patīk + Dative

Liking with Patīk

Level 1

Man patīk kafija means I like coffee, but literally it says coffee is pleasing to me. So man is dative and kafija keeps its basic form.

How It Works

Turn the English sentence around. In English, I is the subject of like. In Latvian, the thing you like is the subject of patīk (is pleasing), and the person who likes it is in the dative.

  • Man patīk kafija. I like coffee. (Coffee pleases me.)
  • Tev patīk Rīga. You like Riga.
  • Viņam patīk futbols. He likes football.
  • Viņai patīk suņi. She likes dogs.
  • Mums patīk mūzika. We like music.

The thing liked stays in the nominative. Compare it with gribēt (to want), which takes an object: Es gribu kafiju (I want coffee), but Man patīk kafija (I like coffee). The thing liked is not in the accusative.

One form for one or many. Patīk is a third-person form, and Latvian third-person verbs look the same in the singular and the plural: Man patīk kaķis, Man patīk kaķi.

Questions and negatives. Put vai in front for a yes-no question: Vai tev patīk Rīga? Ask what someone likes with the nominative kas: Kas tev patīk? Say you do not like something with ne- joined to the verb: Man nepatīk piens.

Names take the dative too. Annai patīk tēja (Anna likes tea), Jānim patīk sports (Jānis likes sport). See dative endings.

The same shape elsewhere. Man ir (I have) and Kā tev iet? also put the person in the dative. Later, patīk with an infinitive says what you like doing: Man patīk peldēt (I like swimming).

Examples (6)

  1. Man patīk kafija.

    I like coffee.

    Word by Word: To-me pleases coffee.

    Man is dative; kafija is nominative.

  2. Vai tev patīk Rīga?

    Do you like Riga?

    Word by Word: Q to-you pleases Riga?

    Vai makes the question; tev is the dative of tu.

  3. Viņai patīk suņi.

    She likes dogs.

    Word by Word: To-her please dogs.

    The plural suņi takes the same verb form, patīk.

  4. Man nepatīk piens.

    I don't like milk.

    Word by Word: To-me not-pleases milk.

    Ne- is written joined to patīk.

  5. Kas tev patīk?

    What do you like?

    Word by Word: What to-you pleases?

    Kas is nominative, because the thing liked is the subject.

  6. Annai ļoti patīk šī dziesma.

    Anna really likes this song.

    Word by Word: To-Anna very pleases this song.

    A name takes the dative ending too: Anna → Annai. Ļoti (very) comes before patīk.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the thing liked in the accusative.

    Man patīk kafiju.
    Man patīk kafija.

    The thing liked is the subject of patīk, so it stays in the nominative. Verbs like gribēt take kafiju; patīk does not.

  • Putting the person in the nominative, as in English.

    Es patīk kafija.
    Man patīk kafija.

    The person who likes is in the dative: man, tev, viņam, viņai.

  • Using the nominative viņš or viņa for he or she.

    Viņš patīk futbols.
    Viņam patīk futbols.

    Viņš and viņa become viņam and viņai in the dative.

How It Connects

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

patīk + DativeLevel 1Liking with Patīk

Learn This First

Patīk puts the person in the dative.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

patiktviņai