Personal pronouns and the forms of ‹būt› in Latvian (present tense)
How it works
In Latvian, personal pronouns (e.g. ‹es› – I, ‹tu› – you, ‹viņš› – he, ‹viņa› – she, ‹mēs› – we, ‹jūs› – you/pl., ‹viņi› – they (m.), ‹viņas› – they (f.)) are combined with the conjugated forms of the verb ‹būt› (to be). The verb ‹būt› is conjugated in the present tense as follows: ‹es esmu› (I am), ‹tu esi› (you are), ‹viņš/viņa ir› (he/she is), ‹mēs esam› (we are), ‹jūs esat› (you/pl. are), ‹viņi/viņas ir› (they are). The correct combination of pronoun and verb form is important for correct sentences. For example: ‹Es esmu skolēns› (I am a student).
The personal pronoun determines the form of ‹būt›. The ending of the verb adapts to the subject. For ‹es›: ‹esmu›, for ‹tu›: ‹esi›, for ‹viņš›/‹viņa›/‹viņi›/‹viņas›: ‹ir›, for ‹mēs›: ‹esam›, for ‹jūs›: ‹esat›.
An example
What is “We are students” in Latvian? Use ‹mēs› and the appropriate form of ‹būt›.
Try it yourself now
50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: Latvian. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.