Module 02 · The noun · Lietvārds · Level A2
The Vocative Case (Vokatīvs)
Vokatīvs
When addressing someone by name or title, Latvians often drop the ending. That's the vocative — the seventh case, and the simplest one.
| Decl. | Nominatīvs | Vokatīvs | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (-s) | Andrejs, kungs, skolotājs | Andrej! kungs! skolotāj! | for names and titles of people, -s is dropped |
| 2 (-is) | Jānis, brālis, Pēteris | Jāni! brāli! Pēteri! | -is → -i |
| 4 (-a) | Anna, māsa, māmiņa | Anna! māsa! māmiņ! | unchanged, or -a is dropped in diminutives |
| 5 (-e) | Ilze, meitene | Ilze! meiten! | unchanged / -e drops in diminutives |
| 6 (-s) | sirds | sirds! | unchanged |
In practice: for masculine names ending in -is, change it to -i (Jāni, Kārli, Mārtiņ! — for names in -iņš the ending simply drops: Mārtiņ!); feminine names stay unchanged; diminutives drop their final vowel (māmiņ, meitiņ, dēliņ).
Formal address
- Godātais kungs! — Dear Sir! (kungs unchanged)
- Cienījamā kundze! — Dear Madam!
- Skolotāj! — Teacher! (from skolotājs, the -s drops)
- Draugi! — Friends! (in the plural, the vocative equals the nominative)
In use
Jāni, nāc šurp! (Jānis, come here!) · Anna, kur tu esi? (Anna, where are you?) · Mīļo māmiņ! (Dear mommy!) · Paldies, skolotāj! (Thanks, teacher!)
Exercise
Address these directly: Kārlis, Pēteris, Liene, tētiņš, Mārtiņš.
Answers
Kārli! · Pēteri! · Liene! · tētiņ! · Mārtiņ!Open the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 02