viss / visi / katrs

All and Each

Level 2

Viss = everything, the whole. Visi = everyone, all. Katrs = each, every: Viss ir labi (Everything is fine), Visi ir šeit (Everyone is here), katru dienu (every day).

How It Works

1. Viss and visa: the whole, everything. In the singular, viss (masculine) and visa (feminine) mean the whole of something: viss piens (all the milk), visa ģimene (the whole family). On its own, viss means everything: Viss ir labi (Everything is fine), Paldies par visu! (Thanks for everything!).

2. Visi and visas: all, everyone. In the plural, visi (masculine or mixed) and visas (only women or feminine nouns) mean all: visi studenti (all the students), visas meitenes (all the girls). On its own, visi means everyone: Visi ir šeit (Everyone is here), Sveiki visiem! (Hello, everyone!).

3. Katrs and katra: each, every. Katrs (masculine) and katra (feminine) go with a singular noun: katrs cilvēks (every person), katra diena (every day). A noun that has only a plural form takes the plural: katras durvis (every door). On its own, katrs means everyone, one by one: Katrs zina (Everyone knows).

4. They change for case. These words take the same case as their noun (see adjective agreement):

  • accusative: visu dienu (all day), katru dienu (every day), visus draugus (all the friends)
  • dative: visiem (to everyone), katram bērnam (to each child)
  • locative: katrā pilsētā (in every town), visā pasaulē (in the whole world)

5. Time phrases. Visu dienu (all day) and katru rītu (every morning) use the accusative of time.

Opposites: viss ↔ nekas (nothing), visi ↔ neviens (nobody). See negative words.

Examples (6)

  1. Viss ir labi.

    Everything is fine.

  2. Visi ir šeit.

    Everyone is here.

  3. Visa ģimene ir mājās.

    The whole family is at home.

    Visa agrees with the feminine noun ģimene and means the whole.

  4. Sveiki visiem!

    Hello, everyone!

    Visiem is the dative plural of visi.

  5. Es katru dienu eju uz darbu.

    I go to work every day.

    Katru dienu is in the accusative because it tells how often.

  6. Katram bērnam ir sava istaba.

    Each child has their own room.

    Katram bērnam is dative, because Latvian says man ir (to me is) for having something.

Common Mistakes

  • Using viss when you mean everyone.

    Viss ir šeit.
    Visi ir šeit.

    Viss ir šeit means Everything is here. For people, use the plural visi (or visas for women only).

  • Putting katrs with a plural noun.

    Katri studenti saņem grāmatu.
    Katrs students saņem grāmatu.

    Katrs means each one, so it goes with a singular noun: katrs students, katra diena. Only nouns with no singular, such as durvis, take the plural: katras durvis.

  • Forgetting feminine agreement.

    Visi meitenes dzied.
    Visas meitenes dzied.

    Meitenes is feminine plural, so all must be visas.

How It Connects

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

viss / visi / katrsLevel 2All and Each

Learn This First

Viss and katrs agree like adjectives and appear in time phrases.

Words in This Pattern

visivisavisaskatrakatraskatru