Latvian is a Baltic language, and its closest living relative is Lithuanian.
| Part | Easier for English Speakers | Takes Practice |
|---|---|---|
| “A” and “the” | You never choose between “a” and “the”, because Latvian uses neither. | A describing word shows the difference with its ending: vecu māju is an old house, and veco māju is the old house. |
| Borrowed words | Words from other languages are spelled the Latvian way, so viskijs is whisky and joga is yoga. | Foreign names get Latvian spelling and endings too, so Joaquin Phoenix becomes Hoakins Fīnikss. |
| Tenses | There are three simple tenses, past, present and future, much as in English. | A special verb form says what you must do, as in man jāiet (I have to go). |
For a study plan that changes as you go, read the fastest way to learn Latvian.
Latvian's endings arrive first, and its special verb forms come later.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Travel lines come first, like Vai šis ir vilciens uz Rīgu? (Is this the train to Riga?) in the lesson below.
- Level 2
I can read simple sentences.
Case endings start to show, so notice how the name of a city changes after uz (to).
- Level 3
I can read short stories and messages.
Stories describe people and places, so the a-or-the endings on describing words begin to matter.
- Level 4
I can read longer texts about everyday life.
Everyday texts talk about what people have to do, so the must form, like jāiet, comes up often.
- Level 5
I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.
Longer texts may use a verb form just for passing on what someone else said, a bit like adding “reportedly” in English.
- Level 6
I can read almost anything.
Novels and poetry are what's left.
Mārtiņš ir stacijā
Mārtiņš is at the station.
Hello! Is this the train to Riga?
Yes, to Riga.
Does it leave now?
No, it leaves soon. Have a good trip!
This lesson comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latvian lessons for each level.
For easy Latvian to start with, read the easiest way to learn Latvian.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Latvian. You learn from Latvian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Latvian about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Latvian books you own can't be turned into lessons. Copy a part of one into the chat, and Poppy explains it.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
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Is Latvian Like Lithuanian?
They're close relatives and the only two living Baltic languages with official status, but each has gone its own way over the centuries. To compare, read whether Lithuanian is hard to learn.
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
- Wikipedia: Latvian language (a Baltic language; Latvian and Lithuanian are the two living Baltic languages with official status, closely related but developed in different directions)
- Wikipedia: Latvian grammar (two genders and seven cases; no articles, with definiteness shown by adjective endings, vecu māju and veco māju; present, past and future; debitive mood for obligation; quotative mood for reported speech)
- Wikipedia: Latvian orthography (33 letters; q, w, x and y used only in foreign words; loanwords such as viskijs and joga spelled the Latvian way; foreign names given Latvian spelling and case endings, Hoakins Fīnikss)
- Wiktionary: jāiet (debitive of iet, to go); uz (to, with the accusative)
