Genitive Singular Endings
The genitive links a noun to another word, a bit like English "of" or "'s": tēva māja (father's house), no Rīgas (from Riga), bez cukura (without sugar).
How It Works
What the genitive does
The genitive links a noun to another word. At this level you use it:
- for an owner: tēva māja (father's house). See Possession With the Genitive.
- for a kind or a material: koka galds (a wooden table). See Nouns Describing Nouns.
- after an amount: glāze ūdens (a glass of water). See Amounts With the Genitive.
- after nav: Man nav laika. (I have no time.) See There Is No and I Have No.
- after prepositions such as no, pie, bez, pēc and pirms: no Rīgas (from Riga), pie loga (by the window), bez cukura (without sugar). See Where You Come From and At and Near: Pie.
The endings
- masculine -s, -š: galds → galda, ceļš → ceļa (road)
- masculine -is: brālis → brāļa, with a consonant change
- masculine -us: tirgus → tirgus, no change
- feminine -a: māja → mājas, Latvija → Latvijas
- feminine -e: upe → upes
- feminine -s: sirds → sirds, pils → pils, no change
A few masculine nouns in -s also keep the same form: ūdens → ūdens (water), akmens → akmens (stone). Masculine nouns in -a, like puika (boy), take -as: puikas.
Adjectives agree
An adjective or a word like mans takes the genitive too: laba drauga (of a good friend), lielas pilsētas (of a big city), mana brāļa (of my brother).
Forms that look alike
mājas and upes are also the plural forms "houses" and "rivers". The sentence tells you which one you have: Mājas jumts ir sarkans. (The roof of the house is red.) but Mājas ir lielas. (The houses are big.) For tirgus and sirds, the genitive is the same as the nominative.
Plural after a preposition
This genitive is for one thing. After a preposition, the plural takes the dative instead: no mājas (from the house) but no mājām (from the houses). See Plural Nouns After Prepositions.
Examples (6)
- Es esmu no Latvijas.
I am from Latvia.
After no, Latvija becomes Latvijas.
- Mana brāļa draugs dzīvo Rīgā.
My brother's friend lives in Riga.
brālis becomes brāļa, and mans agrees with it as mana.
- Kafiju bez cukura, lūdzu.
Coffee without sugar, please.
After bez, cukurs becomes cukura.
- Mājas jumts ir sarkans.
The roof of the house is red.
Word by Word: Of-house roof is red.
Here mājas is the genitive singular "of the house", not the plural "houses".
- Mēs dzīvojam pie upes.
We live by the river.
After pie, upe becomes upes.
- Pie pils ir skaists parks.
There is a beautiful park by the castle.
pils keeps the same form in the genitive.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the noun in the nominative after a preposition.
Es esmu no Latvija.Es esmu no Latvijas.no takes the genitive. For a feminine noun in -a, add -s: Latvija → Latvijas.
Using the masculine -a ending on a feminine noun.
Mēs dzīvojam pie upa.Mēs dzīvojam pie upes.The ending -a is for masculine nouns like galds. A feminine noun in -e takes -es: upe → upes.
Leaving the owner in the nominative.
Tā ir Jānis mašīna.Tā ir Jāņa mašīna.An owner must be genitive. Jānis ends in -is, so it becomes Jāņa, with the n → ņ change.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Genitive endings build on the no + genitive phrase and the declensions.
Related Patterns
- Genitive Plural -uGenitive Plural in -u
The plural genitive, which always ends in -u.
Level 2 - Possession With the Genitive
The most common job of the genitive: showing the owner.
Level 2 - pie + GenitiveAt and Near: Pie
pie with the genitive for "at" and "near".
Level 2 - nav + GenitiveThere Is No and I Have No
nav turns the missing thing into the genitive.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Genitive Singular Endings in Bubblegum
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