Learn Latvian

How to learn Latvian by yourself? Start with an easy and free online course!

We have adopted an objective and efficient approach to learn how to speak a language easily and quickly: we suggest you to start by memorizing words, phrases and practical expressions that you can use in everyday life and that will be useful when traveling.
Getting used to pronounce words out loud, numbers for instance, is an easy exercise that you can practice often and at anytime throughout the day.
It will help you to get used to the sounds of your chosen language and thus make it more familiar.
And once your holidays have begun in Riga, Sigulda or another city in Latvia, you will be surprised how familiar and easy to understand it will seem.
Furthermore, using a pocket dictionary is always useful, particularly during a trip. It enables you to find the translation of new words and enrich your vocabulary.

Why speak Latvian while traveling?

Independence through song

A Baltic state member of the European Union and NATO, Latvia is a country committed to the art of sound and music, a domain of great importance in its cultural heritage. 

It is remarkable that half the population has attended music lessons or sings in a choir, a fact that is reflected in the regular attendance of a large proportion of the population at the opera or at orchestral recitals. In view of this, it is not surprising that the national singing and dancing festivals which take place every five years are events of enormous importance in the life of the country.

Among the internationally renowned Latvian musicians are Mariss Jansons and Gidon Kremer. Indeed, the celebration of songs and dance of the three Baltic countries are on the UNESCO list of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The country also organizes numerous film and theatre festivals including 2ANNAS and Lielais Kristaps.

Among the key figures in modern Latvian culture are the writer, journalist and screenwriter Imants Ziedonis, and the poet Vizma Belševica. 

On a journey through Latvia, do not miss Jurmala Beach or the amazing scenery of Sigulda, a town located in the Gauja National Park where you will discover the legend of the Rose of Turaida, Gutmanis Cave, castles etc. 

Make a success of your stay in Latvia

Whether you are going to spend a few days with friends for a leisure trip or if you are on a business trip, nothing will be more useful to you than to be able to slip a few words in the language of your interlocutors, who will appreciate your effort and will be certainly more willing to help.

How to succeed in having good pronunciation within a week to a month?

An Indo-European language spoken by more than 1.5 million people around the world, Latvian uses the Latin alphabet and diacritic marks to form its 34 letters. Usually, the pronunciation of Latvian does not pose too many problems in learning, as almost all the phonemes are represented by a clean letter, which makes the reading of a word easier.

In relation to the rhythm of the language, the accentuation of words is almost always on the first syllable, and there are three types of tone: the flat, the descending and the interrupted. Vowels can be long or short and this is distinctive in some words.

One tip to identify the duration of a vowel in a word is to look at whether in its spelling it has the macron, a diacritic which shows that it is long.