Being in a Town

Level 2

Where do you live? Answer with the place name in the locative: Es dzīvoju Rīgā (I live in Riga). No word for in is needed.

How It Works

1. Match the ending to the noun type.

  • -a → -ā: Rīga → Rīgā, Liepāja → Liepājā, Latvija → Latvijā, Londona → Londonā
  • -e → -ē: Ogre → Ogrē, Rēzekne → Rēzeknē, Parīze → Parīzē
  • masculine -s → -ā: Tukums → Tukumā
  • -us → -ū: Saldus → Saldū (see the third declension)
  • -pils → -pilī: Ventspils → Ventspilī, Daugavpils → Daugavpilī (see the sixth declension)

2. Plural names. Some towns have plural names, like plural-only nouns. Masculine ones end in -i and take -os: Talsi → Talsos, Limbaži → Limbažos. Feminine ones end in -is and take -īs: Cēsis → Cēsīs.

3. Foreign names. Many foreign cities get Latvian endings and decline normally: Ņujorka → Ņujorkā (see foreign names with Latvian endings). A name that cannot take an ending, such as Oslo, stays the same: Viņa dzīvo Oslo (She lives in Oslo).

4. In, to and from. One place name has three common forms: Rīgā (in Riga), uz Rīgu (to Riga, see uz) and no Rīgas (from Riga, see no).

Examples (6)

  1. Es dzīvoju Rīgā.

    I live in Riga.

    Rīga → Rīgā.

  2. Mani vecāki dzīvo Liepājā.

    My parents live in Liepāja.

    Liepāja → Liepājā.

  3. Anna strādā Vācijā.

    Anna works in Germany.

    Country names take the locative too: Vācija → Vācijā.

  4. Viņš mācās Ventspilī.

    He studies in Ventspils.

    Ventspils follows the sixth declension, so it becomes Ventspilī.

  5. Mana māsa dzīvo Cēsīs.

    My sister lives in Cēsis.

    Cēsis is a plural name, so it takes the plural ending -īs.

  6. Vasarā mēs bijām Talsos.

    In summer we were in Talsi.

    Talsi is masculine plural: Talsi → Talsos.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the name in its dictionary form.

    Es dzīvoju Rīga.
    Es dzīvoju Rīgā.

    The locative ending carries the meaning in. Without it, Rīga is only the name.

  • Treating a plural name as singular.

    Mana māsa dzīvo Cēsis.
    Mana māsa dzīvo Cēsīs.

    Cēsis is plural, so in Cēsis is Cēsīs.

  • Giving a name in -pils the ending -ā.

    Viņš mācās Ventspilsā.
    Viņš mācās Ventspilī.

    Names in -pils belong to the sixth declension, whose locative ends in -ī.

How It Connects

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

Being in a TownLevel 2

Learn This First

Town names use the locative.