-is / -usi Participles as Adjectives

Participles Like Nokritis

Level 5

A past active participle can work like an adjective for something that has changed: nokritušas lapas (fallen leaves), pieaudzis cilvēks (a grown-up).

How It Works

1. The forms. The nominative is the one you know from -is -usi -uši -ušas. Every other form uses -uš-:

  • Masculine: nokritis (nom.), nokrituša (gen.), nokritušam (dat.), nokritušu (acc.), nokritušā (loc.); plural nokrituši
  • Feminine: nokritusi (nom.), nokritušas (gen.), nokritušai (dat.), nokritušu (acc.); plural nokritušas
  • Definite: nokritušais, nokritusī

2. Which verbs. Mostly verbs with no object that describe a change of state:

  • nokrist → nokritušas lapas (fallen leaves)
  • izžūt → izžuvusi upe (a dried-up river)
  • pieaugt → pieaudzis cilvēks (a grown-up)
  • sarūgt → sarūdzis piens (milk that has gone sour)
  • aizmigt → aizmidzis bērns (a child who has fallen asleep)

3. Active, not passive. This participle describes what the noun itself did or went through. For something that someone else did to the noun, use the -ts participle: uzrakstīta vēstule (a written letter), not uzrakstījusi vēstule (a letter that has written).

4. Everyday words. Some have become ordinary adjectives: pieaudzis (grown-up), bijušais (former), pagājušais (last, as in last year).

Examples (5)

  1. Zeme bija klāta ar nokritušām lapām.

    The ground was covered with fallen leaves.

    Word by Word: Ground was covered with fallen leaves.

    Ar needs the instrumental plural: nokritušām lapām.

  2. Mēs gājām pa izžuvušas upes gultni.

    We walked along the bed of a dried-up river.

    Word by Word: We went along dried-up river's bed.

    The genitive of izžuvusi upe is izžuvušas upes.

  3. Viņš jau ir pieaudzis cilvēks.

    He is already a grown-up.

    Word by Word: He already is grown-up person.

  4. Nedzer sarūgušu pienu!

    Don't drink milk that has gone sour!

    Word by Word: Don't-drink soured milk!

    The accusative of sarūdzis is sarūgušu.

  5. Aizmigušais bērns gulēja mātes klēpī.

    The child who had fallen asleep lay in his mother's lap.

    Word by Word: Fallen-asleep child lay mother's lap.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the nominative form in another case.

    Zeme bija klāta ar nokritis lapām.
    Zeme bija klāta ar nokritušām lapām.

    Only the nominative uses -is or -usi. After ar you need the instrumental plural, built on -uš-: nokritušām.

  • Using the active participle for something that was acted on.

    uzrakstījusi vēstule
    uzrakstīta vēstule

    A letter does not write anything. It is written, so use the passive -ts participle: uzrakstīta.

  • Not making the participle agree with a feminine noun.

    Viņa jau ir pieaudzis sieviete.
    Viņa jau ir pieaugusi sieviete.

    Sieviete is feminine, so the participle takes the feminine form pieaugusi.

How It Connects

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

-is / -usi Participles as AdjectivesLevel 5Participles Like Nokritis

Learn This First

Past active participles can be adjectives.