Personal Pronouns: Es, Tu, Viņš, Viņa
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Latvian uses 'es' (I), 'tu' (you), 'viņš' (he), and 'viņa' (she) to identify people; remember that gender is strictly tied to the person.
- Use 'es' for yourself and 'tu' for the person you are talking to.
- Use 'viņš' for a male and 'viņa' for a female.
- Latvian pronouns do not change based on the verb in the third person.
Personal Pronouns Overview
| Pronoun | English | Gender | Person |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Es
|
I
|
Neutral
|
1st
|
|
Tu
|
You
|
Neutral
|
2nd
|
|
Viņš
|
He
|
Male
|
3rd
|
|
Viņa
|
She
|
Female
|
3rd
|
Meanings
These are the fundamental personal pronouns used to replace nouns when referring to the speaker, the listener, or a third party.
Personal Subject
Used as the subject of a sentence to perform an action.
“Es esmu students.”
“Tu esi laimīgs.”
Gender Identification
Distinguishing between male and female entities.
“Viņa ir mana māsa.”
“Viņš ir mans brālis.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Pronoun + Verb
|
Es esmu.
|
|
Negative
|
Pronoun + ne + Verb
|
Es neesmu.
|
|
Question
|
Pronoun + Verb?
|
Tu esi?
|
|
Third Person M
|
Viņš + Verb
|
Viņš lasa.
|
|
Third Person F
|
Viņa + Verb
|
Viņa lasa.
|
|
Emphasis
|
Pronoun + Verb + Emphasis
|
Es pats esmu.
|
Spectre de formalité
Viņš ir ārsts. (Professional)
Viņš ir ārsts. (Professional)
Viņš ir dakteris. (Professional)
Viņš ir dakteris. (Professional)
Pronoun Map
1st Person
- Es I
2nd Person
- Tu You
3rd Person
- Viņš He
- Viņa She
Exemples par niveau
Es esmu Jānis.
I am Jānis.
Tu esi draugs.
You are a friend.
Viņš ir skolotājs.
He is a teacher.
Viņa ir laimīga.
She is happy.
Es neesmu noguris.
I am not tired.
Vai tu esi mājās?
Are you at home?
Viņš nestrādā šodien.
He is not working today.
Viņa negrib iet ārā.
She does not want to go out.
Es domāju, ka viņš ir pareizs.
I think that he is correct.
Viņa man teica, ka tu esi prom.
She told me that you are away.
Es vēlētos, lai viņš atnāk.
I would like him to come.
Tu esi tas, kurš zina patiesību.
You are the one who knows the truth.
Viņš, būdams pieredzējis, zināja risinājumu.
He, being experienced, knew the solution.
Viņa, neskatoties uz grūtībām, turpināja.
She, despite the difficulties, continued.
Es uzskatu, ka tu esi kļūdījies.
I consider that you have made a mistake.
Viņš ir tas cilvēks, par kuru mēs runājām.
He is the person we were talking about.
Viņš, kā jau ierasts, kavējās.
He, as usual, was late.
Viņa, šķiet, ir mainījusi savas domas.
She, it seems, has changed her mind.
Es nevaru noliegt, ka tu esi bijis taisnīgs.
I cannot deny that you have been fair.
Viņš, lai arī kluss, ir ļoti inteliģents.
He, although quiet, is very intelligent.
Viņš, būdams savas jomas eksperts, sniedza padomu.
He, being an expert in his field, gave advice.
Viņa, it kā nojauzdama briesmas, apstājās.
She, as if sensing danger, stopped.
Es, savukārt, uzskatu par nepieciešamu piebilst...
I, for my part, consider it necessary to add...
Tu, būdams tik tuvs draugs, sapratīsi.
You, being such a close friend, will understand.
Facile à confondre
Learners mix up 'I' and 'My'.
Learners mix up gender.
Learners mix up informal and formal.
Erreurs courantes
Viņš ir māsa.
Viņa ir māsa.
Es neesmu.
Es neesmu.
Tu ir.
Tu esi.
Viņa ir brālis.
Viņš ir brālis.
Viņš nav iet.
Viņš neiet.
Es ne esmu.
Es neesmu.
Viņa nav iet.
Viņa neiet.
Viņš mani redz.
Viņš mani redz.
Es gribu viņš.
Es gribu viņu.
Viņa grib es.
Viņa grib mani.
Viņš, kurš ir gudrs.
Viņš, kurš ir gudrs.
Viņa, kura ir gudra.
Viņa, kura ir gudra.
Structures de phrases
Es esmu ___.
Tu esi ___.
Viņš ir ___.
Viņa nav ___.
Real World Usage
Es esmu šeit!
Tu esi mājās?
Es esmu pieredzējis.
Viņš ir mans draugs.
Viņa gaida pasūtījumu.
Viņš lasa grāmatu.
Practice Daily
Gender Matters
Pro-Drop
Be Polite
Smart Tips
Always check the gender of the subject.
Don't be afraid to drop the pronoun.
Use rising intonation.
Attach 'ne' to the verb.
Prononciation
Es
Pronounced like 'ess'.
Tu
Pronounced like 'too'.
Viņš
The 'š' is like 'sh' in 'ship'.
Viņa
The 'ņ' is like 'ny' in 'canyon'.
Question
Tu esi šeit↗?
Rising intonation for yes/no questions.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Es (S)tart, Tu (T)alk, Viņš (H)e, Viņa (S)he.
Association visuelle
Imagine yourself (Es) pointing at a friend (Tu), then looking at a man (Viņš) and a woman (Viņa) standing nearby.
Rhyme
Es is me, Tu is you, Viņš is he, Viņa is she too.
Story
Es walk into a room. I see Tu sitting at a desk. Beside Tu, Viņš is reading, and Viņa is writing.
Word Web
Défi
Write 4 sentences today, one for each pronoun.
Notes culturelles
Latvians value directness. Using the correct pronoun is a sign of respect.
In rural areas, pronouns are often dropped.
In cities, pronouns are used more frequently for clarity.
These pronouns have Proto-Indo-European roots.
Amorces de conversation
Kā tevi sauc?
Kas viņš ir?
Vai viņa ir mājās?
Kāpēc tu esi šeit?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
___ esmu students.
___ ir mana māsa.
Find and fix the mistake:
Viņš ir mana māsa.
Es esmu mājās.
Latvian pronouns are gendered in the third person.
A: Kas tu esi? B: ___ esmu Jānis.
ir / viņš / skolotājs
Sort into male/female.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercises___ esmu students.
___ ir mana māsa.
Find and fix the mistake:
Viņš ir mana māsa.
Es esmu mājās.
Latvian pronouns are gendered in the third person.
A: Kas tu esi? B: ___ esmu Jānis.
ir / viņš / skolotājs
Sort into male/female.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes, Latvian is a pro-drop language.
No, you must use 'viņš' or 'viņa'.
Use 'Es neesmu'.
Yes, they are standard.
It is a grammatical rule.
No, use 'jūs' for formal settings.
Yes, plural ones like 'mēs' and 'jūs'.
Yes, they do.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
ich/du/er/sie
German has more complex case systems.
je/tu/il/elle
Latvian is pro-drop.
yo/tú/él/ella
Spanish has formal 'usted'.
watashi/anata/kare/kanojo
Japanese has many levels of politeness.
ana/anta/huwa/hiya
Arabic has dual forms.
wo/ni/ta/ta
Chinese has no verb conjugation.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Connected Grammar
Verb Būt
PrerequisiteNeed it to use pronouns.
Plural Pronouns
Builds OnNext step in learning.
Cases
Advanced FormHow pronouns change.
