Relative kas
Who and Which: Kas
Kas links a clause to a noun, like English who, which or that: cilvēks, kas tur stāv (the man who is standing there). A comma goes before it.
How It Works
1. Choose the case from the clause, not from the noun.
- Subject: Sieviete, kas runā, ir mana māsa (The woman who is speaking is my sister).
- Object: Filma, ko mēs redzējām, bija laba (The film we saw was good). Mēs is the subject, and the film is what we saw, so ko.
- Dative: Viņš ir vienīgais, kam es uzticos (He is the only one I trust). Uzticēties takes the dative, so kam.
Unlike English, Latvian cannot leave the relative word out: the film we saw is filma, ko mēs redzējām.
2. After tas, viss and kaut kas. Paldies par visu, ko tu izdarīji! (Thank you for everything you did!) Tas, ko tu teici, ir taisnība (What you said is true). See pairs like tas, kas.
3. When kurš is better. For the locative, the genitive (whose), after a preposition, or when kas could point to more than one noun, Latvian prefers kurš and kura: māja, kurā es dzīvoju (the house I live in).
4. Commas. A relative clause is set off with commas. If it sits in the middle of the sentence, it needs a comma at each end: Cilvēks, kas tur stāv, ir mans tēvs.
5. Kas is not ka. English that covers two Latvian words. After a noun, use kas (the book that I am reading = grāmata, ko es lasu). To report a fact, use ka (I know that he is here = Es zinu, ka viņš ir šeit).
Examples (5)
- Cilvēks, kas tur stāv, ir mans tēvs.
The man standing there is my father.
Kas is the subject of stāv, so it is nominative.
- Filma, ko mēs vakar redzējām, bija ļoti laba.
The film we saw yesterday was very good.
The film is the object of redzējām, so the accusative ko.
- Man patīk dziesmas, kas ir latviešu valodā.
I like songs that are in Latvian.
Kas does not change for a plural noun.
- Paldies par visu, ko tu izdarīji!
Thank you for everything you did!
- Viņš ir vienīgais, kam es uzticos.
He is the only one I trust.
Uzticēties takes the dative, so kam.
Common Mistakes
Using ka (that) instead of kas after a noun.
Grāmata, ka es lasu, ir interesanta.Grāmata, ko es lasu, ir interesanta.Ka introduces a fact after verbs like zināt and teikt. After a noun, use kas in the right case, here ko.
Keeping kas in the nominative when it is the object of its clause.
Grāmata, kas es lasu, ir interesanta.Grāmata, ko es lasu, ir interesanta.Es is the subject of lasu, and the book is what I read, so kas becomes the accusative ko.
Leaving out the commas around the relative clause.
Cilvēks kas tur stāv ir mans tēvs.Cilvēks, kas tur stāv, ir mans tēvs.Latvian sets off a relative clause with commas at both ends.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Relative kas joins a clause.
Related Patterns
- Relative kurš / kuraRelative Kurš and Kura
The relative word Latvian prefers for the locative, the genitive and after prepositions.
Level 3 - tas, kas / tur, kurPairs Like Tas, Kas
Pairs like tas, kas (what, that which).
Level 4 - Commas in Latvian
The comma rules for relative clauses.
Level 4 - kas / kur / kad / kā / kāpēc / cikQuestion Words
Kas as a question word, where it first appears.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Relative kas in Bubblegum
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