esot + -is
Reported Past Events
esot + a past participle passes on a past event you heard about: Viņš esot aizbraucis uz Londonu. (He has reportedly gone to London.)
How It Works
1. The pattern. Compare the plain and the reported forms:
- Viņš ir aizbraucis. (He has left.) → Viņš esot aizbraucis. (He has reportedly left.)
- Viņa ir nokārtojusi eksāmenu. (She has passed the exam.) → Viņa esot nokārtojusi eksāmenu.
2. Agreement. The participle changes for gender and number:
- one man: esot aizbraucis; one woman: esot aizbraukusi
- men or a mixed group: esot aizbraukuši; women: esot aizbraukušas
- reflexive verbs: esot apprecējies, apprecējusies, apprecējušies
- no subject, as with weather: esot bijis auksti
3. It covers all past time. The same form passes on both he left and he has left, because the renarrative has no separate simple past.
4. In stories. In a long retold story, esot is often left out after the first sentences, and the participle alone carries the meaning.
For the present, see renarrative -ot. News reports use this form a lot (see renarrative in news reports).
Examples (6)
- Viņš esot aizbraucis uz Londonu.
He has reportedly gone to London.
Word by Word: He reportedly-is gone-away to London.
- Viņi esot apprecējušies.
They are said to have married.
Word by Word: They reportedly-are married.
Apprecēties is reflexive, so the plural participle ends in -ušies.
- Anna esot nokārtojusi eksāmenu.
Anna has reportedly passed the exam.
Word by Word: Anna reportedly-is passed exam.
- Mūsu kaimiņi esot pārdevuši māju.
Our neighbors have reportedly sold their house.
Word by Word: Our neighbors reportedly-are sold house.
- Vakar esot bijis ļoti auksti.
Apparently it was very cold yesterday.
Word by Word: Yesterday reportedly-is been very cold.
- Toreiz šeit esot bijusi skola.
There is said to have been a school here back then.
Word by Word: Back-then here reportedly-is been school.
Skola is feminine, so the participle is bijusi.
Common Mistakes
Using a masculine participle for a woman.
Viņa esot aizbraucis.Viņa esot aizbraukusi.The participle agrees with the subject. For one woman it ends in -usi.
Using a simple past verb after esot.
Viņš esot aizbrauca.Viņš esot aizbraucis.After esot you need a participle, just as after ir in the present perfect.
Using the singular participle for several people.
Viņi esot aizbraucis.Viņi esot aizbraukuši.For more than one person the participle is plural: -uši for men or mixed groups, -ušas for women.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The renarrative has a past form.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.