Compound Nouns

Level 4

Two words can join into one noun. The last part is the main word, and the first part describes it: liels + veikals → lielveikals (supermarket), saule + brilles → saulesbrilles (sunglasses).

How It Works

1. The main word comes last. The first part says what kind: darbdiena is a kind of day (a workday), and ledusskapis is a kind of cupboard (a fridge).

2. First part as a stem. The ending of the first word drops:

  • liels + veikals → lielveikals (supermarket)
  • dzelzs + ceļš → dzelzceļš (railway)
  • darbs + diena → darbdiena (workday), brīvs + diena → brīvdiena (day off)

3. First part in the genitive. The first word keeps its genitive ending, just as in a describing genitive:

  • saules + brilles → saulesbrilles (sunglasses)
  • ledus + skapis → ledusskapis (fridge)
  • dzīves + vieta → dzīvesvieta (place of residence)

4. Only the last part changes. Cases, number and gender come from the last word:

  • lielveikals → lielveikalā (in the supermarket), like veikalā
  • ledusskapis → ledusskapī (in the fridge), like skapī
  • saulesbrilles is plural only, like brilles (see plural-only nouns)

5. One word or two? Many ideas are said with two words, a genitive and a noun: dzimšanas diena (birthday), grāmatu plaukts (bookshelf). Only established compounds are written as one word, so check the dictionary when you are unsure.

Examples (6)

  1. Dzelzceļa stacija ir pilsētas centrā.

    The railway station is in the city center.

    Word by Word: Railway's station is city's in-center.

    Dzelzceļa is the genitive of dzelzceļš. Only the ending of ceļš changes.

  2. Mēs parasti iepērkamies lielveikalā.

    We usually shop at the supermarket.

    Word by Word: We usually shop in-supermarket.

  3. Neaizmirsti saulesbrilles!

    Don't forget your sunglasses!

    Word by Word: Don't-forget sunglasses!

  4. Piens ir ledusskapī.

    The milk is in the fridge.

    Word by Word: Milk is in-fridge.

  5. Sestdiena un svētdiena ir brīvdienas.

    Saturday and Sunday are days off.

    Word by Word: Saturday and Sunday are free-days.

  6. Pirmdiena ir darbdiena.

    Monday is a workday.

    Word by Word: Monday is work-day.

Common Mistakes

  • Taking the gender from the first part.

    Dzelzceļš ir gara.
    Dzelzceļš ir garš.

    Dzelzs is feminine, but the main word is ceļš, which is masculine. The last part decides the gender.

  • Giving the compound the wrong ending.

    Piens ir ledusskapā.
    Piens ir ledusskapī.

    The endings follow the last word, skapis. Its locative is skapī, so the fridge is ledusskapī.

How It Connects

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

Compound NounsLevel 4

Learn This First

Compound nouns join a describing part to a main noun; the first part can come from a noun or an adjective.