Case forms of more frequent singular and plural nouns in Latvian
How it works
In Latvian, nouns in school contexts are usually treated in six case forms plus the vocative. For this topic, nominative (who/what), genitive (whose), dative (to whom), accusative (whom/what), and locative (where?) are especially important. The noun endings change depending on case and number (singular or plural). For example: ‹skola› (nominative singular), ‹skolas› (genitive singular or nominative plural), ‹skolā› (locative singular), ‹skolām› (dative plural). Constructions with ‹ar› can have an instrumental meaning, but in present-day Latvian they do not form a separate regular ending series as an independent case.
The case ending of a noun depends on its grammatical function in the sentence (subject, object, possession, place, etc.) and on whether it is singular or plural. The endings differ by declension, but common patterns can be recognized. Prepositions also influence the form: after ‹par›, the singular usually takes the accusative, for example in ‹par skolu›, but in the plural it takes the dative form, for example in ‹par skolām›. In constructions with ‹ar›, the plural also appears in the dative form.
An example
What is the genitive singular of ‹draugs› (friend)?
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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.