It is unique, has a fascinating history, and we just like how it sounds. Sweet whispers, pleasing flattery, endearing sentences, and the occasional sharp words all sound great if only you know how to say the right thing at the right time.
Here you can learn simple phrases to use in ten common conversational situations (for example, what to say at a party, to your date, or when cheering on your favorite team).
Have fun!
Hey! Long time no see!
Čau! Sen neesi redzēts!
Hello, my friend!
Sveiks, mans draugs!
Greetings!
Esi sveicināts!
Take care. See you soon!
Visu gaišu un uz drīzu tikšanos!
Have a good day, goodbye!
Lai tev izdevusies diena, atā!
Bon appétit!
Labu apetīti!
I love Latvian food!
Es dievinu latviešu ēdienus!
How’s work?
Kā sokas darbā?
Please pass the salt.
Pasniegsi, lūdzu, sāli?
Cut it out, I’ll pay.
Izbeidz - es samaksāšu.
This looks so good that I think I need a dish to drool in.
Izskatās tik garšīgi, ka man jāpalūdz trauciņš siekalām...
All right, who did this?
Tā, un kurš šito izdarīja?
You really couldn’t wait until you got to the door?
Vai tiešām nevarēji paciesties līdz ārdurvīm?
Yes, you are my sweetie pie…
Nu mīļš, mīļš jau tu man esi...
Who’s the cute little puppy? Yes, you are, you are…
Kurš ir mazais kucēniņš? Jā, tu esi, tu esi...
Oh man, hair all over my sweater again!
Bāc, atkal viss džemperis spalvains!
Scat!
Škic projām!
Come here, you shameless hussy!
Panāc šurp, bezkauņa!
I’m not speaking to you, do you understand?
Es ar tevi nerunāju, skaidrs!?
Don’t you lecture me!
Tu te nemāci mani, ja!
I’m going to skin you alive!
Ādu pār acīm nomaukšu!
Well, I certainly didn’t expect this from you!
Nu, klausies, šo es no tevis negaidīju!
I’m always happy to see you!
Man vienmēr prieks tevi satikt!
Thanks, friend… a real Latvian heart beats in that chest.
Paldies, draugs... tavās krūtīs pukst īsta latvieša sirds.
To the ends of the earth… as long as it’s with you!
Ar tevi - kaut uz pasaules malu!
Gimme five!
Dod pieci!
As long as you are here, I’m fine.
Ir labi, ja tu esi blakus.
Hey man, thanks!
Vecīt... paldies.
The devil has pulled you under!
Velns parāvis!
Damn, how can I have screwed up again?
Vāks, nu kā var šitā neveikties!
C'mon..
Eu, nu...!
Damn it!
Sasodīts!
Aw, hell!
Pie joda!
Oh, for Pete’s sake!
Bļāviens!!!
Your hair looks great on my pillow.
Tavi mati lieliski izskatītos uz mana spilvena.
I saw you and started believing in angels.
Ieraudzīju tevi un sāku ticēt enģeļiem.
You shouldn’t stand next to the roses; they will start to wilt out of jealousy.
Tu nedrīksti stāvēt blakus rozēm - tās aiz skaudības uzreiz novīst.
That’s it! I’m carrying you to the top of the hill so everyone can admire you!
Viss! Es nesu tevi kalnā - lai visa pasaule apbrīno!
Marry me!
Appreci mani!
You smell nice. Just like a Latvian…
Tu smuki smaržo. Kā jau latviete...
One wedding ring won’t be enough for all that beauty…
Tādam skaistumam ar vienu laulības gredzenu nepietiks...
From now on, this is our song.
No šī brīža, šī dziesma būs mūsējā...
Haven’t we met before?
Man šķiet, ka esam jau tikušies!
Have you ever kissed a Latvian? It’s addictive…
Vai esi kādreiz skūpstījusies ar latvieti? Tas izraisa atkarību...
Shall we dance?
Iesim padejot?
Hi! What’s your name?
Čau! Kā tevi sauc?
All right, I’m actually a spy, going off on a secret mission in the morning. But don’t worry… we have the whole night ahead of us.
Nu jā, vispār es esmu spiegs, kurš rīt dodas slepenā misijā. Bet nesatraucies - mums priekšā ir visa nakts.
Shall we exchange numbers?
Apmainamies ar telefona numuriem?
Excuse me, how much does this cost?
Sakiet, cik šis maksā?
Where can I try this on?
Kur ir pielaikošanas kabīnes?
If you can give me a better price, I’ll definitely take it!
Ja piedāvāsiet lētāk – noteikti ņemšu!
Fabulous prices – I’ll come again!
Lieliskas cenas, nākšu vēl!
I hope this is made in Latvia?
Es ceru, ka šī prece ir ražota Latvijā?
The goalie is an idiot!
Vārtusargs ir pilnīga nulle!
Ech, you can’t compare these guys to the Latvian team!
Phe, šos ar latviešu komandu nevar ne salīdzināt!
Ok, ok…yesss!
Nu, nu.... jāāāā!
Come on!!
Sarauj!
Last year our guys were much stronger!
Pērn mūsējie bija daudz spēcīgāki!
That referee is blind!
Tas tiesnesis ir akls?
I paid to see this?
Es samaksāju par biļetēm, lai redzētu šo?
I have no doubt that we will win!
Man nav šaubu, mēs uzvarēsim!
There are many theories as to why we speak so many different languages – for instance, the well-known story about the Tower of Babel. There is also the “exclamation theory,” which points to the moment when people stood upright and started walking on two legs. Parallel developments were taking place as the brain and a special “language gene” developed (each of us has one – even you). At this moment, exclamations became a way for human social animals to express feelings, emotions, and attitude. Over time these simple sounds developed and were associated with particular meanings, and so language evolved.
Every language is unique, of course! The grammar and vocabulary of each language contain the historical experiences of the people who speak it. Latvian (together with Lithuanian) is the closest living language to the oldest known proto-language, Indo-European, which was spoken over 5,000 years ago.
Our neighbors the Lithuanians speak the language that is most similar to ours. Latvian and Lithuanian are the only living Baltic languages, spoken by millions of people every day. Some aspects of our language develop and some drop away, as they do for any living dynamic language. In Latvian you will find words borrowed from Slavic, Finno-Ugric, and Germanic languages, like Russian, Finnish, German, and Swedish. And, naturally, the zeitgeist also plays its part – these days many loan words from English are appearing in our vocabularies.