How to Use Latvian Adjectives: Agreement with Nouns Explained

Understanding Latvian Adjectives and Their Role

In Latvian, adjectives describe nouns by providing more information about their qualities, such as color, size, or other attributes. Unlike English, Latvian adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case. This means the ending of the adjective changes depending on the noun it describes.

Gender Agreement: Masculine and Feminine Forms

Latvian nouns are either masculine or feminine, and adjectives must match the gender of the noun. For example, the adjective for "red" is sarkans in masculine form and sarkana in feminine form.

If you want to say "red car" and "red house," you need to know the gender of the nouns. "Car" (auto) is masculine, so you say sarkans auto. "House" (māja) is feminine, so you say sarkana māja.

Number Agreement: Singular and Plural Forms

Adjectives also change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural. For example, the plural form of sarkans (masculine singular) is sarkani, and the plural form of sarkana (feminine singular) is sarkanas.

Case Agreement: Latvian Cases Affect Adjective Endings

Latvian has seven grammatical cases, and adjectives must change their endings to match the case of the noun they modify. For example, in the nominative case (used for the subject of a sentence), the masculine singular adjective ending is usually -s, but in the accusative case (used for the direct object), it changes to -u.

Summary: Key Points for Adjective-Noun Agreement in Latvian

• Adjectives agree with nouns in gender (masculine/feminine).
• Adjectives agree in number (singular/plural).
• Adjectives change endings according to the noun's grammatical case.
• Learning noun genders and cases is essential for correct adjective usage.
• Practice with common adjectives and nouns to master agreement rules.