Going to Do Something

Level 2

To say why you are going somewhere, add the infinitive right after the motion verb: Es eju gulēt (I am going to bed). No word for to or in order to is needed.

How It Works

1. Which verbs? Verbs that move you somewhere: iet (to go), braukt (to travel), nākt (to come), skriet (to run), and prefixed forms such as aiziet (to go off).

  • Es eju gulēt. (I am going to bed.)
  • Nāc ēst! (Come and eat!)
  • Viņš iet pusdienot. (He is going to have lunch.)
  • Bērni skrien ārā spēlēties. (The children are running outside to play.)

2. Only the first verb changes. Person and tense show on the motion verb: Vakar es gāju uz veikalu nopirkt maizi (Yesterday I went to the shop to buy bread). With a let's form, it becomes an invitation: Iesim ēst! (Let's go and eat!, see let's forms).

3. Other ways to give a purpose. Lai with the conditional gives a purpose after any verb, not only motion: Es mācos latviešu valodu, lai varētu strādāt Latvijā (I am learning Latvian so that I can work in Latvia). To say what you go to fetch, use pēc with a noun: iet pēc maizes (to go for bread).

Examples (6)

  1. Es eju gulēt.

    I am going to bed.

    Word by Word: I go to-sleep.

    Gulēt (to sleep) stays in the infinitive.

  2. Viņš iet pusdienot.

    He is going to have lunch.

    Pusdienot is a verb: to have lunch.

  3. Mēs braucam uz jūru peldēties.

    We are going to the seaside to swim.

    Uz jūru gives the place, and peldēties gives the purpose.

  4. Nāc ēst!

    Come and eat!

    Nāc is the command form of nākt (to come).

  5. Bērni skrien ārā spēlēties.

    The children are running outside to play.

    Skriet (to run) is a motion verb too.

  6. Vakar es gāju uz veikalu nopirkt maizi.

    Yesterday I went to the shop to buy bread.

    The past shows on gāju; nopirkt stays an infinitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Giving the second verb a personal ending.

    Es eju guļu.
    Es eju gulēt.

    Only the motion verb takes a personal ending. The purpose verb stays in the infinitive.

  • Putting uz before the infinitive.

    Es eju uz gulēt.
    Es eju gulēt.

    Uz goes with a place, as in uz gultu (to bed), never with a verb.

  • Using lai with a plain infinitive.

    Viņš brauc uz Rīgu, lai strādāt.
    Viņš brauc uz Rīgu strādāt.

    In a purpose clause, lai needs the conditional: lai strādātu. After a motion verb, the plain infinitive with no lai is simpler.

How It Connects

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

Going to Do SomethingLevel 2

Learn This First

Going to do something adds an infinitive to a motion verb.

Words in This Pattern

brauktnākt