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CLASS 5 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE

Simple possessive expressions and everyday words in Latvian

How it works

In Latvian, possessive forms such as ‹mans›, ‹mana›, ‹mani›, ‹manas› as well as ‹tavs›, ‹tava›, ‹tavi›, ‹tavas› are used to express possession or belonging. These forms agree with the gender and number of the noun they refer to: ‹mans zīmulis›, ‹mana grāmata›, ‹mani zīmuļi›, ‹manas grāmatas›. In addition, there are common invariable forms such as ‹mūsu› and ‹jūsu› as well as genitive forms such as ‹viņa›, ‹viņas› and ‹viņu›, for example ‹viņa zīmulis›, ‹viņas soma› and ‹viņu grāmatas›. Everyday words such as ‹soma›, ‹grāmata›, ‹zīmulis› and ‹skola› are common nouns in simple sentences.

Note
The possessive pronoun often agrees with the gender and number of the noun: ‹mans› for masculine singular, ‹mana› for feminine singular, ‹mani› for masculine plural, ‹manas› for feminine plural; correspondingly also ‹tavs›, ‹tava›, ‹tavi›, ‹tavas›. Example: ‹mans zīmulis›, ‹mana soma›. ‹mūsu› and ‹jūsu› remain invariable; for “his/her” the genitive forms ‹viņa›, ‹viņas› and ‹viņu› are often used, for example ‹viņa zīmulis›, ‹viņas soma›, ‹viņu grāmatas›.

An example

How do you say in Latvian: “my book”? Choose the correct form: ‹mana grāmata›, ‹mans grāmata›, ‹mani grāmata› or ‹manas grāmata›.

The correct form is ‹mana grāmata›, because ‹grāmata› is feminine and stands in the singular; therefore the form ‹mana› fits.

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Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: Latvian. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.