§ Don't confuse 'vakars' with other times of day
Many beginners, especially English speakers, mix up 'vakars' (evening) with 'nakts' (night) or 'pēcpusdiena' (afternoon). In Latvian, these are distinct times, and using the wrong one can sound odd. Think of 'vakars' as the period from late afternoon to early night, when people are typically finishing work, eating dinner, and relaxing. 'Nakts' is when it's truly dark and most people are asleep.
- DEFINITION
- Vakars: Evening, the period between afternoon and night.
- DEFINITION
- Nakts: Night, the time of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
- DEFINITION
- Pēcpusdiena: Afternoon, the time between noon and evening.
§ Incorrect usage with greetings
A common mistake is using 'Labrīt' (Good morning) or 'Labdien' (Good day) in the evening. While this sounds obvious, in the heat of conversation, it's an easy slip. Always use 'Labvakar!' when greeting someone in the evening.
Sveiki! Labvakar! Vakars
Hello! Good evening! The evening is beautiful.
§ Using 'vakars' in different cases
Like many Latvian nouns, 'vakars' changes its ending depending on its role in a sentence (its grammatical case). This can be a headache for English speakers, as we don't have this in English. Here are a few common cases and how 'vakars' changes:
- Nominative (subject of the sentence): 'vakars'
- Genitive (possession, 'of the evening'): 'vakara'
- Dative (indirect object, 'to/for the evening'): 'vakaram'
- Accusative (direct object, 'the evening'): 'vakaru'
- Instrumental (with 'ar', 'with the evening'): 'ar vakaru' (This case is rarely used for 'vakars' on its own, usually combined with a preposition.)
- Locative (location, 'in the evening'): 'vakarā'
Šis vakars
This evening is quiet.
Mēs gaidām vakara
We are waiting for the evening's news.
Mēs gatavojamies svētku vakaram.
We are preparing for the festive evening.
Mēs pavadām jauku vakaru kopā.
We are spending a nice evening together.
Ko tu darīsi vakarā?
What will you do in the evening?
§ Forgetting the definite article
Latvian doesn't have articles like 'a/an' or 'the'. Instead, the definiteness is often shown through adjective endings. However, with 'vakars' itself, you generally don't need to add anything extra to imply 'the evening' unless there's a specific context or modifying adjective. Just using 'vakars' is often enough.
§ Common phrases to avoid mistakes
To get it right, practice these common phrases:
- Labvakar! - Good evening!
- Šovakar - Tonight (literally 'this evening')
- Rīt vakarā - Tomorrow evening
- Vakar vakarā - Yesterday evening (last night)
Šovakar
Tonight we are going to the cinema.
Rīt vakarā
Tomorrow evening I will meet friends.
Ko tu darīji vakar vakarā?
What did you do yesterday evening?
Wichtige Grammatik
Nouns in Latvian have genders (masculine or feminine). 'Vakars' is a masculine noun.
Labs vakars! (Good evening!)
Latvian nouns decline, meaning their endings change depending on their grammatical case and number. For 'vakars' in the nominative singular, it ends in '-s'.
Cik pulkstenis ir vakarā? (What time is it in the evening?)
The genitive singular form of 'vakars' is 'vakara'. This case is often used to show possession or in certain prepositions.
Vakara gaismas. (Evening lights.)
The dative singular form of 'vakars' is 'vakaram'. This case indicates the indirect object of a verb or is used with certain prepositions.
Es priecājos par vakaru. (I am happy about the evening.)
The accusative singular form of 'vakars' is 'vakaru'. This case indicates the direct object of a verb.
Mēs gaidījām vakaru. (We waited for the evening.)
Teste dich selbst 6 Fragen
Choose the correct greeting for the evening.
'Labvakar!' means 'Good evening!'
What time of day is usually associated with 'vakars'?
'Vakars' directly translates to 'evening'.
If you are meeting someone for dinner, you would likely say 'Labvakar' when you arrive in the...
Dinner is typically eaten in the evening, which is 'vakarā' in Latvian.
The word 'vakars' refers to the time after midnight.
'Vakars' is evening, which is before midnight. The time after midnight is 'nakts' (night).
If someone says 'Uz tikšanos vakarā!', they mean 'See you in the morning!'.
'Uz tikšanos vakarā!' means 'See you in the evening!', not morning.
It is appropriate to say 'Labvakar' when you are leaving a party late at night.
'Labvakar' (Good evening) is used both as a greeting and a farewell in the evening.
/ 6 correct
Perfect score!
