First Declension: -s, -š

First Declension: Masculine -s and -š

Level 1

Masculine nouns in -s or -š, such as galds (table), draugs (friend) and ceļš (road), form the first declension. The plural ends in -i: galdi.

How It Works

The first declension is a large group of masculine nouns ending in -s or -š: galds (table), draugs (friend), tēvs (father), vilciens (train), veikals (shop), ceļš (road), vējš (wind). Many masculine loanwords join it too: telefons, autobuss, restorāns, dators (computer).

Here are the endings on galds:

  • Nominative (subject): galds · plural galdi
  • Genitive (of): galda · plural galdu
  • Dative (to, for): galdam · plural galdiem
  • Accusative (object): galdu · plural galdus
  • Instrumental (after ar): ar galdu · plural ar galdiem
  • Locative (in, at): galdā · plural galdos

Nouns in -š work the same way, and only the dictionary form differs: ceļš, ceļa, ceļam, ceļu, ceļā, plural ceļi.

Unlike some other groups, first-declension nouns never change the last consonant of the stem. Galds keeps gald- in every form. Compare brālis and brāļi in the second declension.

Not every noun in -s belongs here. Ūdens (water), akmens (stone) and suns (dog) have forms of their own, such as ūdens for "of water". See nouns like akmens and suns. Feminine nouns such as pils (castle) also end in -s. See feminine nouns in -s.

Masculine adjectives take the same endings as these nouns: liels galds (a big table), lielu galdu (a big table, as an object), lieli galdi (big tables). See adjective agreement.

Examples (6)

  1. Vilciens ir šeit.

    The train is here.

    Word by Word: Train is here.

    Nominative -s: vilciens is the subject.

  2. Es gaidu draugu.

    I'm waiting for a friend.

    Word by Word: I wait friend.

    Accusative -u: draugu is the object.

  3. Es esmu vilcienā.

    I'm on the train.

    Word by Word: I am in-train.

    Locative -ā: in or on the train.

  4. Tas ir drauga telefons.

    That's a friend's phone.

    Word by Word: That is friend's phone.

    Genitive -a: the friend owns the phone.

  5. Tur ir divi galdi.

    There are two tables over there.

    Word by Word: There is two tables.

    Plural -i.

  6. Ceļš ir garš.

    The road is long.

    Word by Word: Road is long.

    A noun in -š. The adjective garš ends in -š too.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the -s when the noun is the object.

    Es gaidu draugs.
    Es gaidu draugu.

    Draugs is the subject form. As the object of gaidu, it needs the accusative ending -u.

  • Leaving the noun singular after a number.

    Tur ir divi galds.
    Tur ir divi galdi.

    After divi (two) the noun is plural, and first-declension plurals end in -i.

  • Giving ūdens first-declension endings.

    Glāzi ūdena, lūdzu.
    Glāzi ūdens, lūdzu.

    Ūdens is not in the first declension. Its genitive is ūdens, the same as its dictionary form.

How It Connects

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First Declension: -s, -šLevel 1First Declension: Masculine -s and -š

Learn This First

The first declension starts from the nominative.

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Patterns that build on this one.