The full simple past
The simple past describes an earlier action. For : . The third person is again shared. Neither masculine nor feminine learners change these finite verb forms.
Regular long-stem verbs use -ju, -ji, -ja, -jām, -jāt, -ja: . Some first-person forms look like the present, so a time word or context matters.
Common shorter verbs must be learned with their past stem: iet → gāju, nākt → nācu, ņemt → ņēmu, ēst → ēdu, dzert → dzēru, atrast → atradu. Negation simply adds . Questions still use . Earlier and were explained whole expressions, not a productive past paradigm.
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I saw the cat. | ||
| I saw the cat. | ||
| You saw the cat, familiar. | ||
| You saw the cat, familiar. | ||
| He saw the cat. | ||
| He saw the cat. | ||
| We saw the cat. | ||
| We saw the cat. | ||
| You saw the cat, polite. | ||
| You saw the cat, polite. | ||
| They saw the cat. | ||
| They saw the cat. | ||
| I did not see the cat. | ||
| I did not see the cat. | ||
| You did not see the cat, polite. | ||
| You did not see the cat, polite. | ||
Es redzēju kaķi.I saw the cat.
Tu redzēji kaķi.You saw the cat, familiar.
Viņš redzēja kaķi.He saw the cat.
Mēs redzējām kaķi.We saw the cat.
Jūs redzējāt kaķi.You saw the cat, polite.
Viņi redzēja kaķi.They saw the cat.
Es neredzēju kaķi.I did not see the cat.
Jūs neredzējāt kaķi.You did not see the cat, polite.
Practice 1/6 · Finding words
Notice the useful pattern
Tap the form practised in this unit.
.
I saw the cat.
.
You saw the cat, familiar.
.
He saw the cat.
.
We saw the cat.
Practice 2/6 · The right form
Choose the form
Use the English meaning and the pattern in this unit.
Es kaķi.
I saw the cat.
Tu kaķi.
You saw the cat, familiar.
Viņš kaķi.
He saw the cat.
Mēs kaķi.
We saw the cat.
Jūs kaķi.
You saw the cat, polite.
Viņi kaķi.
They saw the cat.
Es kaķi.
I did not see the cat.
Jūs kaķi.
You did not see the cat, polite.
Practice 3/6 · Fill the gaps
Complete the messages
Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
Viņš kaķi.
He saw the cat.
Mēs kaķi.
We saw the cat.
Jūs kaķi.
You saw the cat, polite.
Viņi kaķi.
They saw the cat.
Es kaķi.
I did not see the cat.
Jūs kaķi.
You did not see the cat, polite.
Practice 4/6 · Building sentences
Build a sentence
Put the words in order.
I saw the cat.
You saw the cat, familiar.
He saw the cat.
We saw the cat.
You saw the cat, polite.
They saw the cat.
Practice 5/6 · In situations
What would you say?
Choose the right words for the situation.
I saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
I saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
You saw the cat, familiar.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
You saw the cat, familiar.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
He saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
He saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
We saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
We saw the cat.
You say:
Use the meaning and Latvian pattern explained in this unit.
Practice 6/6 · Matching
Connect messages and meanings
Match the pairs.
Unit complete
