Present Forms of Verbs Ending in -īt
Present of Verbs Like Lasīt
lasīt → lasu, lasi, lasa, lasām, lasāt, lasa. Take off -īt, then add -u, -i, -a, -ām, -āt, -a.
How It Works
The pattern.
- lasīt (to read): lasu, lasi, lasa, lasām, lasāt, lasa
- rakstīt (to write): rakstu, raksti, raksta, rakstām, rakstāt, raksta
Other common verbs like these are gaidīt (to wait), stāstīt (to tell), zvanīt (to call), mācīt (to teach) and tīrīt (to clean).
Watch the long ā. The mēs and jūs forms are lasām and lasāt, with a macron. Verbs like redzēt have short endings instead (redzam, redzat); see verbs like redzēt. The verb zināt (to know) and verbs in -ināt follow the lasīt pattern: zinu, zini, zina, zinām, zināt, zina.
C becomes k. In verbs ending in -cīt, the c turns into k in the present: sacīt (to say) → saku, saki, saka; locīt (to fold) → loku, loka. Mācīt is an exception and keeps its c: mācu, māca.
Reflexive verbs. The reflexive mācīties (to study) works the same way: mācos, mācies, mācās. See reflexive verbs.
The ī comes back. Only the present loses the ī. The past keeps it: lasīju (I read). See the third-conjugation past.
Examples (6)
- Es lasu grāmatu.
I am reading a book.
- Ko tu raksti?
What are you writing?
The tu form ends in -i: raksti.
- Viņa gaida autobusu.
She is waiting for the bus.
Gaidīt → gaida, with -a for viņa.
- Mēs lasām ziņas latviski.
We read the news in Latvian.
Lasām has a long ā.
- Vai jūs rakstāt e-pastu?
Are you writing an email?
- Viņi raksta dziesmu.
They are writing a song.
The they form raksta is the same as the he and she form.
Common Mistakes
Dropping the -a in the he, she or they form.
Viņš rakst vēstuli.Viņš raksta vēstuli.Verbs in -īt keep -a in the third person: raksta, lasa, gaida.
Writing a short a in the mēs form.
Mēs lasam avīzi.Mēs lasām avīzi.In -īt verbs, the mēs and jūs endings have a long ā: lasām, lasāt.
Keeping the ī in the present tense.
Es tagad lasīju grāmatu.Es tagad lasu grāmatu.The intended meaning is "I am reading a book now". Lasīju is the past tense; the present drops the ī: lasu.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Verbs like lasīt change with the subject.
Related Patterns
- Present Forms of Verbs Ending in -ēt and -ātPresent of Verbs Like Redzēt
Compares verbs like redzēt, which have no -a in the third person.
Level 1 - Present of Second-Conjugation Verbs
Contrasts verbs like runāt, which keep their vowel in the present.
Level 1 - Present of First-Conjugation Verbs
Compares verbs with one-syllable infinitives, like nest.
Level 1 - Past of Third-Conjugation Verbs
Shows the past, where the ī comes back: lasīju, lasīja.
Level 2 - Reflexive Verbs in -ties
Mācīties → mācos, mācās follows the same pattern.
Level 2 - palīdzēt / zvanīt / ticēt + DativeVerbs with Dative Objects
Zvanīt, a verb like lasīt, takes a dative person: Es tev zvanu.
Level 2
Practice Present Forms of Verbs Ending in -īt in Bubblegum
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