m.) TV set telpaugs (m.) indoor plant temperatura (f .) temperature tepat right here terapeits (-e) general practitioner teritorija (f .) territory tev you / to you / for you tevocis (m.) uncle tevs (m.) father ticet to believe tie, tas those / they (m.f.) tiesais direct tiesam really tiesi directly / exactly tiesi laika just right / right on time tiesi ta exactly so tieslietas (f . pi.) law / justice tiesnesis (m.) referee / judge tievs, ti eva thin (m.f.) tikai only tikko just now tiksanas (f .) meeting / rendezvous tikt to get
tikties to meet tilts (m.) bridge tipisks, ti pi ska typical (m., f.) tirgotajs (m.) trader tirgus (m.) market tint to clean tomats (m.) tomato tomer however / nevertheless tops (m.) top torte (f .) gateau traks, traka mad (mf.) tramvajs (m.) tram transports (sabi edri skai s) (m.) transport (public) traptt to hit (the target) traucet to disturb / to bother traumatologijas punkts (m.) A&E centre traumatologs (m.) A & E specialist trenazieru zale (f .) gym / fitness centre trenins training tresais, tresa third (m., f.) tresaiena (f .) Wednesday tris three trisdesmit thirty trisistabu three-room trispadsmit thirteen trtsreiz thrice troksnis (m.) noise trolejbuss (m.) trolleybus trose (f .) towrope trukst is lacking tu you (sing.) tualete (f .) toilet tukss, tuksa empty (m.f.) tiikstotis (m.) thousand tulit immediately tulkosana (f .) translation tulkot to translate / to interpret tumsi dark (literally: darkly) tumss, tumsa dark (m f.) tuncis (m.) tuna tur there tureties to hold onto, at
4L a t v a n t n g = s h l r 3g o s s a y
vaciesi (m. pl.) Germans Vacija (f .) Germany vaciski German (language) vdcu German vai or / question word vai ne^ isn't it? (tag phrase) Vai! Oh! (exclamation) vaigs (m.) cheek vaina (f .) fault vainags (m.) wreath vainigSy vai ni ga guilty (m.f.) udens (m.) water vairak more uguns (f.) fire vairaki several / a number of ugunskurs (m.) bonfire vairs any more un and vajadzet to need universitate (f .) university vdjsvaja weak / poor (m.f.) upe (f.) river vakar vakara last night / yesterday usas (f . pl.) whiskers evening uz on / to vakarinas (f . pl.) dinner uz prieksu ahead / forward vakarinot to dine / to have the uz redzesanos goodbye (lit. until evening meal we see each other again) vakars (m.) evening uzbrucejs (m.) attacker vafasprieks (m.) favourite pastime / uzbrukt to attack hobby uzcelt to build / to construct valdit to rule uzdavinat to give (as a present) valoda (f .) language uzgaidama telpa (f .) waiting room valsts (f .) state uzklat to set (a table) vanna (f .) bath vannas istaba (f .) bathroom uzlaikot to try on varaviksne (f .) rainbow uzlikt to put on varbut perhaps uzmanigSy uzmani ga careful (m.f.) varda diena (f .) name day uznemejs (-a) entrepreneur vards (m.) name uzêmums (m.) enterprise / varet to be able company varit to boil / to cook uzreiz immediately varits boiled uzskatlt to consider Varsava (f .) Warsaw uzstaties to perform / to appear varti (m. pi.) goal / gates before an audience vartsargs (m.) goalkeeper uztraukties to worry vasara (f .) summer uzvalks (m.) suit (men's) vasarnica (f .) summer house uzvards (m.) surname vaze (f.) vase uzvaret to win vecdki (m. pl.) parents uzzinas (f . pi.) information vecamate (f .) grandmother uzzinat to find out Vecgada vakars (m.) New Years' Eve
turiene (f .) there (as a place) turisma objects (m.) tourist attraction turp atpakaj return (ticket) turpat right there turpindt to continue turpretim on the other hand tuvdk nearer tuvu near tvertne (f .) tank
5L a t v i a n I n g s h T H l r 3g o s s a y
vienkarsi simply vecs, veca old (m., f.) vienmer always vectevs (m.) grandfather vienpadsmit eleven vecums (m.) age vienreiz once vecvecdki (m. pi.) grandparents viens one vedekla (f .) daughter-in-law vientu]s lonely veders (m.) stomach vienvietigais, vienvietlga single vedersapes (f . pi.) stomach ache vegetarietis, vegetari ete vegetarian (m.f.) vienvirziena iela (f .) one-way street (m.f.) viesibas (f . pi.) party veikals (m.) shop viesis (m.) guest veiksme (f .) success viesistaba (f .) sitting room / lounge vejains windy viesnica (f .) hotel vejdelis (m.) windsurfer vieta (f .) place vejjaka (f .) windproof jacket vietejais (m.) local person vejs (m.) wind vietejais, vi etaja local vel still / yet / more / in addition vijole (f .) violin velak later vilciens (m.) train ve]as mazgatuve (f.) laundry vilkt to wear / to tow / to drag velesanas (f.) wish / desire veleties to wish / to desire / to want vilna (f .) wool vilnis (m.) wave veji (m. pi.) spirits of those vina (f.) she departed vinai to her / for her velosipeds (m.) bicycle vinam to him / for him velosipedu cejs (m.) cycle way vinas they (all female) / her / hers velsietis, velsiete, velsiesi, velsietes Welshman, Welshwoman, Welsh vini they (all male or mixed group) vinogas (f . pi.) grapes people (m. f. pi.) vins (m.) he velu late vins (m.) wine verts worth / worthwhile vesellgs, veseltga healthy (m., f.) violets violet vess cool virietis (m.) man / male vest to take / to transport / to virs above convey virs (m.) man / husband vestnieciba (f.) embassy virtuve (f .) kitchen vestule (f.) letter viruss (m.) virus vesture (f.) history visai rather / somewhat vetra (f.) storm visdargakais the most expensive vidus (m.) middle visi (m. pi.) everyone / all Vidusazija (f.) Central Asia visjaunakais, vi sjaunaka the Vidusjiira (f.) Mediterranean Sea youngest (m f.) viduslaiki (m. pi.) Middle Ages vislabak it is best vidusskola (f.) secondary school vismaz at least viegli easy vispar generally / on the whole vienalga whatever / doesn't matter vispirms first of all vienigais, vieniga the only (m.f.) visskaistakais the most beautiful
l 6l . a t v i a n i s h n m
3(Qossary
vista (f.) chicken visu dienu for the whole day visur everywhere visvairak the most zabaks (m.) boot zakete (f.) jacket zale (f.) grass / hall zales (f. pl.) medicine za\ot to green / to flourish za\s green zaluzijas (f. pl.) blinds zaudet to lose zavets dried zeês (f. pl.) socks zeubikses (f . pl.) tights zel that's a pity, so sorry zeleja (f .) jelly zelts (m.) gold zem under zeme (f.) country / earth zemestrice (f .) earthquake zemgafi (m. pi.) Semigallians zibens (m.) lightning ziedet to bloom / to blossom ziedi (m. pl.) blooms / blossoms ziedu salons (m.)f lowershop ziema (f .) winter Ziemassvetki (m. pl.) Christmas Ziemelamerika (f .) North America ziemeli (m. pl.) north Ziemeftrija (f .) Northern Ireland zils blue zime (f. pi.) sign zinas (f .) news zindsanas (f . pl.) knowledge zinat to know zinatne (f .) science zindtnieks (-niece) scientist zirgs (m.) horse zirni (m. pl.) peas zivis: salitas, kupinatas un saldetas (f. pl.) fish: salted, smoked and frozen zivs (f .) fish
znots (m.) son-in-law zobarsts (-e) dentist zobs (m.) tooth zods (m.) chin zona (f.) zone zupa (f.) soup zurnalists (-e) journalist zurnals (m.) magazine zvaigzne (f .) star zvanit to ring / to phone zvans (m.) bell zviedri (m. pl.) Swedes Zviedrija (r.) Sweden
t v s t g l i s a 7L n n n 3g l s s r y a o
Wiiiitfi^
20
r r r r g a a e f e e n c e m m
Prepositions that take the dative (singular nouns(

l l r II i f il_ g I . .
lldz pari blakus
untilas far as over, across next toalongside
Note that plural nouns af ter the preposition are always in the dative.
Verb tables
Complete table for the verb 'to be'
Present tense
but (to be) es esmu tu esi vins, viâ ir mes esam jus esat viîi, viâs ir I am es neesmu you are tu neesi he, she is vins, viânav we are mes neesam you (p.l) jus neesat are they vini, vinas nav (m f.) are I am not you are not heshe is not we are not you (pi.) are not they (m f.) are not
l l l l l l l l l l I j i i i i i i i i B i i B i I I I i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i M M M M M M M M M M
Past tense
es biju tu biji vins, vina bija mes bijam jus bijat viiji, vinas bija
Future tense
I will be you will be heshe will be we will be you will be they will be
I was busu you were busi heshewasbus we were busim you (pi.) busit were they bus ( f-) were
Perfect tense
Present Past Future [pres. tense of but] [past tense of but] [future tense of but] bijis, bijusi, bijusi, bijusas have been had been will have been
Conditional mood
butu would be
Relative tense
esot [present] is (allegedly, apparently) busot [future] will be (allegedlyapparently)
Debitive
jabut must or has to be Regular verbs
r r r r , 2 g a a e f e e n c e m m
Present tense
For convenience, we have separated the verbs into three main families or groups of regular verbs. Verbs belonging to each group f ollow exactly the same conjugation pattern: the stem is derived in exactly the same way and the endings also are the same: runat (to speak) es runaju tu runa vins / viâ runa mes runajam jus runajat vini / vinas runa varet (to be able) es varu tu vari viins / viiâ var mes varam jus varat vini / vinas var lasit (to read) es lasu tu lasi vi^s / viâ lasa mes lasam jus lasat vini / viijas lasa
Some other verbs in the runat group are: apciemot, apmeklet, atkartot, atstat, brokastot, celot, dejot, domat, dziedat, dzivot, gatavotgleznot, iret, jautat, krasot, labot, lidot, lietot, maksat, mazgat, meklet, plapat, pusdienot, piedavat, remontet, sekot, senot, skaidrot, slepot, smeket, spelet, staigat, stradat, studet, tulkot, vakariôt, verot. Some other verbs in the varet group are: atbildet, ceret, drikstet, dziedat, dzirdet, gribet, mQet, novelet, palidzet, raudat, redzet, spidet, stavet, svinet, ticet. Some other verbs in the lasit group are: apskatit, atbalstit, atgadinat, darit, gaidit, macit, mainitmeginat, palidzet pamanit, pavadit, piezvanit, radit (paradit), rakstitrekinat, skaitit, sutit (pasutlt), solitstastit, turpinat, varit, zinat, zvanit.
Past tense
In the past tense the regular verbs are conjugated as f ollows: runat es runaju tu runaji vi^s / viija runaja mes runajam jus runajat vipi / vinas runaja varet es vareju tu vareji viîs / viâ vareja mes varejam jus varejat vini / vinas vareja lasit es lasiju tu lasiji viijs / viija lasija mes lasijam jus lasljat viiî / viâs lasija
22
r r3 ^ g a a 0 3 3 0 0 m m
Future tense
In the f uture tense the regular verbs are conjugated as f ollows: runat es runasu tu runasi vins / vina runas mes runasim jus runasit (runasiet) vini / vinas runas Irregular verbs lasit varet es lasisu es varesu tu laslsi tu varesi vins / vina lasis vins / vina vares mes lasisim mes varesim jus varesit (varesiet) jus lasisit (laslsiet) vini / vinas lasis vini / vinas vares
Present tense
es tu vins, vina mes jus vini, vinas iet (to go) eju ej iet ejam ejat iet est (to eat) edu ed ed edam edat ed pirkt (to buy)
r c e - cc
braukt (to go) braucu brauc brauc braucam braucat brauc
nakt (to come) naku nac nak nakam nakat nak
es tu vins, vina mes

JUS
vini, vinas
dzert (to arink) dot (to give) dzeru dodu dzer dod dzer dod dodam dzeram dodat dzerat dzer dod teikt (to say) saku saki saka sakam sakat saka saprast (to understand) saprotu saproti saprot saprotam saprotat saprot
es tu vins, vina mes jus vini, vinas
(also pardot to sell)

c
pp p p p F
-6
es tu vins, vina mes jus vini, vinas
sakt (to begi n) tikt {to get) tieku saku sac tiec sak tiek sakam tiekam tiekat sakat sak tiek vilkt (to wear) velku velc velk velkam velkat velk nemt (to take) nemu nem nem nemam nemat nem
griezt (to cut) griezu griez griez griezam griezat griez atrast {to find) atrodu atrod atrod atrodam atrodat atrod
r r r r g a a e f e e n c e m m
tu vins, vina mes jus vini, vinas
Future tense
Even irregular verbs tend to behave regularly in the future tense with one exception: verbs whichin the inf initive, have an -st or -zt ending. In place of these inf initive endings, the verbs acquire an additional syllable consisting of the vowel1 and usually a consonant. For example: est goes to the stem edi- (es edisu), atrast to atradi(es atradisu), vest to vedi- (es vedisu); also saprast goes to saprati- (es sapratisu) and piekrist to piekriti- (es piekritisu). Some verbs like griezt and nest simply add the vowel1,so the stem becomes griezi- (es griezisu) and nesi- (es nesisu).
Past tense
Some irregular verbs in the past tense undergo quite dramatic or certainly unexpected stem changes. For example: but goes to the stem bij- (es biju), iet to gaj- (es gaju), dot to dev- (es devu), (also pardot to pardev-, padot to padev-, aizdot to aizdev-); saprast goes to saprat- (es sapratu) and atrast to atrad- (es atradu). Be aware of variations in the stem of the verbs braukt (es braucu), teikt (es teicu), nakt (es nacu); howeversakt (es saku) retains its present tense stem.
The verbs griezt, pirkt, vilkt, palikt, (also notikt, likt, tikt) could be said to behave regularly, whilst est (es edu), dzert (es dzeru) and nemt (es nemu) go to a long sound and di f f erent pronunciation pattern in the stem.
r rr r r ^g a a e e e n c e m m
Participles
(m. sing.) f ( . sing.) Regular verbs runat runajis varet varejis lasit lasljis Irregular verbs but D1)1S bijusi bijusi bijusas iet gajusi gajusi gajusas gajis dot devis devusi devusas devusi saprast sapratis sapratusi sapratusi sapratusas est edis edusi edusi eausas dzert dzeris dzerusi dzerusi dzerusas With some verbs a consonant interchange occurs in the stem: braukt pirkt nakt sakt beigt sniegt likt lugt braucis pircis nacis sacis beidzis sniedzis licis -> ludzis braukusi pirkusi nakusi sakusi beigusi sniegusi likusi lugusi braukusi pirkusi nakusi sakusi beigusi sniegusi likusi lugusi braukusas pirkusas nakusas sakusas beigusas sniegusas likusas lugusas runajusi varejusi lasljusi runajusi varejusi lasljusi runajusas varejusas lasljusas (m. p i . ) ( f. pl.)
Reflexive verbs The ref lexive verbs are not as readily classif iable as nonreflexive verbs. Endings are generally regular, but there are a vast number of verbs with variable stems that are irregular or regular only to some extent. For convenience we have arranged the ref lexive verbs into f our main groups (three regular and one irregular).
Regular reflexive verbs

mazgaties (to wash) es tu viijsjviâ mazgajos mazgajies mazgajas macities (to learn) macos macies macas veleties (to wish to want) velos velies velas
mes jus viî, vinas
mazgajamies mazgajaties mazgajas
macamies macaties macas
velamies velaties velas
r r r r . 2 g a t t e f e e n c e m m
Like mazgaties apstaties (to stop)darboties (to operate function)^ gatavoties (to get ready), gerbties (to get dressed), intereseties (to be interested)^ jokoties {to joke), kaveties (to be late or delayed), mazgaties (to wash oneself), pastaigaties (to strollgo f or a walk"), priecaties (to take joy in, be happy about, sarunaties (to chat), sauloties (to sunbathe), slepties (to hide). Like veleties: atcereties (to remember), peldeties (to swim)^ precedes (to marry)^ strideties (to quarrel), sudzeties (to complain), tureties (to hold or cling to). Like macities: baidities (to f ear), brinities (to wonder, to be amazed), izskatities (to look likeappear), klausities (to listen), kludities (to err)^ parakstities (to sign, paradlties (to appear), piedallties (to participate, skatlties (to watchto look), saubities (to doubt). Examples of the past tense and the f uture tense are given in Unit 13.
Irregular reflexive verbs

Once you know the stem, these are quite straightf orward because the endings are the same as f or the regular ref lexive verbs. Take note of the stem, as it is sometimes quite dif f erent to the inf initive. apsesties atpusties atrasties celties doties griezties gerbties iepazities iepirkties justies mosties parsesties satikties smieties to sit down to rest to be situated / located (also ierasties - to arrive) to get up to make one's way, to go to turn (also atgriezties to return) to to to to to to to to dress get acquainted shop f eel wake change (means o f meet laugh es apsezos es atpusos es atrodos (ierodos) es celos es dodos es griezos (atgriezos) es gerojos es iepazistos es ieperkos es jutos es mostos es parsezos es satiekos es smejos
transport)
steigties skirties tikties uztraukties beigties
to hurry to partto divorce to meet to worry (also ievakties to move i n) to end
sakties
to begi n
es steidzos es sîros es tiekos es uztraucos (ievacos) third person beidzas (f irst person rarely used) third person sakas (first person rarely used)
l l l l l l r r 2 g 3 n f
r r e f e e n c e
Conditional moods
As f or the non-ref lexive verbs, there is one standard way of forming the conditional, which holds f or all verbsregular and irregular. You just remove the -ies ending from the infinitive and add a new ending -os. For example, mazgaties becomes mazgatos, veleties veletos and klausities klausitos.
Perfect tenses
These are beyond the scope of tnis bookbut among the ones we have already seen you may have noticed that they too have different endings f or gender and number: -(j)ies (m. sing.), -(j)usies (f . sing.), -(j)usies (m. pl.), -(j)usas (f . pl.) As a general rule, if you know one formthen you can work out the other f orms.
Question words
Kas? Ko?
Kas tas ir? Kasnma? Kotu gribi? Ko jus veletos? Ko mes pirksim? KamaSina? Ka jums iet? Ka jus zinajat? Kam tu devi davanu? Kam zvana? Kur ir Latvija? Kur man jakapj ara? Kad bus pavasaris? Kad notiks konference? Cikos sakas? Cikos beidzas?
What's that? Who's speaking? What do you want? What would you like? What are we going to buy? Whosecar? How are you? How did you know? To whom did you give a present? Who is he calling? Where's LaMa? Where do 1 get off? When will it be spring? When's the conference? At what time does it begin? At what time does it finish? From what time until what time?
( Q
s
3
tt |
3
Ka?
Kam? Kur? Kad? Cikos? No cikiem lidz cikiem? Ok? Ok maksa? Cik ilgi?
Cik jums ir naudas? Cik viîam gadu?
Hew much money hsê you got? Howokiishe?
Cik maksa davoklis Riiga? Hctw much is a flat in Riga? Cik Hgi jus busit projam? How long will you be away? How long must one wait? Okilgijagaicla? What's the time? Cik pr] puikstenis? Kurirpedejais? Kura ir mana vieta? Kuriirjusubemi? Kuras ir manas somas?
Whoislast? Which is my place? Which are your children? Which are my bags?
Kurs? Kura? Kuri? Kuras?
Kads? Kada? Kadi?Kade^?
Kads laiks Sodien? What's the weather like today? Kada cepure man piestav?What type of hat suits me? Kadiaug|iirgarigi? What sort of fruits are tasty? Kadas gramatas jus lasat? What kind of books do you read? Vai jus esat arzemnieks? Vaitasirjusutevs? Vaiisir mQsu galdii^? Vai jums pafik muzika? Vai jums ir gimene? Kapec vina raud?
Are you a foreigner? Is that your father? Is this our table? Do you like music? Do you have a family? Why is she crying?
Vai?
Kapec?
Congratulations! You have now completed the f irst stage of learning Latvian. There are many ways in which you can consolidate your knowledge. Perhaps the best of all is practising your skills in conversation with Latvians and Latvian speakers. Revision of the material studied so f ar will also enhance your Latvian language; try to listen to the recordings as of ten as possible, and see if you can modif y the dialogues so that you are actually talking about yourself and about things relevant to you. If you haven't got one already, it may be an idea to obtain a good dictionary. There is a range of dictionaries published in Latvia by publishers such as Avots^ Jumava^ Zvaigzne ABC and others. You may wish to take your language studies further and study Latvian in a more f ormal way. The f ollowing are usef ul sources and textbooks: Prof. Jazeps Lelis Basic Latvian (Web edition) Prof. A. Veisbergs, A. Salme DialogsDo it in Latvian If you are a linguist and are seeking a more technical or academic approach, you may be interested in: Prof. T. Fennell and H. Gelsens Terje Mathiessen A Grammar f o Modern Latvian A Short Grammar f o Latvian
For general inf ormation and to f ind out more about Latvian culture there are many websites now accessible. Some you may wish to try are:
Lavijas lnsti tuts (the Latvian Institute) Latvian f olk tales Latvian dai nas Diena Neatkariga Ri ta Avize Latvian National Radio Radio SWH
r r )2tfi)kin(Qitf u t h e
www.li.lv www.ailab.lv/pasakas www.dainuskapis.lv www.diena.lv www.nra.lv www.radio.org.lv www.radioswh.lv
There are on-line newspapers as well:
You can even listen to Latvian radio via the internet:
For inf ormation about tourism you could contact the various state tourism agencies. The Balti c Gui de (Latvia in English) comes out once a month and is a lively newspaper with topical articles as well as a section f or general tourist tips. Ri ga i n Your Pocket is another interesting and inf ormative publication that exists in printed f orm, but is also accessible via the internet. Many websites provide tourism inf ormation. The of f icial Latvia tourism portal is at http://latviatourism.lv Other sites include: Riga city transport Latvian railways Riga coach station Latvian State Forests Riga Convention Bureau www.rigassatiksme.lv http://sirius.ldz.lv http://www.autoosta.lv http://www.lvm.lv www.inspirationriga.com
There are also various regional tourism municipal websites, f or example the cities of Liepaja, Ventspils, Daugavpils and others have usef ul websites. Riga Airport is rapidly developing into a major regional transport hub, and the national carrier airBaltic now f lies to a large number f o destinations. Their website is www.airDaltic.com. I hope that you have enjoyed getting to know about Latvia and the Latvian language. If you should have any suggestions or comments about this course please do not hesitate to let me know. You can contact me through the publishers at: Teach Yourself Books, Hodder Education, 338 Euston Road, London
N W 1 3BHUK.
Visu labul Tereze Svilane Bartholomew
teach yourself
tatvian
tereze svilane bartholomew
Do you want to cover the basics then progress fast? Do you want to communicate in a range of situations? Do you want to learn Latvian in depth? Latvian starts with the basics but moves at an energetic pace to give you a good level of understanding, speaking and writing. You will have lots of opportunity to practice the kind of language you will need to be able to communicate with confidence and understand the culture of speakers of Latvian. Tereze Svilane Bartholomew is an experienced tutor of Latvian to adult learners. Visit mhprofessional.com to see our complete range of books. Cover les polders/Alamy Art nouveau fagade, Riga, Latvia
the original self-improvement series, covering over 500 subjects

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teachT yourself

do you speak Latvian?

we live not far from the station

at what time did he ring?

par naudu nevar nopirkt vesefibu

money can't buy health

286 294 318 328

General remarks about the Latvian language

How to use this book

Symbols and abbreviations

The alphabet and pronunciation guide

present, as in She gave me a present and I will present you to my

Q Listen and practise

Latvian letter a a long b c c d

English equivalent sound like u, in cup as in aaagh

as ts' in rats like 'ch'

bet cat air fan

no, week to take, eight egg, tree / wood waiter

'n' + y , like in new 1)round, as

2) open, like awe P r s rolled, like the Scots Y

zale, ziema grass / hall, winter iurnals, bagaza magazine, luggage

dzemperis, dzungji jumper,

Q Listen and practise

au like ow ei ie ui like ay like 'ea'

sun, money daughter, shop

street, day, one

like 00followed by 'ee'

Watch those word endings!

England eight luggage ticket

car newspaper child

darzs (m.) divritenis (m.) pase (f-) skapis (m.)

garden bicycle passport cupboard

vii kiploks VUl puJ

gramata kugis kresls

David brings her a glass of juice.

*See the note about word endings on p. 4.

Word endings tell us about their function

Karlis turns to John.

mes jus vi^i viijas

Tu and jus9 the two forms of you

Doing something: using verbs or action words

Not doing something - negating the verb

And Mara is English?

Nouns that exist only in the plural

Kas tas ir?

Kas jus esat?

Who (or what) are you?

Who (what) is John? John is English. John is a man. John is a doctor.

John is British (literally: a British person).

Female latviete angliete amerikaniete kanadiete iriete skotiete velsiete

latvietis anglis amerikanis kanadietis Irs skots velsietis brits australietis

Write the Latvian for the following:

Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona Karlis Fiona

Latvian and Latvian

(Latvians speak Latvian, English people speak English).

Kur Where? the locative case

A little about place names

Eiropas Karte A map of Europe

h baseins i kafejnica j garaza k stadions 1 bars m[ k r o g s n gulta

swimming pool cafe garage stadium bar pub bed

(those, m. and f.)

i these children iii those eggs ii those shops iv those flowers 6

v these bags vi these photographs