Latvia is a little-known gem of the Baltic region: Riga, its capital, boasts the world's largest collection of Art Nouveau architecture, white sand beaches along the Baltic coast, and forests covering half the national territory. With only 1.8 million speakers, Latvian is one of the smallest languages in the European Union, yet also one of the oldest , its roots stretch back to ancestral Proto-Indo-European with remarkable purity.

Explore our Latvian vocabulary guide and our Latvian language page to go deeper after these greetings.

This guide gives you all the keys to greet in Latvian, a language that will pleasantly surprise you with its musicality.

  1. Sveiki , The Universal Latvian Greeting
  2. Labdien and Greetings by Time
  3. Kā jums klājas , How Are You?
  4. Latvian: An Ancient Indo-European Language
  5. Essential Expressions
  6. Latvian Culture and Social Codes

Sveiki , The Universal Latvian Greeting

Sveiki (pronounced SVEI-ki, "svei" rhymes with "hey") is the most common and versatile Latvian greeting. It comes from the root sveiks (healthy, in good health) , the same etymology as the German "Sieg" (victory) or the Norwegian "svik." A greeting that wishes health and strength.

Pronunciation

  • Sv: consonant cluster, say sv in one breath
  • ei: diphthong ei, as in "say"
  • ki: ki, brief final

Forms Depending on Context

  • Sveiki! , Hello / Hi (standard, slightly formal , for "you" plural or formal address)
  • Sveiks! (SVEIKS) , to a man you address informally
  • Sveika! (SVEI-ka) , to a woman you address informally
  • Čau! (chow) , Very informal, between friends

Latvian agrees greetings with the gender of the person addressed , a feature that surprises English speakers.

Labdien and Greetings by Time

Latvian Pronunciation Time Meaning
Labrīt lab-RIIT Morning Good morning (ī is long)
Labdien lab-DYEN Daytime Good afternoon/day
Labvakar lab-VA-kar Evening Good evening
Ar labu nakti ar LA-boo nak-TI Night Good night
Uz redzēšanos ooz red-ZEH-sha-nos Leaving Goodbye

Vowel Length: Crucial in Latvian

Latvian distinguishes between short and long vowels , this difference changes the meaning of words. Long vowels are marked with a macron (horizontal bar): ā, ē, ī, ū.

  • Labrīt: the ī is long, pronounced about twice as long as a normal "i"
  • This distinction is challenging for English speakers but important for being understood

Kā jums klājas , How Are You?

Latvian Pronunciation Meaning
Kā jums klājas? ka yooms KLA-yas How are you? (formal)
Kā tev iet? ka tev yet How's it going? (informal)
Kas jauns? kas yowns What's new?

Responses

Latvian Pronunciation Meaning
Labi, paldies LA-bi, pal-DYES Fine, thanks
Lieliski LYEL-is-ki Excellent
Tā tā ta ta So-so
Nekas īpašs neh-kas II-pash Nothing special

Paldies (thank you) , absolutely worth memorising. Pronounced pal-DYES (the "ie" is a diphthong). It's one of the first words you'll use constantly.

Latvian: An Ancient Indo-European Language

Latvian (with Lithuanian) is one of the most archaic Indo-European languages still spoken. Linguists study it to understand Proto-Indo-European, the hypothetical mother tongue of virtually all European languages.

Three Distinct Tones

Latvian has a tonal system , three distinct tones that change word meaning according to vocal melody:

  1. Falling tone (level)
  2. Prolonged tone (falling-rising)
  3. Broken tone (with glottal stop)

This is extremely rare in Europe (only Lithuanian shares this feature in Northern Europe).

Declensions and Genders

Latvian has two genders (masculine/feminine), no neuter. Nouns and adjectives decline according to 7 cases. Complex, but very logical.

Old Prussian Influence

Latvian preserves words resembling Old Prussian (a Baltic language that disappeared in the 18th century), some very close to Latin or ancient Greek. A linguistic treasure.

Essential Expressions

Latvian Pronunciation English
Paldies pal-DYES Thank you
Lūdzu LOOD-zoo Please / You're welcome
Atvainojiet at-vai-no-YYET Excuse me (formal)
Jā yaa Yes
Nē neh No
Prieks jūs iepazīt preks yoos yeh-pa-ZIIT Nice to meet you
Uz redzēšanos ooz red-ZEH-sha-nos Goodbye
Priekā! PRYEH-kaa Cheers!

Latvian Culture and Social Codes

Nature as Sanctuary Latvians have a deep relationship with their forests and land. The Latvian midsummer festival (Jāņi, night of 23–24 June) is the most important national celebration: bonfires, flower crowns, traditional songs all night long. A truly unique event in Europe.

Baltic Reserve Like their Estonian and Lithuanian neighbours, Latvians are generally reserved with strangers but very warm once trust is established. Don't take a cool initial reception as a rejection , it's cultural.

Art Nouveau Pride Riga has over 800 Art Nouveau buildings , a third of all buildings in the city centre. Showing interest in Riga's architecture immediately creates a connection with Latvian interlocutors.

Choral Singing Like in Estonia, choral singing is at the heart of national identity. The Latvian Song Festival (Dziesmu svētki) mobilises tens of thousands of choristers every 5 years.

Conclusion

With Sveiki, Labdien and Paldies, you have the minimum to navigate Latvia with a smile. In a country where English-speaking tourism is still relatively rare, a few words of Latvian will earn you genuine surprise and immediate generosity from locals. Riga is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe , take the time to go beyond the tourist centre and discover a country that deserves to be far better known.

Want to discover Latvian in depth? Our Latvian courses connect you with teachers from Riga.

Sources and References

Further Reading