Learning Latvian can be a rewarding experience, but English speakers often face certain challenges due to differences in grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate learner, recognizing these common mistakes can help you improve faster. Let’s explore the most frequent errors and how to avoid them.

1. Mispronouncing Latvian letters

Latvian uses a few unique letters that don’t exist in English, such as:

• Ā, Ē, Ī, Ū (long vowels) – many English speakers ignore the length, but it changes the meaning (e.g., “tās” (those) vs. “tas” (that)).
• Č, Š, Ž, Ģ, Ķ, Ļ, Ņ – these are pronounced differently from English “ch,” “sh,” etc. (e.g., “šokolāde” (chocolate) has a sharper “sh” sound).

How to fix it: listen to native speakers and practice minimal pairs (words that differ only in vowel length or consonant softness).

2. Ignoring noun genders and cases

Latvian has masculine and feminine nouns, and seven grammatical cases, which affect word endings. English speakers often:

• Use the wrong gender (e.g., “suns” (dog, masc.) vs. “kaķis” (cat, masc.), but “govs” (cow, fem.)).
• Forget case endings (e.g., “Es redzu suni” (I see the dog, accusative) vs. “Es runāju ar suni” (I speak with the dog, instrumental)).

How to fix it: learn noun genders from the start and practice declensions with simple sentences.

3. Word order mistakes

English has a strict Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, but Latvian is more flexible. Beginners often use English word order even when it sounds unnatural.

• Correct: “Vai tu runā latviski?” (Do you speak Latvian?)
• Incorrect (English-style): “Vai tu latviski runā?” (less natural).

How to fix it: read Latvian texts and mimic native sentence structures.

4. Overusing pronouns

Latvian often drops pronouns when the subject is clear, unlike English.

• Correct: “Runā latviski.” (You) speak Latvian.
• Incorrect: “Tu runā latviski.” (unless emphasizing “you”).

How to fix it: listen to how natives omit pronouns in casual speech.

5. False friends & direct translations

Some words look similar but mean different things:

• “Īpašība” = property (not “special”)
• “Gribu” = I want (not “grab”)
• “Smags” = heavy (not “smug”)

How to fix it: keep a list of false friends and practice them in context.

Final tips for improvement

• Listen & repeat: watch Latvian videos with subtitles.
• Speak early: don’t fear mistakes—practice with native speakers.
• Use flashcards: drill noun genders and case endings.

By recognizing these common pitfalls, you’ll progress faster and sound more natural in Latvian. Keep practicing, and soon these mistakes will be a thing of the past!