Latvian Prepositions And Their Required Cases Explained
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Prepositions in Latvian are words that connect nouns to other parts of a sentence.
Learning them requires you to understand how they interact with Latvian noun cases.
Every preposition demands a specific case for the noun that follows it.
This guide will explain exactly which cases to use with which prepositions.
Table of Contents:
The golden rule for plural prepositions
Let’s start with the most helpful shortcut in Latvian grammar.
When a preposition is followed by a plural noun, that noun must always be in the dative case.
This rule applies regardless of what case the preposition normally requires in the singular form.
You never have to guess the case for plural nouns after prepositions.
Here’s a clear example of this rule in action.
Es eju ar draugu.
Es eju ar draugiem.
Prepositions that require the genitive case
Many common Latvian prepositions require the genitive case when used with a singular noun.
These words often deal with origins, time, or location.
Here are the most common prepositions that take the genitive case.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example (Genitive Singular) |
|---|---|---|
| bez | without | bez cukura (without sugar) |
| kopš | since | kopš rīta (since morning) |
| no | from / out of | no mājas (from home) |
| pēc | after / for | pēc darba (after work) |
| pie | at / by / near | pie galda (at the table) |
| pirms | before | pirms stundas (before the lesson) |
Here are a few sentences showing these prepositions in action.
Es dzeru kafiju bez piena.
Viņa atgriežas no skolas.
Mēs tiksimies pēc koncerta.
Prepositions that require the accusative case
Another large group of prepositions requires the accusative case in the singular.
This group includes words that describe movement, relationships, or spatial awareness.
Here are the most common prepositions that take the accusative case.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example (Accusative Singular) |
|---|---|---|
| ap | around | ap māju (around the house) |
| ar | with | ar brāli (with a brother) |
| caur | through | caur logu (through the window) |
| par | about / for | par grāmatu (about a book) |
| pret | against / towards | pret sienu (against the wall) |
| starp | between | starp mašīnu (between the car) |
Here are some examples of how to use accusative prepositions in a sentence.
Es runāju par savu draugu.
Viņš pastaigājas ar suni.
Putns ielidoja caur logu.
Prepositions that require the dative case
Most prepositions use either the genitive or accusative case in the singular.
However, there’s one very common preposition that requires the dative case even in the singular.
That word is līdz, which means “until” or “up to”.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example (Dative Singular) |
|---|---|---|
| līdz | until / up to | līdz vakaram (until evening) |
You’ll use this word frequently when talking about time or destinations.
Es strādāšu līdz vakaram.
Mēs braucām līdz mežam.
The locative case has no prepositions
English speakers usually look for a word that translates to “in” or “on”.
In Latvian, you generally don’t use a separate preposition for these meanings.
Instead, you change the ending of the noun to form the locative case.
The locative case stands completely on its own without needing a joining word.
Es dzīvoju Rīgā.
Grāmata ir uz galda.
There’s one small exception in the second example above.
To say “on top of” a surface, Latvian does use the word uz followed by the genitive case.
Otherwise, simply rely on the locative case endings to express location.
