-dams / -dama

Doing Two Things at Once: -dams

Level 5

The -dams form says what the subject is doing at the same time as the main verb: Viņš gāja dziedādams (He walked along singing). It agrees with the subject: -dams, -dama, -dami, -damas.

How It Works

1. Forming it. Take the infinitive, drop -t, and add the ending that matches the subject:

  • -dams for a man: dziedādams
  • -dama for a woman: dziedādama
  • -dami for men or a mixed group: dziedādami
  • -damas for women: dziedādamas

More verbs: iet → iedams, braukt → braukdams, smaidīt → smaidīdams, runāt → runādams. Reflexive verbs end in -damies (masculine) and -damās (feminine): smieties → smiedamies, smiedamās.

2. Only in the nominative. The form describes the subject, and the subject is nominative, so it has only these four endings. That is why grammars call it half-declinable.

3. Same doer, same time. Both actions belong to the subject and happen at once: Mājās braukdams, es klausījos radio (Driving home, I listened to the radio). If the other action belongs to someone else, use a dative with -ot: Man braucot mājās, sāka līt (see dative absolute with -ot). If the action came first, use the past participle: Atnācis mājās, viņš paēda.

4. -dams or -ot? For the subject's own action, -ot often works too: Viņš gāja dziedot. The -dams form sounds a little more literary and always shows who is acting. See -dams versus -ot.

Commas. A -dams form with its own words is set off by commas: Viņa, klusi smaidīdama, atvēra durvis. A single form right after the verb usually has none: Viņš gāja dziedādams.

Examples (5)

  1. Viņš gāja pa ielu dziedādams.

    He walked down the street singing.

    Word by Word: He went along street singing.

  2. Smaidīdama viņa atvēra durvis.

    Smiling, she opened the door.

    Word by Word: Smiling she opened door.

    Viņa is a woman, so the ending is -dama.

  3. Bērni skrēja pa pļavu smiedamies.

    The children ran across the meadow laughing.

    Word by Word: Children ran along meadow laughing.

    Smieties is reflexive, so the masculine plural form is smiedamies.

  4. Meitenes sēdēja uz soliņa, runādamas par skolu.

    The girls sat on the bench, talking about school.

    Word by Word: Girls sat on bench, talking about school.

    Meitenes is feminine plural, so the ending is -damas.

  5. Mājās braukdams, es klausījos radio.

    Driving home, I listened to the radio.

    Word by Word: Home driving, I listened radio.

    The speaker is a man. A woman would say braukdama.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine ending for a female subject.

    Viņa gāja dziedādams.
    Viņa gāja dziedādama.

    The -dams form agrees with the subject. Viņa is a woman, so it must be dziedādama.

  • Using -dams when the two actions have different doers.

    Braukdams mājās, sāka līt.
    Man braucot mājās, sāka līt.

    Braukdams must belong to the subject, but the rain is not driving. Name the driver in the dative with -ot.

  • Using -dams for an action that was finished before the main one. Intended meaning: after he had come home, he ate dinner.

    Atnākdams mājās, viņš paēda vakariņas.
    Atnācis mājās, viņš paēda vakariņas.

    -dams shows an action happening at the same time as the main verb, so atnākdams would mean 'as he was arriving home'. For an action that was already finished, use the past participle atnācis.

How It Connects

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-dams / -damaLevel 5Doing Two Things at Once: -dams

Learn This First

-dams says two things happen at once.