gribēt, lai
Wanting Someone to Do Something
When you want someone else to do something, use lai and a new clause: Es gribu, lai tu atnāc (I want you to come).
How It Works
1. You or someone else.
- You do it yourself: an infinitive, as in gribēt + infinitive. Es gribu atnākt. (I want to come.)
- Someone else does it: a comma, lai and a new clause. Es gribu, lai tu atnāc. (I want you to come.)
2. Which verbs. Verbs of wanting and asking work this way: gribēt, vēlēties, lūgt, prasīt, and teikt when it passes on an order: Skolotāja teica, lai mēs runājam klusāk. (The teacher told us to speak more quietly.) Verbs of hoping and knowing take ka instead: Es ceru, ka tu atnāksi. (I hope that you will come.)
3. Present or conditional. The verb after lai is in the present or the conditional, never in the past:
- Es gribu, lai tu atnāc. — direct
- Es gribētu, lai tu atnāktu. — a gentle, polite wish
- Viņš lūdza, lai es palīdzētu. — after a past-tense verb the conditional is common
4. The new subject. The person who should act is the subject of the lai clause, in the nominative: lai tu atnāc, lai bērni mācītos. English puts this person in the object form (want you to), but Latvian does not.
5. Other uses of lai. The same lai with the conditional expresses purpose (in order to), and lai with the present on its own makes a wish about someone else (Lai viņš nāk!).
Examples (6)
- Es gribu, lai tu atnāc.
I want you to come.
Word by Word: I want, so-that you come.
Tu is the subject of the lai clause and atnāc is present tense.
- Viņš lūdza, lai es palīdzētu.
He asked me to help.
After a past-tense verb, the conditional palīdzētu is usual.
- Es negribu, lai tu aizej.
I do not want you to leave.
- Vai tu vēlies, lai es tev piezvanu?
Do you want me to call you?
- Skolotāja teica, lai mēs runājam klusāk.
The teacher told us to speak more quietly.
Teikt with lai passes on an order, not a statement.
- Viņi gribēja, lai bērni mācītos latviski.
They wanted the children to learn Latvian.
The children are the subject of the lai clause: bērni, in the nominative.
Common Mistakes
Copying the English pattern want someone to do.
Es gribu tevi atnākt.Es gribu, lai tu atnāc.Gribēt + infinitive is only for your own action. For someone else, use lai and a new clause with that person as the subject.
Using the past tense after lai.
Viņš lūdza, lai es palīdzēju.Viņš lūdza, lai es palīdzētu.A request is not yet done, so the lai clause takes the present or the conditional, not the past.
Using lai when the same person wants and acts.
Es gribu, lai es atnāku.Es gribu atnākt.If you are the one who will act, use a plain infinitive after gribēt.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Gribēt takes a lai clause when someone else should act; its verb can be present or conditional.
- lai + Conditional (Purpose)In Order to: Lai
Lai with the conditional is already familiar from purpose clauses; here it expresses the action wanted from someone else.
Level 4 - lai + Present (Let)Let Him and Long Live: Lai
The present lai clause supplies direct wishes such as Es gribu, lai tu atnāc.
Level 4
Related Patterns
- gribēt / varēt + InfinitiveWant to and Can
The infinitive pattern for wanting to do something yourself.
Level 1 - Conditional -tuThe Conditional
The conditional forms used in gentler lai clauses.
Level 4 - Reported Speech With kaReported Speech
Reported statements use ka; reported requests use lai.
Level 4 - likt + Dative + InfinitiveTelling Someone to Do Something
Another way to tell someone to do something: likt man palikt.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice gribēt, lai in Bubblegum
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