The easiest way to learn Latvian is to read and listen to short, easy Latvian about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Latvian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input, and it keeps showing you the most common words and endings, so you can leave case tables and long word lists for later. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Latvian to start with.
Is Latvian Easy to Learn?
Latvian is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. You can sound out your first words on day one, while the words and the seven cases take much longer, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Latvian in the third of its four groups for English speakers. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- Letters You Already KnowLatvian has 33 letters, and all but 11 of them, such as ā and š, are letters English uses too.
- Words You Already KnowMany Latvian words look like English ones, such as telefons (phone) and muzejs (museum).
- No Words for A or TheLatvian has no words for “a” or “the,” so kaķis can mean a cat or the cat.
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is with greetings and other short Latvian you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Start With GreetingsBegin with lines you can use right away, like labdien (good day) and paldies (thank you).
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, along with the line you found each one in.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Vienu kafiju, lūdzu (One coffee, please) before a trip to a cafe in Rīga.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Latvian at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Latvian.
What Makes Latvian Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Latvian feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Latvian.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Nouns that change their endings | Easy lines repeat the most common endings many times, as in Es dzeru tēju (I'm drinking tea), so they feel familiar before you see a table. Open a grammar note only when one confuses you. |
| Long vowels | A line over a vowel makes it long, and that can change the word: kazas means goats, and kāzas means a wedding. Play the audio and listen for the longer sound. |
| Letters with a comma, like ļ and ņ | A comma under a letter makes it a soft sound, as in ļoti (very). Play the audio and say the word out loud a few times. |
| Masculine and feminine words | Latvian has just two genders, and the ending often tells you which one a word has: suns (dog) is masculine, and grāmata (book) is feminine. |
What Is Easy Latvian to Start With?
Easy Latvian to start with is short and made for learners, with audio, text or questions to help you follow it.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Duostories | Short stories about everyday moments, such as a date or a trip to the station, come with audio and questions. | duostories.org |
| Laipa A1 lessons | The Latvian Language Agency's free interactive lessons are made for A1, the first level. | maciunmacies.valoda.lv |
| Palīgā! | Short films of simple dialogues were made for learning Latvian, and they suit you once you know some words. | youtube.com |
| Ziņas vieglajā valodā | Latvian Radio reads about five minutes of news in short, simple sentences each evening, and LSM posts the text beside the audio. | latvijasradio.lsm.lv |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Latvian pronunciation hard?
Most of it is easy to read, because Latvian spells words the way they sound and puts the stress on the first syllable of almost every word. Once you know the letters, you can read a new word out loud. Standard Latvian also has three tones on long sounds, and some dialects use only two, so let the audio teach them to you as you go.
Can I learn Latvian just by watching Latvian shows?
Not at the start, because most of an episode goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. The children's section of LSM Replay has cartoons dubbed into Latvian, such as Bluey, which are an easier place to begin. Once you can follow a simple conversation, Language Player shows Latvian subtitles beside the ones in your own language.
Which Latvian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Latvian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Latvian apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia: Latvian orthography (33 letters, 22 without marks and 11 with them; a comma below a letter marks a soft sound)
- Wikipedia: Latvian grammar (two genders, seven cases, no articles)
- Wikipedia: Latvian phonology (stress on the first syllable; three tones in standard Latvian and two in some dialects)
- Wiktionary: kāzas (a wedding)
- Wiktionary: kaza (a goat), plural kazas
- Latvian Language Agency: Māci un mācies latviešu valodu (free interactive Laipa A1 lessons)
- Latvijas Radio: Ziņas vieglajā valodā (about five minutes of news in easy Latvian each evening)
