Diminutives -ītis / -īte
Little Words: -ītis and -īte
Look at the ending. A masculine noun in -is becomes -ītis, and a noun in -e becomes -īte: brālis → brālītis (little brother), roze → rozīte (little rose). The diminutive keeps the gender of the noun.
How It Works
1. Which suffix?
- Masculine -is → -ītis: brālis → brālītis (little brother), zaķis → zaķītis (little hare), lācis → lācītis (little bear), skapis → skapītis (small cupboard)
- Nouns in -e → -īte: roze → rozīte (little rose), meitene → meitenīte (little girl), upe → upīte (stream), egle → eglīte (little fir tree), karte → kartīte (card)
The noun suns (dog), which declines like a noun in -is, can also take -ītis: sunītis (doggy), alongside suniņš.
2. Endings. A diminutive in -ītis declines like brālis, and its t changes to š in the genitive singular and the whole plural (see consonant changes): brālītis, brālīša, brālītim, brālīti, brālītī; plural brālīši, brālīšu, brālīšiem. A diminutive in -īte declines like roze: rozīte, rozītes, rozītei, rozīti, rozītē; plural rozītes, with the genitive plural rozīšu.
3. Small or dear. Mazs kaķītis is a small kitty, but saulīte is simply a loving word for the sun. Some -īte and -ītis words are everyday names of their own: eglīte is the Christmas tree, kartīte is a greeting card, and Ziemassvētku vecītis is Father Christmas (from vecis, old man).
4. Calling someone. When you call someone, -ītis is shortened to -īt: Brālīt! (Little brother!). See short affectionate address.
Examples (6)
- Mans brālītis iet bērnudārzā.
My little brother goes to kindergarten.
Brālis → brālītis: a masculine noun in -is takes -ītis.
- Dārzā spēlējas divi mazi kaķīši.
Two little kitties are playing in the garden.
Kaķītis → kaķīši: the t changes to š in the plural.
- Viņš man uzdāvināja rozīti.
He gave me a little rose.
Roze → rozīte, here in the accusative rozīti.
- Istabā stāv skaista eglīte.
A beautiful Christmas tree stands in the room.
Egle (fir tree) → eglīte, the usual word for a Christmas tree.
- Paldies par jauko kartīti!
Thank you for the lovely card!
Karte → kartīte, in the accusative after par.
- Pa pļavu tek maza upīte.
A little stream runs through the meadow.
Upe (river) → upīte (stream, little river).
Common Mistakes
Using -iņa with a noun in -e.
Paldies par jauko kartiņu!Paldies par jauko kartīti!Karte ends in -e, so its diminutive is kartīte. Kartiņa is often heard, but the Latvian Language Agency marks it as wrong. The same goes for egle → eglīte and kaste → kastīte.
Keeping the t in the plural.
Dārzā spēlējas divi mazi kaķīti.Dārzā spēlējas divi mazi kaķīši.In the plural of an -ītis noun, the t changes to š: kaķītis → kaķīši, brālītis → brālīši.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Diminutives in -ītis and -īte follow those in -iņš.
Related Patterns
- Diminutives -tiņš / -tiņaLittle Words: -tiņš and -tiņa
The diminutive suffixes for sixth-declension nouns and nouns like akmens.
Level 3 - Consonant Changes Before Endings
Why kaķītis becomes kaķīši in the plural.
Level 2 - Short Vocatives in -iņShort Affectionate Address
Diminutives are shortened when you call someone: Brālīt!
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Diminutives -ītis / -īte in Bubblegum
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