Latvian Gender

Welcome to the fifth Latvian lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Latvian to help you practice your daily phrases.

man vīrietis

woman sieviete

husband vīrs

wife sieva

boy zēns

girl meitene

father tēvs

mother māte

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Latvian
my son is a student [masculine + noun] mans dēls ir students
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] viņas meita ir studente
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] viņam ir garš brālis
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] viņai ir gara māsa
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] viņa brāļi ir jauni
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] viņa māsas ir jaunas

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son dēls

daughter meita

brother brālis

sister māsa

grandfather vectēvs

grandmother vecmāmiņa

child bērns

children bērni

Expressions in Latvian

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Latvian, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Latvian
What do you mean? ko jūs ar to domājat?
I don't understand es nesaprotu
I don't know es nezinu
What is that called in Latvian? kā tas ir latviski?
What is this? kas tas ir?
What does that word mean in English? ko šis vārds nozīmē angliski?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) atvainojiet

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