mani / tevi / viņu

Object Pronouns

Level 1

Object pronouns: mani (me), tevi (you), viņu (him or her), mūs (us), jūs (you, plural or polite), viņus (them, men or mixed) and viņas (them, women).

How It Works

Subject and object forms.

  • es → mani: me
  • tu → tevi: you (informal)
  • viņš → viņu: him
  • viņa → viņu: her
  • mēs → mūs: us
  • jūs → jūs: you (plural or polite)
  • viņi → viņus: them (men or mixed)
  • viņas → viņas: them (women)

One form for him and her. Viņu means both "him" and "her", so the context tells you which person is meant. In the plural, gender comes back: viņus for men or a mixed group, viņas for women. Jūs and viņas look the same as their subject forms.

Where the pronoun goes. A short object pronoun very often stands before the verb: Es tevi mīlu. Vai tu mani dzirdi? After the verb is also correct, and it puts a little more weight on the pronoun: Es mīlu tevi. See where object pronouns go.

Saying your name. Latvian says "they call me", so the person is in the accusative: Mani sauc Anna. Kā tevi sauc? Kā jūs sauc? The form is mani, not man. See giving your name.

After prepositions. Prepositions that take the accusative use these singular forms, and so does ar: par tevi (about you), ar mani (with me). In the plural, these prepositions take the dative instead: ar mums (with us), par jums (about you). See pronouns after prepositions.

Not every verb takes the accusative. Some verbs that take a direct object in English use the dative in Latvian, for example Es tev palīdzu (I help you). See dative pronouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Es tevi mīlu.

    I love you.

    Tevi is the object form of tu. It usually comes before the verb.

  2. Vai tu mani dzirdi?

    Can you hear me?

  3. Es viņu pazīstu. Viņš ir mans kaimiņš.

    I know him. He is my neighbour.

    Viņu is "him" here. With a woman, the same viņu would mean "her".

  4. Kā tevi sauc? — Mani sauc Līga.

    What is your name? — My name is Līga.

    Word by Word: How you they-call? — Me they-call Līga.

    The person is in the accusative: tevi, mani.

  5. Mēs jūs gaidām kafejnīcā.

    We are waiting for you at the café.

    Gaidīt takes a direct object, so "you" is the accusative jūs.

  6. Zēni ir pagalmā. Vai tu viņus redzi?

    The boys are in the yard. Can you see them?

    Viņus is "them" for men or boys.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the subject form as the object.

    Es mīlu tu.
    Es tevi mīlu.

    The object of mīlu must be in the accusative, so tu becomes tevi.

  • Using the dative man instead of mani when giving your name.

    Man sauc Anna.
    Mani sauc Anna.

    Mani sauc means "they call me", so the person is in the accusative mani. Man is the dative, as in man ir.

  • Using viņu when you mean several people.

    Zēni ir šeit. Vai tu redzi viņu?
    Zēni ir šeit. Vai tu redzi viņus?

    The intended meaning is "Can you see them (the boys)?". Viņu is one person; for several men or a mixed group use viņus.

How It Connects

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

mani / tevi / viņuLevel 1Object Pronouns

Learn This First

Object pronouns build on subject pronouns and the accusative.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

maniteviviņuviņumūsviņusviņas