Module 01 · Sounds and spelling · Skaņas un rakstība · Level A1
Vowel Length Changes Meaning
Skaņu garums un nozīme
In Latvian, vowel length distinguishes meaning the way, say, minimal-pair sounds distinguish words in English (ship / sheep). So the garumzīme is not decoration — it's part of the letter.
Minimal pairs
| Short | Meaning | Long | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| kazas | goats | kāzas | wedding |
| mana | my | māna | deceives |
| tevi | you | tēvi | fathers |
| pile | drop | pīle | duck |
| kuru | which (one) | kūru | I was heating (a stove) |
| sals | frost | sāls | salt |
Length in grammar
The same little mark often distinguishes a case or a tense:
| Form | What it is |
|---|---|
| es runāju | I speak (present) · I spoke (past) — identical form |
| mēs runājam / runājām | we speak / we spoke |
| māja / mājā | house / in the house (locative) |
| skola / skolā | school / at school |
| pilsētas / pilsētās | cities (plural) / in the cities |
The singular locative often ends in a long vowel: Rīgā, mājā, skolā. This is not universal: plural forms include galdos, mājās, ielās, ending in -s.
Zāle means “hall” or “grass”; “medicine” is normally the plural zāles. The spelling zale is incorrect for these meanings.
Long consonants
Latvian has long consonants. In mamma, panna, vanna, doubled letters correspond to a longer consonant sound. “Comma” in Latvian is komats.
Exercise
Translate, paying attention to vowel length: 1) Es dzīvoju Rīgā. 2) Rīga ir skaista. 3) Mēs strādājām vakar. 4) Mēs strādājam šodien.
Answers
1) I live in Riga (locative -ā). 2) Riga is beautiful (nominative -a). 3) We worked yesterday (past -ām). 4) We work today (present -am).Open the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 01