no + Genitive
Where You Come from
Say Es esmu no Latvijas (I am from Latvia). After no (from), the place changes to the genitive: Latvija → no Latvijas, Rīga → no Rīgas.
How It Works
The pattern. būt + no + a place in the genitive: Es esmu no Rīgas. (I am from Riga.) In everyday speech es is often left out: Esmu no Rīgas. (See the present of būt.)
Genitive endings for place names.
- -a → -as: Latvija → no Latvijas, Anglija → no Anglijas, Vācija → no Vācijas, Rīga → no Rīgas, Londona → no Londonas
- -e → -es: Ēģipte → no Ēģiptes, Ogre → no Ogres
- masculine -s → -a: Tukums → no Tukuma
- feminine -s, like Ventspils: the genitive looks the same: no Ventspils, no Daugavpils
Plural names take the dative. Every preposition takes the dative in the plural, so a town with a plural name changes differently: Cēsis → no Cēsīm, Talsi → no Talsiem (see plural nouns after prepositions).
From versus in. No with the genitive tells where you come from. The locative tells where you are now: Es esmu no Rīgas, bet dzīvoju Liepājā. (I am from Riga, but I live in Liepāja.)
Asking. No kurienes tu esi? (Where are you from?) Latvian puts no at the start of the question; it does not stay at the end, as from does in English.
Where a trip starts. No with the genitive also marks the starting point of a movement: Es braucu no Rīgas uz Jelgavu. (I am going from Riga to Jelgava.) Its partner for the goal is uz + the accusative.
Examples (6)
- Es esmu no Latvijas.
I am from Latvia.
Word by Word: I am from Latvia.
Latvija becomes Latvijas after no.
- Viņš ir no Rīgas.
He is from Riga.
Word by Word: He is from Riga.
Rīga → Rīgas: a feminine name in -a takes -as.
- No kurienes tu esi? — Esmu no Vācijas.
Where are you from? — I'm from Germany.
Word by Word: From where you are? — Am from Germany.
The question starts with no kurienes. The answer leaves out es, because esmu already shows who.
- Mans draugs ir no Tukuma.
My friend is from Tukums.
Word by Word: My friend is from Tukums.
A masculine name in -s takes -a: Tukums → Tukuma.
- Anna ir no Anglijas, bet dzīvo Rīgā.
Anna is from England, but she lives in Riga.
Word by Word: Anna is from England, but lives in-Riga.
No Anglijas is where she comes from; the locative Rīgā is where she lives now.
- Viņa ir no Cēsīm.
She is from Cēsis.
Word by Word: She is from Cēsis.
Cēsis is a plural name, so no takes the dative plural: Cēsīm.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the place name in the nominative after no.
Es esmu no Latvija.Es esmu no Latvijas.No always takes the genitive: Latvija → Latvijas.
Putting from at the end of the question, as in English.
Kur tu esi no?No kurienes tu esi?Latvian keeps no at the front. The question word for from where is no kurienes.
Using the singular pattern for a plural town name.
Viņa ir no Cēsis.Viņa ir no Cēsīm.With a plural noun, every preposition takes the dative: Cēsis → no Cēsīm.
How It Connects
Learn This First
No + genitive starts with a sentence with būt.
Related Patterns
- Genitive Singular Endings
The full set of genitive endings used after no.
Level 2 - uz + Accusative (Direction)Going to a Place
No says where you come from; uz says where you are going.
Level 1 - Locative -ā, -ī, -ē, -ūThe Locative for in and at
The locative says where you live now: dzīvoju Rīgā.
Level 1 - Plural Nouns After Prepositions
Why plural names change to no Cēsīm.
Level 2 - Nationalities in -ietis / -ieteNationalities
Another way to say where you are from: Es esmu latvietis.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice no + Genitive in Bubblegum
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