ārā / iekšā / augšā / prom

Direction Words After Verbs

Level 3

Add a direction word after a verb of motion: iet ārā (to go out), nākt iekšā (to come in), celties augšā (to get up), iet prom (to go away). These words never change their endings.

How It Works

1. The main words.

  • ārā — out, outside: iet ārā (to go out), Ārā līst (It is raining outside)
  • iekšā — in, inside: Nāc iekšā! (Come in!)
  • augšā — up, upstairs: celties augšā (to get up), Guļamistaba ir augšā (The bedroom is upstairs)
  • lejā — down, downstairs: iet lejā (to go down)
  • prom or projām — away: iet prom (to go away, to leave)
  • atpakaļ — back: nākt atpakaļ (to come back)
  • līdzi — along, with you: Nāc līdzi! (Come along!)

2. Place and direction look the same. English uses outside for a place and out for a direction. Latvian uses one word for both: Es esmu ārā (I am outside) and Es eju ārā (I am going out).

3. With a prefixed verb. The direction word often doubles a prefix for emphasis, especially in speech: izgāja ārā (went out), ienāca iekšā (came in), aizgāja prom (went away). See ie- and iz- and aiz- and at-.

4. Līdzi means along. Nāc līdzi! (Come along!) Ņem lietussargu līdzi! (Take an umbrella with you!) Vai tev ir pase līdzi? (Do you have your passport with you?) Do not confuse it with the preposition līdz (until, as far as), which needs a noun.

5. Ārā or ārpus? Ārā stands on its own. Ārpus is a preposition and needs a noun in the genitive: ārpus pilsētas (outside the town).

Examples (6)

  1. Nāc iekšā, ārā ir auksti!

    Come in, it is cold outside!

    Iekšā shows direction here, and ārā shows place.

  2. Iesim ārā, laiks ir jauks!

    Let's go outside, the weather is nice!

  3. Es šodien cēlos augšā sešos.

    Today I got up at six.

    Celties augšā means to get up.

  4. Viņš paņēma somu un aizgāja prom.

    He took his bag and went away.

    Prom repeats the away meaning of the prefix aiz-.

  5. Vai tu nāksi līdzi?

    Are you coming along?

  6. Kad tu nāksi atpakaļ?

    When will you come back?

Common Mistakes

  • Using the preposition līdz instead of the adverb līdzi.

    Nāc līdz!
    Nāc līdzi!

    Līdz means until or as far as and needs a noun (līdz stūrim, as far as the corner). To say come along, use līdzi.

  • Using the preposition ārpus without a noun.

    Bērni spēlējas ārpus.
    Bērni spēlējas ārā.

    Ārpus needs a genitive noun (ārpus mājas). On its own, outside is ārā.

How It Connects

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

ārā / iekšā / augšā / promLevel 3Direction Words After Verbs

Learn This First

Direction words follow motion verbs.

Words in This Pattern

ārāiekšāaugšālejāpromatpakaļlīdzi