kāds / kaut kas

Someone and Something

Level 3

Kāds also means someone or some: Kāds klauvē. (Someone is knocking.) Kaut + a question word makes a some- word: kaut kas (something), kaut kur (somewhere), kaut kad (sometime).

How It Works

1. Kāds as someone. Used alone, kāds means someone, or anyone in a question: Kāds klauvē pie durvīm. (Someone is knocking at the door.) Vai kāds zina? (Does anyone know?) It changes like the question word kāds: kāda (someone's), kādam (to someone), kādu (someone, as an object).

2. Kāds as some or a certain. Before a noun, kāds agrees like an adjective: Man ir kāds jautājums. (I have a question.) Kāda sieviete tev zvanīja. (Some woman called you.)

3. Kaut + a question word.

  • kaut kas — something
  • kaut kur — somewhere
  • kaut kad — sometime, some day
  • kaut kā — somehow
  • kaut kāds — some kind of
  • kaut kurš — one or another

Write kaut as a separate word. Only the question word changes, as in ko, kam, kā: Es gribu kaut ko ēst. (I want to eat something.)

4. Not with a negative. With a negated verb, Latvian uses the ne- words instead: Neviens nezvanīja. (Nobody called.) Es neko neredzu. (I can't see anything.) See negative words. For anything at all, Latvian uses jeb- words such as jebkas.

Examples (6)

  1. Vai kāds zvanīja?

    Did anyone call?

    In a question, kāds means anyone.

  2. Kāds klauvē pie durvīm.

    Someone is knocking at the door.

    On its own, kāds means someone.

  3. Man ir kāds jautājums.

    I have a question.

    Before a noun, kāds means some or a certain.

  4. Es gribu kaut ko ēst.

    I want to eat something.

    Word by Word: I want some what to-eat.

    Kaut kas is the object here, so kas changes to ko.

  5. Es kaut kur redzēju tavas atslēgas.

    I saw your keys somewhere.

  6. Kaut kad es gribu aizbraukt uz Japānu.

    Some day I want to go to Japan.

Common Mistakes

  • Using kāds with a negated verb to mean nobody.

    Kāds nezvanīja.
    Neviens nezvanīja.

    Kāds nezvanīja means someone did not call. To say nobody called, use neviens.

  • Leaving kaut kas in the nominative as an object.

    Es gribu kaut kas ēst.
    Es gribu kaut ko ēst.

    Kas changes case like the question word: the object form is ko, so the phrase is kaut ko.

  • Writing kaut and the question word as one word.

    Es kautkur redzēju tavas atslēgas.
    Es kaut kur redzēju tavas atslēgas.

    The standard spelling keeps two words: kaut kur, kaut kas, kaut kad.

How It Connects

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kāds / kaut kasLevel 3Someone and Something

Learn This First

Kāds and kaut kas mean someone and something.

Words in This Pattern

kādskaut kas