Adverbs in -i

Adverbs Ending in -i

Level 1

Adjective → adverb: labs → labi, ātrs → ātri, silts → silti. Viņa labi runā latviski. (She speaks Latvian well.)

How It Works

Making the adverb. Replace the adjective ending with -i:

  • labs (good) → labi (well)
  • slikts (bad) → slikti (badly)
  • ātrs (fast) → ātri (quickly)
  • skaists (beautiful) → skaisti (beautifully)
  • silts (warm) → silti (warmly, warm)

This works for almost any adjective, including long and borrowed ones: aktīvs → aktīvi (actively).

How something is done. An adjective describes a noun, and an adverb describes a verb: Viņš ir labs šoferis (He is a good driver), but Viņš labi brauc (He drives well). The adverb has one form for everybody: Viņa runā labi. Viņi runā labi.

Weather and situations. When there is no noun to agree with, Latvian uses the -i form: Šodien ir silti. (It is warm today.) Tas ir forši! (That's great!) Runāt latviski ir grūti. (Speaking Latvian is hard.) Feeling cold or hot uses the same form with a dative person: see feeling cold or hot.

On its own. Labi is also the everyday "OK" or "fine": Labi, paldies! (Fine, thanks!)

Other shapes. A few adverbs have other endings or two forms: tālu (far), and lēnām beside lēni (slowly). See adverbs in -ām. Adjectives in -isks give language words such as latviski. Comparing adverbs end in -āk (ātrāk, faster): see comparing with -āks.

Examples (6)

  1. Viņa labi runā latviski.

    She speaks Latvian well.

    Word by Word: She well speaks Latvian-ly.

  2. Tu brauc ļoti ātri!

    You drive very fast!

    Word by Word: You drive very fast!

  3. Šodien ir silti.

    It is warm today.

    Word by Word: Today is warm.

    There is no noun here, so the -i form describes the weather.

  4. Tas ir forši!

    That's great!

    Word by Word: That is cool!

    Forši comes from foršs (cool) and is casual.

  5. Labi, paldies!

    Fine, thanks!

    Word by Word: Well, thanks!

  6. Es runāju lēni.

    I speak slowly.

    Word by Word: I speak slowly.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the adjective to describe a verb.

    Viņa runā labs.
    Viņa runā labi.

    Labs describes a noun. To say how she speaks, use the adverb labi.

  • Using the adjective for a whole situation.

    Runāt latviski ir grūts.
    Runāt latviski ir grūti.

    The subject here is an action, not a noun, so there is nothing for grūts to agree with. Latvian uses the -i form: grūti.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Adverbs in -iLevel 1Adverbs Ending in -i

Learn This First

Adverbs in -i are made from adjectives.

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Patterns that build on this one.