-nīca / -tava
Places: -nīca and -tava
A noun in -nīca or -tava is often a place: slimnīca (hospital), viesnīca (hotel), frizētava (hairdresser's), slidotava (skating rink).
How It Works
1. -nīca. It joins a noun, an adjective or a verb stem:
- viesis → viesnīca (guest → hotel)
- kafija → kafejnīca (coffee → café)
- maize → maiznīca (bread → bakery)
- darbs → darbnīca (work → workshop)
- slims → slimnīca (ill → hospital)
- ēst → ēdnīca (to eat → canteen)
A few -nīca words are not places: vārdnīca is a dictionary.
2. -tava. It turns a verb into the place where the action happens:
- frizēt → frizētava (to cut hair → hairdresser's)
- slidot → slidotava (to skate → skating rink)
- mazgāt → mazgātava (to wash → laundry, car wash)
- nolikt → noliktava (to put away → warehouse)
The same verbs often give a person in -tājs: slidotājs is a skater (see agent nouns).
3. Using them. These nouns are feminine, so adjectives agree: jauna slimnīca (a new hospital). Say where you are with the locative and where you go with uz + accusative:
- Es strādāju slimnīcā. (I work at a hospital.)
- Es eju uz frizētavu. (I am going to the hairdresser's.)
Watch out: some place nouns use -tuve instead, and those end in -e: ģērbtuve (changing room).
Examples (6)
- Mans tēvs strādā slimnīcā.
My father works at a hospital.
Word by Word: My father works in-hospital.
- Satiksimies kafejnīcā pie stacijas!
Let's meet at the café by the station!
Word by Word: Let's-meet in-café at station!
- Mēs paliksim viesnīcā pilsētas centrā.
We will stay at a hotel in the city center.
Word by Word: We will-stay in-hotel city's in-center.
- Pusdienas mēs ēdam ēdnīcā.
We eat lunch in the canteen.
Word by Word: Lunch we eat in-canteen.
- Rīt es iešu uz frizētavu.
Tomorrow I will go to the hairdresser's.
Word by Word: Tomorrow I will-go to hairdresser's.
Frizētava comes from frizēt, to cut and style hair.
- Ziemā bērni iet uz slidotavu.
In winter, children go to the skating rink.
Word by Word: In-winter children go to skating-rink.
Common Mistakes
Using uz + accusative to say where someone is.
Es strādāju uz slimnīcu.Es strādāju slimnīcā.Uz with the accusative shows where you are going. To say where you are, use the locative: slimnīcā.
Using a masculine adjective with a -nīca or -tava noun.
Pilsētā ir jauns slimnīca.Pilsētā ir jauna slimnīca.Nouns in -nīca and -tava are feminine, so the adjective ends in -a.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-nīca and -tava name places.
Related Patterns
- -nieks / -niecePeople from a Place or Trade
Another suffix that makes nouns, this time for people.
Level 4 - -ība / -umsAbstract Nouns: -ība and -ums
Another pair of noun suffixes. They make nouns for qualities.
Level 4 - Locative -ā, -ī, -ē, -ūThe Locative for in and at
To be at one of these places, use the locative: slimnīcā, frizētavā.
Level 1 - uz + Accusative (Direction)Going to a Place
To go to one of these places, use uz with the accusative: uz frizētavu.
Level 1 - Fourth Declension: -aFourth Declension: Nouns in -a
Nouns in -nīca and -tava decline like other feminine nouns in -a.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice -nīca / -tava in Bubblegum
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