Fifth Declension: -e
Fifth Declension: Nouns in -e
Nouns ending in -e, such as upe (river), meitene (girl), zeme (land) and maize (bread), belong to the fifth declension. Almost all of them are feminine.
How It Works
Singular
- upe — nominative (the river)
- upes — genitive (of the river)
- upei — dative (to or for the river)
- upi — accusative: Es redzu upi. (I see the river.)
- upē — locative (in the river)
Plural
- upes — nominative (rivers)
- upju — genitive
- upēm — dative
- upes — accusative
- upēs — locative
Fourth or fifth?
The two feminine declensions differ in three singular endings. Look at the last letter of the dictionary form:
- object: -a → -u (kafija → kafiju), but -e → -i (maize → maizi)
- locative: -a → -ā (skola → skolā), but -e → -ē (universitāte → universitātē)
- dative: -a → -ai (mājai), but -e → -ei (upei)
The consonant change
Only the genitive plural changes the consonant: upe → upju, meitene → meiteņu, zeme → zemju, biļete → biļešu. Every other form keeps it. See Genitive Plural in -u and Consonant Changes Before Endings.
Which nouns belong here
meitene (girl), sieviete (woman), ģimene (family), maize (bread), biļete (ticket) and universitāte (university). A few nouns and surnames in -e are masculine and take a dative in -em; see Masculine Nouns in -a and -e.
Examples (5)
- Mana ģimene ir liela.
My family is big.
Word by Word: My family is big.
Ģimene is the nominative subject and takes feminine agreement.
- Es redzu upi.
I see the river.
Word by Word: I see river.
Upe → upi: the object ends in -i, not -u.
- Es gribu maizi un sieru.
I want bread and cheese.
Word by Word: I want bread and cheese.
Compare the two objects: maize → maizi (fifth declension) and siers → sieru (first declension).
- Viņš ir universitātē.
He is at the university.
Word by Word: He is in-university.
Universitāte → universitātē: the locative ends in long -ē.
- Man ir divas biļetes.
I have two tickets.
Word by Word: To-me is two tickets.
The plural of biļete is biļetes.
Common Mistakes
Using the fourth-declension object ending -u.
Es pērku maizu.Es pērku maizi.Nouns in -e take -i as objects: maize → maizi. Only nouns in -a take -u.
Using -ā for the locative.
Es peldu upā.Es peldu upē.The locative of a noun in -e ends in -ē: upe → upē.
Giving a feminine noun a masculine adjective.
Meitene ir mazs.Meitene ir maza.Meitene is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine ending: maza.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The fifth declension follows the fourth.
Related Patterns
- Sixth Declension: -sSixth Declension: Feminine -s
The third feminine declension, for nouns such as nakts and zivs.
Level 2 - The Accusative for Objects
Upi and maizi are accusative objects ending in -i.
Level 1 - Locative -ā, -ī, -ē, -ūThe Locative for in and at
Upē and universitātē use the locative -ē.
Level 1 - Genitive Plural -uGenitive Plural in -u
The one form of this declension with a consonant change: upju, meiteņu.
Level 2 - Masculine Nouns in -a and -e
Covers the few masculine nouns and surnames in -e.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Fifth Declension: -e in Bubblegum
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