Place, time, reason and condition in Latvian: basics and application
How it works
In this unit, you will learn how to express location (where? ‹kur?›), time (when? ‹kad?›), reason (why? ‹kāpēc?›) and condition (under what requirement? ‹ja...›) in Latvian. Location phrases can be formed with prepositions such as ‹pie›, ‹uz›, ‹zem› or ‹aiz›, as well as with fixed forms such as ‹mājās›. Time phrases use words such as ‹rīt›, ‹tagad›, ‹vakar› or combinations with ‹pirms› and ‹pēc›. Reasons are often introduced by ‹jo› or ‹tāpēc ka›. Conditions are usually expressed with ‹ja›. The appropriate form after prepositions and a clear sentence meaning are important so that place, time, reason and condition become unambiguous.
In Latvian, expressions of place often use prepositions, for example ‹pie skolas›, ‹uz galda›, ‹zem gultas› or ‹aiz skapja›, or fixed locative forms such as ‹mājās›. Expressions of time can be single words, for example ‹rīt› or ‹tagad›, or combinations with ‹pirms›/‹pēc›, e.g. ‹pirms stundas›, ‹pēc skolas› and ‹pēc pusdienām›. Reasons are given with ‹jo› or ‹tāpēc ka›. Conditions usually begin with ‹ja›; in that case, a verb often appears in the indicative, e.g. ‹Ja līs, mēs paliksim mājās.›
An example
Choose the correct expression of place: I am at home. = ‹Es esmu ___.›
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.