Module 09 · Moods and participles · Izteiksmes un divdabji · Level B1

Participles and Adverbial Participles

Divdabji

Latvian has five types of participles. For everyday speech, three matter: the adverbial participle in -ot, the active past participle in -is/-usi (which also forms compound tenses), and the passive participle in -ts. The other two are mainly for reading.

1. Adverbial participle -ot / -oties (nelokāmais divdabis)

Does not decline. Expresses a simultaneous action: "while doing." Present-tense stem (the mēs form minus its ending) + -ot: runājam → runājot, lasām → lasot, ejam → ejot, braucam → braucot; reflexive -oties: mācoties, skatoties, smejoties.

Ejot uz darbu, es klausos mūziku. — While walking to work, I listen to music. Runājot par to… — speaking of that. Nepamanot — without noticing.

With a different subject: Saulei lecot, mēs cēlāmies ("as the sun was rising") — dative + -ot.

2. Partly declinable -dams / -dama (daļēji lokāmais)

Also means "while doing," but agrees with the subject in gender and number: Viņš gāja smaidīdams. (He walked, smiling.) Viņa gāja smaidīdama. (She walked, smiling.) Bērni skrēja smiedamies. (The children ran, laughing.) Infinitive stem + -dams/-dama/-dami/-damas, reflexive -damies. Used less often than -ot, mostly in written language.

3. Active present participle -ošs (lokāmais)

"The one doing." Present-tense stem + -ošs / -oša: runājošs (speaking), lasošs (reading), smaidošs (smiling), strādājošs (working), dzīvojošs (living). Declines like an adjective: smaidoša meitene (a smiling girl), runājošais papagailis (the talking parrot).

4. Active past participle -is / -usi

"The one who did": atnācis / atnākusi (having arrived), izlasījis / izlasījusi (having read), noguris / nogurusi (tired), pieradis (accustomed), pazudis (missing/lost). It forms compound tenses (esmu izlasījis — I have read) and works as an adjective: nogurušais cilvēks (the tired person), pazudušais suns (the lost dog).

5. Passive participle -ts / -ta

"Done, made": uzrakstīts, izlasīta, atvērtas — see the Passive Voice topic.

Summary table using lasīt

Exercise

Form: 1) strādāt → "while working" 2) smaidīt → "the one smiling (fem.)" 3) aiziet → "the one who left" 4) pārdot → "sold (masc.)"

Open the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 09