Below is a succinct system + cheat sheet for Latvian noun declension endings, focusing on Masculine and Feminine forms in Singular and Plural for each Case. You can use this as a quick reference to apply the correct endings when speaking or writing in Latvian.
System (How to Determine the Correct Endings)
Masculine nouns often end in -s, -is, or -š. Feminine nouns often end in -a, -e, or -š (fewer cases). Find the Declension Group 1st Declension: Ends in -s/-š (e.g., zēns). 2nd Declension: Ends in -is (e.g., puisis). 4th Declension: Ends in -a (e.g., māja). 5th Declension: Ends in -e (e.g., meitene). Apply the Case Endings (See cheat sheet below.) Some borrowed words or irregular nouns may not follow the exact pattern. Cheat Sheet (Endings by Case)
Singular Ending (Masculine)
Singular Ending (Feminine)
Plural Ending (Masculine)
Key Uses of Each Case
Nominative (Nominatīvs): Subject of a sentence. Accusative (Akuzatīvs): Direct object. Genitive (Ģenitīvs): Possession/relationship. Dative (Datīvs): Indirect object. Instrumental (Instrumentālis): Means/instrument (often merges with accusative in modern usage, but still important). Locative (Lokatīvs): Place or location. Quick Example
Nominative: Zēns ir laimīgs. (The boy is happy.) Accusative: Es redzu zēnu. (I see the boy.) Genitive: Zēna draugs ir šeit. (The boy’s friend is here.) Dative: Es dodu zēnam grāmatu. (I give a book to the boy.) Instrumental: Es rakstu ar pildspalvu. (I write with a pen.) Locative: Zēns ir mājā. (The boy is in the house.) How to Use This Sheet
Determine Gender + Declension: Decide if it’s masculine or feminine and to which declension group it belongs. Identify the Case: Nominative, Accusative, etc. Apply the Corresponding Ending: Refer to the table and pick the correct row/column. Check Exceptions: If a noun doesn’t follow the usual pattern, consult a dictionary or grammar resource.
Explanation of the Task
You are given five sentences with missing words in Latvian. Each blank must be filled with a specific word type:
Adjective (īpašības vārds) The words must be in the correct grammatical form according to the sentence context.
Simplified Writing Tips
Case Endings: Ensure words (nouns, pronouns) match their grammatical role (subject, object, descriptor). Conjunctions: Use bet (but), un (and), jo (because), tāpēc (so), and vai (or) for smooth sentence flow. Gender and Number Agreement: Match adjectives and pronouns with their nouns. Punctuation: Use "?" for questions, periods for statements, and commas before conjunctions. Cases: Choose the correct noun and pronoun cases (nominative, accusative, locative, etc.). Verb Tenses: Conjugate verbs correctly to match the subject in tense and person. Numerals: Match numerals with nouns in gender, number, and case.
Below is a condition-based (if–else) “cheat sheet” you can apply whenever you’re deciding how to fill in a blank with a Latvian noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, or numeral. This flowchart-style set of rules can help you systematically pinpoint the right form.
1. Determining Case (Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Locative)
Think of each blank in terms of role in the sentence:
If the missing word is performing the action (the subject), then use Nominative case. Else if it is receiving the action directly (a direct object), then use Accusative. Else if it shows possession (whose?/of what?), then use Genitive. Else if it’s the recipient or beneficiary of an action (to whom?/for whom?), then use Dative. Else if the sentence describes location or place (where?), then use Locative. Examples
Nominative: Māsa skrien. (“Māsa” is the subject — who runs?) Accusative: Es redzu māsu. (Whom do I see? I see the sister, so “māsu.”) Genitive: Man nav māsas. (“I don’t have a sister,” showing absence/possession.) Dative: Es iedevu grāmatu māsai. (“I gave a book to sister.”) Locative: Viņa ir māsā? (Unusual, but if describing “in the sister” is quite odd—more common with a city, e.g., Rīgā. Example: Es dzīvoju Rīgā.) 2. Applying Pronoun Rules
If the blank needs a pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they, etc.):
If you need the subject pronoun (who does the action), then use Nominative (es, tu, viņš, viņa, mēs, jūs, viņi/viņas). Else if you need a direct object pronoun, then use Accusative (mani, tevi, viņu, mūs, jūs, viņus/viņas). Else if you need an indirect object pronoun (to whom?), then use Dative (man, tev, viņam, viņai, mums, jums, viņiem/viņām). Else if you need to show possession (my, your, his, her, our, their), then use Possessive Pronouns in the correct gender/number/case (mans/mana, tavs/tava, viņa/viņas, mūsu, jūsu, viņu), matching the owned noun. Examples
“Es redzu tevi.” (Accusative: I see you.) “Man patīk mūzika.” (“Man” is dative: “To me is pleasing music.”) “Tas ir mans auto.” (“mans” → masculine, nominative singular.) 3. Matching Adjective Form
If the blank is an adjective, it must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:
If the noun is masculine, singular, nominative (e.g., “zieds”), then the adjective often ends -s or -š (e.g., “sarkans zieds”). Else if the noun is feminine, singular, nominative (e.g., “māja”), then the adjective often ends -a (e.g., “liela māja”). Else if it’s plural (masculine or feminine), then use the correct plural form (e.g., “lieli puķi” for masculine plural; “lielas puķes” for feminine plural). Also apply the case rules from Section 1. If the noun is accusative, the adjective also takes the accusative endings. If the noun is dative, genitive, locative, the adjective changes accordingly. 
2. Rakstītprasmes uzdevums (WR)