Kā iet?

Asking How Someone Is

Level 1

Ask Kā iet? or Kā tev iet? (How is it going?). To be polite, ask Kā jums iet? or Kā jums klājas? Answer Labi, paldies!

How It Works

Informal and polite.

  • Kā iet? Short and friendly. You can add tev: Kā tev iet?
  • Kā jums iet? The same question with polite jums, or to several people.
  • Kā jums klājas? A little more formal, good with people you call jūs. Kā tev klājas? is also possible with a friend.

The person is in the dative. The question literally asks how does it go for you? So the person takes the dative: man, tev, viņam, viņai, mums, jums (see pronouns for to and for). The verb does not change: Kā tev iet?, Kā viņam iet?, Kā iet Annai? This is the same idea as man ir and man patīk.

Answers.

  • Labi, paldies! Fine, thanks!
  • Ļoti labi! or Lieliski! Very well! Great!
  • Normāli. or Tā nekas. OK. Not bad.
  • Man iet labi. I'm doing well. This full answer uses the dative man again.

Then ask back: Un tev? (And you?) or, politely, Un jums?

Nobody is walking. Iet usually means to go (see iet, dot and ēst), but in Kā iet? it is about how life is going. Kā tu ej? would ask how you walk.

Examples (6)

  1. Čau! Kā iet? — Labi, paldies. Un tev?

    Hi! How's it going? — Fine, thanks. And you?

    Word by Word: Hi! How goes? — Well, thanks. And to-you?

    The friendly everyday exchange.

  2. Sveika, Līga! Kā tev iet? — Ļoti labi!

    Hi, Līga! How are you? — Very well!

    Word by Word: Hello, Līga! How to-you goes? — Very well!

    Tev is the dative of tu: how does it go for you.

  3. Labdien! Kā jums klājas? — Paldies, labi. Un jums?

    Hello! How are you? — Fine, thank you. And you?

    Word by Word: Good-day! How to-you fares? — Thanks, well. And to-you?

    The polite version, with jums and klājas.

  4. Kā iet? — Tā nekas.

    How's it going? — Not bad.

    Word by Word: How goes? — So nothing.

    Tā nekas is a modest answer: things are all right.

  5. Kā iet Annai?

    How is Anna doing?

    Word by Word: How goes to-Anna?

    A name also takes the dative: Anna → Annai.

  6. Kā tev iet darbā?

    How are things at work?

    Word by Word: How to-you goes at-work?

    Add a place in the locative to ask about one part of life.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the subject form tu with iet.

    Kā tu iet?
    Kā tev iet?

    The person is in the dative, tev. Kā tu ej? would ask how you walk.

  • Using jūs instead of jums with klājas.

    Kā jūs klājas?
    Kā jums klājas?

    Klājas also needs the person in the dative: jums.

  • Answering with es esmu and an adverb, like English I am good.

    Es esmu labi.
    Man iet labi.

    Latvian does not say how you are with es esmu. Put the person in the dative instead: Man iet labi or Man ir labi. The short answer Labi, paldies! also works.

How It Connects

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

Kā iet?Level 1Asking How Someone Is

Learn This First

Kā iet uses the verb iet.

Words in This Pattern

klātieskājums