Bedeutung
Asking for someone's name informally.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Latvians celebrate 'Name Days'. If you know someone's name, you can look up their name day and congratulate them. It's a huge part of social life. The transition from 'Jūs' to 'Tu' is a significant social milestone. Usually, the older person or the woman suggests moving to 'Tu'. Latvian names almost always end in -s or -is for men and -a or -e for women. This makes it easy to spot names in a sentence. In formal documents, the surname often comes first, but in speech, the first name always comes first.
Introduce yourself first
Latvians are more likely to answer if you say 'Mani sauc...' before asking them.
Watch the 'Jūs'
If the person looks older than 30 and you are a student, use 'Kā jūs sauc?' to be safe.
Bedeutung
Asking for someone's name informally.
Introduce yourself first
Latvians are more likely to answer if you say 'Mani sauc...' before asking them.
Watch the 'Jūs'
If the person looks older than 30 and you are a student, use 'Kā jūs sauc?' to be safe.
The 'Un tevi?' shortcut
After you answer 'Mani sauc...', you can just say 'Un tevi?' (And you?) instead of the whole phrase.
Eye contact
Maintain brief, friendly eye contact when asking this to show sincerity.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing word to ask a friend their name.
Kā ____ sauc?
We use the accusative 'tevi' because the person is the object of the verb 'sauc'.
Which phrase is appropriate for a 5-year-old child?
Asking a child's name:
The informal 'tevi' is always used for children.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Čau! Es esmu Jānis. ____ ? B: Mani sauc Anna.
The response 'Mani sauc...' indicates the question was about a name.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: You are at a university party meeting a classmate.
Classmates are peers, so the informal 'tevi' is correct.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Formal vs Informal
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenKā ____ sauc?
We use the accusative 'tevi' because the person is the object of the verb 'sauc'.
Asking a child's name:
The informal 'tevi' is always used for children.
A: Čau! Es esmu Jānis. ____ ? B: Mani sauc Anna.
The response 'Mani sauc...' indicates the question was about a name.
Situation: You are at a university party meeting a classmate.
Classmates are peers, so the informal 'tevi' is correct.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenOnly if your boss has explicitly asked you to use 'tu'. Otherwise, use 'Kā jūs sauc?'.
'Vārds' is the noun (name), 'sauc' is the verb (calls). 'Kā tevi sauc?' is more common in speech.
No, the verb 'sauc' stays the same. Only 'tevi' changes to 'jūs'.
In a social context (party, event), no. On the street, it might be seen as unusual unless you have a reason to talk.
Say 'Mani sauc [Your Name]'.
It's a linguistic quirk. Latvian asks for the *manner* in which you are addressed.
Yes, it's very common to ask 'Kā viņu sauc?' about a dog or cat.
Say: 'Atvaino, es aizmirsu, kā tevi sauc.'
Not really a direct one, but 'Kas tu esi?' is very informal/blunt.
Yes, it can mean 'to shout' or 'to summon'.
Yes, many Latvian pop and folk songs use this phrase.
It is 'tevi'. 'Teve' is not a word.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Kā jūs sauc?
specialized formWhat is your name? (Formal)
Mani sauc...
builds onMy name is...
Prieks iepazīties!
similarNice to meet you!
Kāds ir tavs vārds?
synonymWhat is your name?
Kā tevi dēvē?
specialized formHow are you called?
