Causative -ināt
Making Someone Do: -ināt
A verb in -ināt can mean make someone do it: sēdēt (to sit) → sēdināt (to seat someone), smieties (to laugh) → smīdināt (to make someone laugh).
How It Works
1. Common pairs. The first verb says what someone does; the -ināt verb says that someone else makes it happen:
- sēdēt (to sit) → sēdināt (to seat someone)
- smieties (to laugh) → smīdināt (to make someone laugh)
- raudāt (to cry) → raudināt (to make someone cry)
- ēst (to eat) → ēdināt (to feed)
- dzert (to drink) → dzirdināt (to water animals)
- augt (to grow) → audzināt (to raise, bring up)
2. Who does what. The causer is the subject. The one who sits, laughs or eats is the accusative direct object: Māte sēdina bērnu pie galda (Mother seats the child at the table).
3. Endings. These verbs follow the third conjugation, like the -āt verbs in 3rd conjugation -ēt and -āt verbs: es sēdinu, tu sēdini, viņš sēdina; past sēdināju; future sēdināšu. They take prefixes like other verbs: nosēdināt (to sit someone down).
4. Not a free rule. You cannot add -ināt to any verb. Learn the pairs that exist. For other verbs, say that you make someone act with likt: Viņš lika man gaidīt (He made me wait).
Examples (6)
- Māte sēdina bērnu pie galda.
Mother seats the child at the table.
Word by Word: Mother seats child at table.
- Viņš mūs vienmēr smīdina.
He always makes us laugh.
Word by Word: He us always makes-laugh.
- Zemnieks dzirdina zirgus.
The farmer waters the horses.
Word by Word: Farmer gives-drink horses.
- Ziemā mēs ēdinām putnus.
In winter we feed the birds.
Word by Word: Winter-in we make-eat birds.
- Nesaki tā, tu mazo raudināsi!
Don't say that, you will make the little one cry!
Word by Word: Don't-say so, you little-one will-make-cry!
- Vecvecāki audzināja trīs mazbērnus.
The grandparents raised three grandchildren.
Word by Word: Grandparents raised three grandchildren.
Audzināt comes from augt (to grow).
Common Mistakes
Using the plain verb instead of the causative.
Es ēdu kaķi.Es ēdinu kaķi.Es ēdu kaķi means I am eating the cat. To say you feed the cat, use ēdināt.
Giving smieties an object.
Viņš mani smējās.Viņš mani smīdināja.Smieties does not take an object. To say he made me laugh, use smīdināt.
Using sēdēt for seating someone.
Mamma sēž bērnu uz krēsla.Mamma sēdina bērnu uz krēsla.Sēdēt means to be sitting yourself. Putting someone in a seat is sēdināt.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-ināt makes causative verbs.
Related Patterns
- Present Forms of Verbs Ending in -ēt and -ātPresent of Verbs Like Redzēt
Verbs in -ināt take third-conjugation endings: sēdinu, sēdini, sēdina.
Level 1 - The Accusative for Objects
The person made to act is the accusative object of the -ināt verb.
Level 1 - ļaut / laistLetting: Ļaut and Laist
Ļaut and laist say that someone lets another person act, not makes them.
Level 4 - Reflexive Verbs in -ties
Some base verbs, like smieties, are reflexive, but the -ināt verb is not.
Level 2 - Verb Prefixes
Causative verbs take prefixes like other verbs: nosēdināt, izaudzināt.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Causative -ināt in Bubblegum
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