tikpat ... kā / tāds pats kā

As ... as and the Same as

Level 3

Put tikpat before the quality and kā before what you compare with: tikpat garš kā tēvs (as tall as his father). For things that are exactly alike, use tāds pats ... kā: tāda pati soma kā tev (the same bag as yours).

How It Works

1. Tikpat ... kā: as ... as.

  • tikpat garš kā tēvs (as tall as his father)
  • tikpat labi kā es (as well as I do)
  • tikpat daudz kā vakar (as much as yesterday)

In a negative sentence, tik ... kā is common: Jelgava nav tik liela kā Rīga (Jelgava is not as big as Riga).

2. Tāds pats kā: the same as. Both words agree with the noun:

  • tāds pats telefons (masculine), tāda pati soma (feminine)
  • tādi paši zābaki, tādas pašas kurpes (plural)
  • as an object: Es nopirku tādu pašu kleitu kā māsa (I bought the same dress as my sister).

3. The case after kā. The thing after kā copies the case of the thing it matches. In Man ir tāda pati soma kā tev, man is dative, so tev is dative too. In Es nopirku ... kā māsa, es is the subject, so māsa stays in the nominative.

4. Tāds pats or tas pats? Tāds pats means alike in every way: Mums ir tāda pati mašīna kā jums (We have the same car as you, one just like it). To talk about one and the same thing, use tas pats (see pats and pati): Mēs dzīvojam tajā pašā mājā (We live in the same house).

5. Watch out: tikpat kā with nothing in between. When no quality stands between tikpat and kā, the phrase means practically or almost: Darbs ir tikpat kā pabeigts (The work is practically finished).

Examples (6)

  1. Viņš ir tikpat garš kā tēvs.

    He is as tall as his father.

  2. Man ir tāda pati soma kā tev.

    I have the same bag as you.

    Soma is feminine, so tāda pati. Tev is dative because it matches man.

  3. Mana māsa runā latviski tikpat labi kā es.

    My sister speaks Latvian as well as I do.

  4. Es nopirku tādu pašu kleitu kā māsa.

    I bought the same dress as my sister.

    Kleitu is an object, so tāds pats becomes the accusative tādu pašu.

  5. Jelgava nav tik liela kā Rīga.

    Jelgava is not as big as Riga.

  6. Darbs ir tikpat kā pabeigts.

    The work is practically finished.

    With nothing between tikpat and kā, the phrase means practically.

Common Mistakes

  • Using nekā after tikpat.

    Viņš ir tikpat garš nekā tēvs.
    Viņš ir tikpat garš kā tēvs.

    Nekā means than and goes with comparatives such as garāks. Equal comparisons use kā.

  • Putting the adjective in the comparative after tikpat.

    Viņš ir tikpat garāks kā tēvs.
    Viņš ir tikpat garš kā tēvs.

    Tikpat already says the qualities are equal, so the adjective stays in its plain form.

  • Not making tāds pats agree with the noun.

    Man ir tāds pats soma kā tev.
    Man ir tāda pati soma kā tev.

    Soma is feminine, so both words change: tāda pati.

How It Connects

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

tikpat ... kā / tāds pats kāLevel 3As ... as and the Same as

Learn This First

Equal comparison builds on comparatives and pats.

Words in This Pattern

tikpatkātādstādapatspati