Nominative for Sentence Subjects
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Nominative case is the 'naming' case, used for the subject of a sentence who performs the action.
- Use Nominative for the person or thing doing the action: 'Students study' (Studenti mācās).
- Use Nominative after the verb 'to be': 'He is a teacher' (Viņš ir skolotājs).
- Nominative is the dictionary form of a noun: 'Sun' (Saule).
Nominative Noun Endings
| Gender | Singular Ending | Plural Ending | Example (Singular) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
-s, -š
|
-i
|
Galds
|
|
Feminine
|
-a, -e
|
-as, -es
|
Māte
|
|
Masculine (2nd decl)
|
-is
|
-i
|
Brālis
|
|
Feminine (5th decl)
|
-s
|
-is
|
Atslēga
|
Meanings
The Nominative case is the base form of nouns and adjectives in Latvian, used primarily to identify the subject of a sentence.
Subject
The agent performing the verb.
“Suns rej.”
“Meitene dzied.”
Predicate Nominative
Used after linking verbs like 'būt' (to be).
“Viņš ir ārsts.”
“Tā ir māja.”
Direct Address
Naming someone directly (though Vocative exists, Nominative is often used in casual speech).
“Jānis, nāc šurp!”
“Māte, kur tu esi?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Verb
|
Suns rej.
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + ne + Verb
|
Suns nerej.
|
|
Question
|
Verb + Subject?
|
Vai suns rej?
|
|
Predicate
|
Subject + ir + Noun
|
Tas ir suns.
|
|
Plural
|
Subject(pl) + Verb(pl)
|
Suņi rej.
|
|
Short Answer
|
Jā/Nē, [Subject] [Verb]
|
Jā, suns rej.
|
Espectro de formalidade
Kungs strādā. (Workplace/Street)
Vīrietis strādā. (Workplace/Street)
Čalis strādā. (Workplace/Street)
Vecis strādā. (Workplace/Street)
The Nominative Role
Function
- Subjekts Subject
- Predikāts Predicate
Usage
- Nosaukums Naming
- Apraksts Description
Exemplos por nível
Suns rej.
The dog is barking.
Meitene lasa.
The girl is reading.
Tas ir galds.
That is a table.
Viņš ir ārsts.
He is a doctor.
Māte gatavo vakariņas.
Mother is preparing dinner.
Dators ir jauns.
The computer is new.
Skolotāja runā latviski.
The teacher speaks Latvian.
Laiks ir labs.
The weather is good.
Mūsu kaimiņš vienmēr palīdz.
Our neighbor always helps.
Šī grāmata ir ļoti interesanta.
This book is very interesting.
Visi studenti piedalījās konferencē.
All students participated in the conference.
Lietus līst visu dienu.
Rain is falling all day.
Šis lēmums ir svarīgs visai sabiedrībai.
This decision is important for the whole society.
Mākslinieks izmantoja spilgtas krāsas.
The artist used bright colors.
Uzņēmums plāno paplašināties.
The company plans to expand.
Viņa ir viena no labākajām aktrisēm.
She is one of the best actresses.
Dzejnieks savos darbos atspoguļo tautas dvēseli.
The poet reflects the soul of the people in his works.
Šī teorija ir pretrunā ar vispārpieņemtiem faktiem.
This theory contradicts generally accepted facts.
Valdība izsludināja jaunu likumu.
The government announced a new law.
Pētnieks atklāja jaunu sugu.
The researcher discovered a new species.
Vēsture ir skolotāja, kuru mēs bieži ignorējam.
History is a teacher whom we often ignore.
Šī arhitektūra ir izcils laikmeta liecinieks.
This architecture is an excellent witness of the era.
Viņa rīcība bija drosmīga un neparedzama.
His actions were brave and unpredictable.
Daba ir mūsu lielākais resurss.
Nature is our greatest resource.
Fácil de confundir
Learners often use Nominative for the object of a sentence.
Learners use Nominative to call someone's name.
Learners use Genitive for the subject.
Erros comuns
Es ēdu ābols.
Es ēdu ābolu.
Gald.
Galds.
Viņš ir skolotāju.
Viņš ir skolotājs.
Meitenes iet.
Meitene iet.
Tas ir manu māja.
Tā ir mana māja.
Viņa ir ārstu.
Viņa ir ārste.
Suns ēd gaļa.
Suns ēd gaļu.
Visi cilvēki gāja uz veikalu.
Visi cilvēki gāja uz veikalu.
Tas ir grāmatas.
Tā ir grāmata.
Viņš ir labs ārsts.
Viņš ir labs ārsts.
Dzejnieks, kuru mēs lasām, ir slavens.
Dzejnieks, kuru mēs lasām, ir slavens.
Šī ir teorija, kura mainīja pasauli.
Šī ir teorija, kura mainīja pasauli.
Valdība, kura pieņēma likumu, ir kritizēta.
Valdība, kura pieņēma likumu, ir kritizēta.
Padrões de frases
___ ir ___.
___ ___ (verb).
Šis ___ ir ___.
___ (subject) ___ (verb) ___ (object).
Real World Usage
Draugs ir klāt.
Šī ir mana diena.
Es esmu profesionālis.
Tā ir stacija.
Pasūtījums ir gatavs.
Pētījums ir pabeigts.
Check the ending
Don't over-inflect
Use the dictionary
Speak clearly
Smart Tips
Always use the Nominative after 'ir'.
Use Nominative for your profession.
Identify the subject first.
Ensure the verb matches the plural subject.
Pronúncia
Final -s
Pronounce the final -s clearly like in 'sun'.
Final -a
Pronounce the final -a as a short 'ah'.
Declarative
Suns rej. ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Memorize
Mnemônico
Nominative is the Name-inative. It names the person doing the action.
Associação visual
Imagine a person standing on a stage with a spotlight. The spotlight is the Nominative case, highlighting the star of the show.
Rhyme
The subject is the star of the show, in Nominative case it's ready to go.
Story
Jānis (Nominative) walks into a room. He sees a table (Nominative). He is a student (Nominative). Everything he is or does starts with the Nominative.
Word Web
Desafio
Look around your room and name 5 objects using the Nominative case in a sentence (e.g., 'Šī ir lampa').
Notas culturais
Latvians value precision in language. Using the correct case is seen as a sign of respect.
In rural areas, some archaic nominative forms are still heard.
Urban youth often drop case endings in very casual speech.
The Nominative case in Latvian descends from Proto-Indo-European, preserving the original function of the subject marker.
Iniciadores de conversa
Kas tas ir?
Kas tu esi?
Kāds ir laiks?
Kas ir tavs mīļākais rakstnieks?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
Test Yourself
___ (The dog) rej.
Tas ir ___ (table).
Find and fix the mistake:
Es redzu suni, bet viņš ir suns.
ir / galds / tas
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
The Nominative case is used for the object of a sentence.
Suns -> ?
A: Kas tas ir? B: Tas ir ___.
Score: /8
Exercicios praticos
8 exercises___ (The dog) rej.
Tas ir ___ (table).
Find and fix the mistake:
Es redzu suni, bet viņš ir suns.
ir / galds / tas
Galds - Masculine, Māte - ?
The Nominative case is used for the object of a sentence.
Suns -> ?
A: Kas tas ir? B: Tas ir ___.
Score: /8
Perguntas frequentes (8)
It is the dictionary form. If it ends in -s, -š, -a, or -e, it is likely Nominative.
No, the subject remains in the Nominative regardless of the verb's polarity.
No, that would be grammatically incorrect. Use the Accusative for objects.
Yes, it is the standard case for subjects in all registers.
Vocative is for calling out to someone; Nominative is for identifying them.
Feminine nouns end in -a or -e. Only masculine nouns typically end in -s.
No, use the Genitive case for possession.
It is the easiest case because it is the base form of the word.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Nominativ
German has more complex article agreement.
Sujet
French has no noun cases.
Sujeto
Spanish lacks noun inflections for cases.
Ga/Wa particle
Japanese particles are separate words.
Marfu
Arabic uses different vowel markers.
Subject position
Chinese has no inflection at all.
