Headlines and Notices

Level 5

News headlines and signs save words by dropping the helper verb: Rīgā atklāts jauns tilts (A new bridge opened in Riga), Veikals slēgts (Shop closed), Smēķēt aizliegts (No smoking).

How It Works

1. Passive participles in -ts, -ta. The most common headline shape is a passive participle with no helper verb (compare passive būt + -ts and passive tikt + -ts):

  • Rīgā atklāts jauns tilts. (A new bridge opened in Riga.)
  • Aizturēti divi zagļi. (Two thieves detained.)
  • Veikals slēgts. (Shop closed.)

The event is usually recent: atklāts here means that the bridge has just been opened.

2. Active participles in -is, -usi. A past active participle can also stand alone: Cenas atkal pieaugušas (Prices have risen again), Konkursā uzvarējusi skolniece no Cēsīm (A schoolgirl from Cēsis has won the contest). A full sentence would add ir, as in present perfect esmu + -is.

3. Agreement still matters. The participle matches its noun, just like in -is -usi -uši -ušas and -ts -ta participles as adjectives:

  • atklāts jauns tilts (masculine)
  • atklāta jauna skola (feminine)
  • aizturēti divi zagļi (masculine plural)

4. Notices with an infinitive. When the thing that is allowed or forbidden is an infinitive, the participle is masculine singular: Smēķēt aizliegts (No smoking), Suņus vest aizliegts (No dogs allowed).

5. Keep it to headlines. In ordinary sentences, use the full form: Vakar Rīgā tika atklāts jauns tilts (A new bridge was opened in Riga yesterday). News reports that pass on someone else's words also use the renarrative.

Examples (6)

  1. Rīgā atklāts jauns tilts.

    A new bridge opened in Riga.

    Word by Word: Riga-in opened new bridge.

  2. Smēķēt aizliegts.

    No smoking.

    Word by Word: To-smoke forbidden.

  3. Veikals slēgts.

    Shop closed.

    Word by Word: Shop closed.

  4. Aizturēti divi zagļi.

    Two thieves detained.

    Word by Word: Detained two thieves.

    Aizturēti is plural to match divi zagļi.

  5. Cenas atkal pieaugušas.

    Prices have risen again.

    Word by Word: Prices again risen.

    A past active participle without ir.

  6. Konkursā uzvarējusi skolniece no Cēsīm.

    A schoolgirl from Cēsis has won the contest.

    Word by Word: Contest-in won schoolgirl from Cēsis.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting that the participle agrees with its noun.

    Rīgā atklāts jauna skola.
    Rīgā atklāta jauna skola.

    Skola is feminine, so the participle is feminine too: atklāta.

  • Making the participle feminine to match a noun in a notice with an infinitive.

    Smēķēt aizliegta.
    Smēķēt aizliegts.

    The forbidden thing is the infinitive smēķēt, and a participle that goes with an infinitive is masculine singular.

How It Connects

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

Headlines and NoticesLevel 5

Learn This First

Headlines leave out auxiliaries.