tikt + -ts
The Passive with Tikt
Latvian forms the passive with tikt + a participle in -ts: Māja tiek būvēta (The house is being built). Tikt shows the time, and the participle agrees with the subject.
How It Works
1. How to build it. Put tikt in the tense you need, then add the past passive participle (būvēt → būvēts, nosūtīt → nosūtīts, atvērt → atvērts):
- Present: tiek: Māja tiek būvēta. (The house is being built.)
- Past: tika: Vēstule tika nosūtīta vakar. (The letter was sent yesterday.)
- Future: tiks: Skola tiks atvērta septembrī. (The school will be opened in September.)
With es and tu the auxiliary changes too: es tieku, tu tiec; es tiku, tu tiki; es tikšu, tu tiksi. Es tiku uzaicināts (I was invited).
2. The participle agrees. It takes the gender and number of the subject: -ts (masculine singular), -ta (feminine singular), -ti (masculine or mixed plural), -tas (feminine plural). Bērni tika aicināti. Grāmatas tiek lasītas.
3. Tikt or būt? Tikt describes the event or process. passive būt + -ts describes the result: Veikals tiek slēgts (The shop is being closed, e.g. for good) but Veikals ir slēgts (The shop is closed now).
4. The doer usually stays out. The passive is used when the doer is unknown or does not matter. If you want to say who did it, Latvian prefers an active sentence: Māju uzcēla mans tēvs. Do not add the doer with no. A doer can be named in the genitive with a participle in some styles; see genitive agent with participles.
Other ways to say the same thing. Everyday speech often uses a sentence with no subject and a 3rd-person verb: Šeit būvē māju (They are building a house here). For things that happen by themselves, use a reflexive verb: Durvis atvērās (see reflexive for things that happen).
Examples (5)
- Māja tiek būvēta.
The house is being built.
Word by Word: House gets built.
- Vēstule tika nosūtīta vakar.
The letter was sent yesterday.
Word by Word: Letter got sent yesterday.
- Jaunā skola tiks atvērta septembrī.
The new school will be opened in September.
Word by Word: New school will-get opened in-September.
- Visi bērni tika aicināti uz svētkiem.
All the children were invited to the party.
Word by Word: All children got invited to celebration.
Bērni is masculine plural, so the participle ends in -ti.
- Šīs grāmatas tiek lasītas visā pasaulē.
These books are read all over the world.
Word by Word: These books get read in-all world.
Grāmatas is feminine plural, so the participle ends in -tas.
Common Mistakes
Not making the participle agree with the subject.
Māja tiek būvēts.Māja tiek būvēta.Māja is feminine singular, so the participle needs -ta.
Adding the doer with no, copying English 'by'.
Māja tika uzcelta no mana tēva.Māju uzcēla mans tēvs.Standard Latvian does not introduce the doer of a passive with no. When the doer matters, make the sentence active.
Using present tiek for a past event.
Vēstule tiek nosūtīta vakar.Vēstule tika nosūtīta vakar.The tense is carried by tikt. Vakar needs the past form tika.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The passive can use tikt.
Related Patterns
- -ts / -ta Participles as AdjectivesParticiples Like Atvērts
The same -ts participle works as an adjective: atvērts logs.
Level 4 - The Passive Without a Subject
Tikt + -ts can also appear with no subject at all: Par to tika daudz runāts.
Level 5 - Things That Happen by Themselves
A reflexive verb is another way to say something happens without naming a doer.
Level 4 - By Whom: The Genitive Agent
When a doer is named with a passive participle, it goes in the genitive, not with no.
Level 5 - Passive With taptThe Literary Passive with Tapt
Older and literary texts use tapt in place of tikt.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice tikt + -ts in Bubblegum
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