Bedeutung
Difficult or demanding task.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'Darba tikums' (work ethic) is a central pillar of Latvian identity. Historically, being a 'hard worker' was the highest social praise one could receive. In Baltic folklore, characters who perform 'grūts darbs' without complaining are often rewarded by mythical figures like Laima (goddess of luck). Despite modern technology, there is still a cultural stigma against 'laziness'. Even in tech startups, 'grūts darbs' is celebrated more than 'smart work' sometimes. Latvians who emigrated often used their reputation for 'grūts darbs' to establish themselves in new countries like the USA, Canada, or Australia.
Use it to show respect
Telling someone 'Tas ir grūts darbs' is a great way to acknowledge their effort and show empathy.
Watch the endings
Remember that 'darbs' is masculine. If you use it with a feminine noun like 'māja' (house), the adjective changes to 'grūta'.
Bedeutung
Difficult or demanding task.
Use it to show respect
Telling someone 'Tas ir grūts darbs' is a great way to acknowledge their effort and show empathy.
Watch the endings
Remember that 'darbs' is masculine. If you use it with a feminine noun like 'māja' (house), the adjective changes to 'grūta'.
The 'Smags' swap
If you want to sound more like a native when talking about manual labor, use 'smags darbs' instead of 'grūts'.
Don't complain too much
While Latvians acknowledge 'grūts darbs', complaining about it excessively is seen as a sign of weakness.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of 'grūts darbs'.
Mācīties jaunu valodu ir ______.
The sentence requires the nominative case as it is the subject/complement.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose the correct option:
In Latvian, 'Man ir' is followed by the nominative case.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You just finished a 12-hour shift at a construction site.
Physical labor for long hours is the definition of 'grūts darbs'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Vai tu vari man palīdzēt? B: Jā, bet tas būs ______.
Contextually, 'grūts darbs' warns the other person about the effort needed.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Grūts vs. Smags
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMācīties jaunu valodu ir ______.
The sentence requires the nominative case as it is the subject/complement.
Choose the correct option:
In Latvian, 'Man ir' is followed by the nominative case.
You just finished a 12-hour shift at a construction site.
Physical labor for long hours is the definition of 'grūts darbs'.
A: Vai tu vari man palīdzēt? B: Jā, bet tas būs ______.
Contextually, 'grūts darbs' warns the other person about the effort needed.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenYes, it is very common to say 'Mājasdarbi ir grūts darbs'.
'Grūts darbs' is 'a hard job', while 'grūtais darbs' is 'the hard job'. Use the latter for a specific task already mentioned.
The opposite is 'viegls darbs' (easy work).
It is neutral. You can use it with friends, family, or at work.
You say 'Es smagi strādāju' or 'Es daudz strādāju'.
Yes, 'grūts cilvēks' means a difficult person to deal with.
No, 'hard' like a rock is 'ciets'. 'Grūts' is only for difficulty.
It can mean 'job', 'task', 'work', or even a 'piece of art' (mākslas darbs).
'Smags' literally means 'heavy'. It's used for work that is physically exhausting.
Yes, 'Attiecības ir grūts darbs' (Relationships are hard work).
Very. Many folk songs and modern songs mention the necessity of work.
It's a long vowel. Hold it twice as long as a normal 'u'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Smags darbs
similarHeavy work
Viegls darbs
contrastEasy work
Darba tikums
builds onWork ethic
Melnas darbs
specialized formDirty/Menial work
Sūrs darbs
similarBitter/Harsh work
