Module 03 · Cases · Locījumi · Level A1
Genitive (kā?) — the case of belonging
Ģenitīvs
The most "hard-working" case after the nominative. Three main functions: whose (tēva māja), what is missing (nav laika), after prepositions (no Rīgas, pie draugа, bez cukura).
Endings
| Decl. | Word (Nom.) | Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | galds | -a | -u | galda / galdu |
| 2 | brālis | -a + softening | -u + softening | brāļa / brāļu |
| 3 | tirgus | -us | -u | tirgus / tirgu |
| 4 | māja | -as | -u | mājas / māju |
| 5 | upe | -es | -u + softening | upes / upju |
| 6 | sirds | -s | -u + softening | sirds / siržu |
The plural genitive is always -u. This is the most reliable ending in the language.
Five situations that need the genitive
- Possession — the modified word comes after: māsas grāmata (sister's book), Latvijas karogs (Latvia's flag), kafijas tase (a cup of coffee).
- Negating existence: Man nav laika (I have no time). Šodien nav lietus (There's no rain today). Nav problēmu (No problem).
- Quantity: daudz cilvēku (many people), maz naudas (little money), glāze ūdens (a glass of water), kilograms ābolu (a kilo of apples); numbers from 11 up: desmit gadu (ten years), divdesmit eiro (twenty euros).
- Prepositions taking the genitive (in the singular): no, pie, bez, pēc, pirms, aiz, zem, virs, pretī, blakus, dēļ, kopš, uz (meaning "on top of"): uz galda — on the table.
- Compound words — the first root is in the genitive: dzimšanas diena (birthday), valsts valoda (state language), darba diena (working day).
The genitive after negation — only with nav
With other verbs the object stays in the accusative: Es neredzu māju (I don't see the house) — not mājas. The genitive is required specifically with nav / nebija / nebūs (there isn't / wasn't / won't be): Mājās nav maizes (There's no bread at home).
In speech
- Tā ir mana brāļa mašīna. — That's my brother's car.
- Man nav naudas. — I have no money.
- Es esmu no Ukrainas, dzīvoju netālu no centra. — I'm from Ukraine, I live near the center.
- Pēc darba eju uz sporta zāli. — After work I go to the gym. — sporta is a genitive used as a modifier ("sports hall" — compare English "a day's work" as the nearest feel for a genitive-as-modifier).
Exercise
Put into the genitive: 1) (draugs) māja · 2) glāze (piens) · 3) nav (laiks) · 4) no (Rīga) · 5) daudz (cilvēks, plural)
Answers
1) drauga · 2) piena · 3) laika · 4) Rīgas · 5) cilvēkuOpen the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 03