Adjective agreement

A1 — Īpašības vārdi

Adjective-noun agreement in gender/number/case

I can use adjective-noun agreement in gender/number/case.

Examples

Liels galds stāv istabā. — A big table stands in the room.

AdjectivesA1

Adjective agreement

Adjective-noun agreement in gender/number/case

Learning Goal

I can use adjective-noun agreement in gender/number/case.

Exam Skills:VISC A1

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Liels galds stāv istabā.

A big table stands in the room.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

A Latvian adjective agrees with its noun in gender, number and case. English adjectives keep one form ("a big table", "big houses"); Latvian adjectives take endings that echo the noun's.

Nominative

	Masculine	Feminine
singular	liels galds - a big table	liela māja - a big house
plural	lieli galdi - big tables	lielas mājas - big houses

The adjective endings look like the noun endings of the first (masculine) and fourth (feminine) declensions, whatever the noun's own declension is: liels brālis (a big brother), laba māte (a good mother), skaista pils (a beautiful castle).

Other cases

Case	Masculine singular	Feminine singular
nominative	liels galds	liela māja
genitive	liela galda	lielas mājas
dative	lielam galdam	lielai mājai
accusative	lielu galdu	lielu māju
locative	lielā galdā	lielā mājā

So: Es dzīvoju lielā mājā - I live in a big house. Es pērku jaunu velosipēdu - I'm buying a new bike.

Position

The adjective normally comes before the noun, as in English: sarkana kleita (a red dress). After ir it still agrees: Kafija ir karsta (The coffee is hot), Laiks ir silts (The weather is warm).

For English speakers

The typical slip is to learn one form of each adjective (often the masculine) and use it everywhere: *liels māja. Look at the noun's ending and match it. The good news is that adjectives have just two gender patterns, so once you know liels / liela, every adjective follows: jauns / jauna (new), vecs / veca (old), garšīgs / garšīga (tasty), as in garšīga rupjmaize, tasty dark rye bread.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Learners use one form of the adjective for every noun (*liels māja). Match the noun: liels galds, liela māja, lieli galdi, lielas mājas, and in other cases too: lielā mājā.

Liels galds stāv istabā.

A big table stands in the room.

Liels agrees with galds (masculine, nominative): the ending -s.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Adjective agreement?: A Latvian adjective agrees with its noun in gender, number and case . English adjectives keep one form ("a big table", "big houses"); Latvian adjectives take endings that echo the noun's.
How do you form Adjective agreement?: The adjective endings look like the noun endings of the first (masculine) and fourth (feminine) declensions, whatever the noun's own declension is: liels brālis (a big brother), laba māte (a good mother), skaista pils (a beautiful castle). So: Es dzīvoju lielā mājā - I live in a big house. Es pērku jaunu velosipēdu - I'm buying a new bike. The adjective normally comes before the noun, as in English: sarkana kleita (a red dress). After ir it still agrees: Kafija ir karsta (The coffee is hot), Laiks ir silts (The weather is warm). The typical slip is to learn one form of each adjective (often the masculine) and use it everywhere: *liels māja . Look at the noun's ending and match it.
What are common mistakes with Adjective agreement?: Learners use one form of the adjective for every noun (*liels māja). Match the noun: liels galds, liela māja, lieli galdi, lielas mājas, and in other cases too: lielā mājā.

Masculine

Feminine

singular

liels galds - a big table

liela māja - a big house

plural

lieli galdi - big tables

lielas mājas - big houses

Case

Masculine singular

Feminine singular

nominative

liels galds

liela māja

genitive

liela galda

lielas mājas

dative

lielam galdam

lielai mājai

accusative

lielu galdu

lielu māju

locative

lielā galdā

lielā mājā

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Adjective agreement?

A Latvian adjective agrees with its noun in gender, number and case . English adjectives keep one form ("a big table", "big houses"); Latvian adjectives take endings that echo the noun's.

How do you form Adjective agreement?

The adjective endings look like the noun endings of the first (masculine) and fourth (feminine) declensions, whatever the noun's own declension is: liels brālis (a big brother), laba māte (a good mother), skaista pils (a beautiful castle). So: Es dzīvoju lielā mājā - I live in a big house. Es pērku jaunu velosipēdu - I'm buying a new bike. The adjective normally comes before the noun, as in English: sarkana kleita (a red dress). After ir it still agrees: Kafija ir karsta (The coffee is hot), Laiks ir silts (The weather is warm). The typical slip is to learn one form of each adjective (often the masculine) and use it everywhere: *liels māja . Look at the noun's ending and match it.

What are common mistakes with Adjective agreement?

Learners use one form of the adjective for every noun (*liels māja). Match the noun: liels galds, liela māja, lieli galdi, lielas mājas, and in other cases too: lielā mājā.