Chains of Genitives
Latvian can line up several genitives before one noun: Latvijas Universitātes bibliotēka (the University of Latvia library). Read the chain from the end: the library of the University of Latvia.
How It Works
1. How a chain is built. A genitive before a noun says whose it is or what kind it is (see genitive before the noun and genitive as a describer). The noun after it can itself be a genitive that describes another noun, so the chain can grow:
- bibliotēka (library)
- Universitātes bibliotēka (the university library)
- Latvijas Universitātes bibliotēka (the University of Latvia library)
English usually says it from the other end with of: the library of the University of Latvia. In Latvian, the main noun always comes last.
2. Only the last noun changes. The genitives keep their form. Only the head noun at the end takes the case the sentence needs:
- Pilsētas domes priekšsēdētājs atklāja sēdi. (The chair of the city council opened the meeting.)
- Mēs runājām ar pilsētas domes priekšsēdētāju. (We talked with the chair of the city council.)
3. Adjectives agree with their own noun. An adjective inside the chain is genitive too, because it belongs to a genitive noun: Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas ēka (the building of the National Library of Latvia). Nacionālās agrees with bibliotēkas, not with ēka.
4. Plural genitives fit in too. skolotāju arodbiedrības vadītāja (the head of the teachers' union) has a genitive plural, skolotāju, at the start.
5. Where you meet them. Names of institutions and official titles often have three or four genitives in a row, especially in formal writing. In conversation, people often break a long chain with a preposition or a clause: bibliotēka, kas ir universitātē (the library that is at the university).
Examples (5)
- Es strādāju Latvijas Universitātes bibliotēkā.
I work in the University of Latvia library.
Word by Word: I work Latvia's University's library-in.
Only bibliotēkā takes the locative. Latvijas and Universitātes stay genitive.
- Pilsētas domes priekšsēdētājs atklāja sēdi.
The chair of the city council opened the meeting.
Word by Word: City's council's chair opened meeting.
- Mana brāļa sievas māte dzīvo Cēsīs.
My brother's wife's mother lives in Cēsis.
Word by Word: My brother's wife's mother lives Cēsis-in.
- Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas ēka ir pie Daugavas.
The building of the National Library of Latvia is by the Daugava.
Word by Word: Latvia's National library's building is by Daugava.
Nacionālās is genitive because it describes bibliotēkas.
- Mēs runājām ar skolotāju arodbiedrības vadītāju.
We talked with the head of the teachers' union.
Word by Word: We talked with teachers' union's head.
Common Mistakes
Putting a noun inside the chain into the sentence's case.
Es strādāju Latvijas Universitātē bibliotēkā.Es strādāju Latvijas Universitātes bibliotēkā.Universitātes describes bibliotēkā, so it stays genitive. Only the last noun shows where you work.
Making an adjective agree with the last noun instead of its own noun.
Latvijas Nacionālā bibliotēkas ēka ir pie Daugavas.Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas ēka ir pie Daugavas.Nacionālās describes bibliotēkas, which is genitive, so the adjective is genitive too.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Genitives can form chains.
Related Patterns
- Possession With the Genitive
A chain is several genitives, each placed before the noun it describes.
Level 2 - Genitive Singular Endings
Most links in a chain use these genitive singular endings.
Level 2 - Formal Nominal Style With -šanaFormal Nominal Style
Long genitive chains are typical of formal, noun-heavy writing.
Level 5 - Describing With a Genitive Phrase
A genitive phrase with an adjective can describe a noun, and it can sit inside a chain.
Level 5 - Compound Nouns
Latvian often uses a genitive chain where other languages build one long compound word.
Level 4
Practice Chains of Genitives in Bubblegum
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