Describing With a Genitive Phrase
To describe a person or thing by a feature, put an adjective + noun in the genitive before it: gaišu matu meitene (a fair-haired girl), liela auguma vīrietis (a tall man, literally a man of large build).
How It Works
1. The pattern. Adjective (genitive) + noun (genitive) + the noun it describes. It is like genitive as a describer, with an adjective added to name the quality.
- gaišu matu meitene (a fair-haired girl): mati is plural, so gaišu matu is genitive plural.
- liela auguma vīrietis (a tall man): augums (build, height) is masculine singular, so liela auguma.
- vidēja vecuma sieviete (a middle-aged woman), augstas kvalitātes produkts (a high-quality product).
2. Only the main noun changes. Viņa runāja ar liela auguma vīrieti. (She was talking to a tall man.) Here vīrieti changes, but liela auguma stays genitive.
3. Indefinite endings. The adjective takes the ordinary (indefinite) genitive endings: liela, gaišu, augstas (see adjectives in other cases).
4. Other ways to say it. The same idea can follow the noun with ar or the bare instrumental: meitene ar gaišiem matiem, meitene gaišiem matiem (see instrumental without a preposition). The genitive phrase sounds compact and is common in descriptions and writing.
Watch out: when several genitives stand in a row, keep track of which noun each one belongs to (see chains of genitives).
Examples (5)
- Pie galda sēdēja gaišu matu meitene.
A fair-haired girl was sitting at the table.
Word by Word: At table sat of-fair hair girl.
- Viņš ir liela auguma vīrietis.
He is a tall man.
Word by Word: He is of-large build man.
- Durvis atvēra vidēja vecuma sieviete.
A middle-aged woman opened the door.
Word by Word: Door opened of-middle age woman.
- Tas ir augstas kvalitātes produkts.
It is a high-quality product.
Word by Word: That is of-high quality product.
- Es runāju ar liela auguma vīrieti.
I was talking to a tall man.
Word by Word: I talked with of-large build man.
Vīrieti changes after ar, but liela auguma stays genitive.
Common Mistakes
Making the adjective agree with the main noun.
Pie galda sēdēja gaiša matu meitene.Pie galda sēdēja gaišu matu meitene.The adjective describes mati (hair), not meitene, so it takes the genitive plural, like matu: gaišu.
Changing the genitive phrase with the main noun.
Es runāju ar lielu augumu vīrieti.Es runāju ar liela auguma vīrieti.Only vīrietis changes. The describing phrase liela auguma always stays genitive.
Using the wrong case after ar in the alternative pattern.
Tā ir meitene ar zilu acu.Tā ir meitene ar zilām acīm.After ar, use the instrumental plural: zilām acīm. The genitive zilu acu belongs only in front of the noun: zilu acu meitene.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A genitive phrase can describe.
Related Patterns
- ar + InstrumentalWith: Ar
Meitene ar gaišiem matiem is the everyday alternative with ar.
Level 2 - Adjectives in Every Case
The adjective takes the ordinary genitive endings: liela, gaišu.
Level 2 - Genitive Plural -uGenitive Plural in -u
Plural describing phrases like gaišu matu end in -u.
Level 2 - Chains of Genitives
Longer phrases can stack several genitives before one noun.
Level 5
Practice Describing With a Genitive Phrase in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latvian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
