Latvian
Contributed by Anna Daugavet. The data were gathered in 2021.
How to cite
Daugavet, Anna. 2022. Nominal causal constructions in Latvian. In: Say, Sergey, Natalia Logvinova, Elizaveta Zabelina, and Natalia Zaika (eds.). 2022–. NoCaCoDa: Typological database of nominal causal constructions. St. Petersburg: Institute for Linguistic Studies, RAS. (Data first published on December 1, 2022; last revised on December 1, 2022). (Available online at https://nocacoda.info. Accessed on .)
1
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Lakatiņ-š | piemirk-a | no | asar-ām. |
| handekerchief- nom . sg | get.soaked- pst .3 | from | tear- dat . pl |
| The handkerchief got soaked from tears. | |||
2
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Zar-s | nolūz-a | no | smagum-a. |
| branch- nom . sg | break- pst .3 | from | weight- gen . sg |
| The branch broke from the weight. | |||
3
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | klepo | no | dūm-iem |
| woman- nom . sg | cough. prs .3 | from | smoke- dat . pl |
| The woman is coughing because of the smoke. | |||
3
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | klepo | dūm-u | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | cough. prs .3 | smoke- gen . pl | because.of |
| The woman is coughing because of the smoke. | |||
4
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Tums-as | dēļ | ne-redz-am | krast-u. |
| darkness- gen . sg | because.of | neg -see. prs -1 pl | shore- acc . sg |
| We cannot see the shore because of the darkness. | |||
5
Status: main; causal marker: aiz GEN
| Vīriet-i | arestēj-a | aiz | pārskatī-šan-ās. |
| man- acc . sg | arrest. pst -3 | behind | err- nmlz - gen . sg - rfl |
| The man was arrested by mistake. | |||
5
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-i | arestēj-a | kļūd-as | dēļ. |
| man- acc . sg | arrest. pst -3 | mistake- gen . sg | because.of |
| The man was arrested because of a mistake. | |||
6
Status: main; causal marker: LOC
| Kok-s | nolūz-a | vēj-ā. |
| tree- nom . sg | break. pst -3 | wind- loc . sg |
| The tree fell in the wind. | ||
6
Status: alternate; causal marker: no GEN
| Kok-s | nolūz-a | no | vēj-a. |
| tree- nom . sg | break. pst -3 | from | wind- gen . sg |
| The tree fell due to the wind. | |||
7
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-is | gāj-a | boj-ā | no | elektrīb-as. |
| man- nom . sg | go. pst -3 | death- loc . sg | from | electricity- gen . sg |
| The man died from electric shock. | ||||
8
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | pamod-ā-s | no | trokšņ-a. |
| woman- nom . sg | wake. pst -3- rfl | from | noise- gen . sg |
| The woman woke up from the noise. | |||
9
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-im | no | al-us | sāp | galv-a. |
| man- dat . sg | from | beer- gen . sg | ache. prs .3 | head- nom . sg |
| The man has a headache from the beer. | ||||
10
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | sāk-a | smie-tie-s | no | kucēn-a |
| woman- nom . sg | begin. pst -3 | laugh- inf - rfl | from | puppy- gen . sg |
| The woman started to laugh at the puppy. | ||||
10
Status: alternate; causal marker: n.a.
| Sieviet-e | sāk-a | smie-tie-s | redz-ot | kucēnu. |
| woman- nom . sg | begin. pst -3 | laugh- inf - rfl | see- cnv | puppy- acc . sg |
| The woman started to laugh looking at the puppy. | ||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | ||||
11
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-is | nomir-a | no | indīg-ās | ziv-s. |
| man- nom . sg | die. pst -3 | from | poisonous- gen . sg . f . def | fish- gen . sg |
| The man died from a poisonous fish. | ||||
12
Status: main; causal marker: ar INS
| Meiten-e | ir | apmierināt-a | ar | sav-u | atzīm-i |
| girl- nom . sg | be. prs .3 | satisfied- nom . sg . f | with | one’s- acc . sg | grade- acc . sg |
| The girl is satisfied with her grade. | |||||
13
Status: main; causal marker: par ACC
| Siev-a | sadusmoj-ā-s | par | vīr-a | vārd-iem. |
| wife- nom . sg | anger. pst -3. rfl | about | husband- gen . sg | word- dat . pl |
| The wife got angry with her husband’s words. | ||||
13
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Siev-a | sadusmoj-ā-s | vīra | vārdu | dēļ. |
| wife- nom . sg | anger. pst -3. rfl | husband- gen . sg | word- gen . pl | because.of |
| The wife got angry because of her husband's words. | ||||
14
Status: main; causal marker: par ACC
| Zēn-s | ir | sajūsm-ā | par | š-o | idej-u. |
| boy- nom . sg | be. prs .3 | delight- loc . sg | about | this- acc . sg | idea- acc . sg |
| The boy was delighted by this idea. | |||||
15
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-is | no | bad-a | kļuv-a | vārg-s. |
| man- nom . sg | from | hunger- gen . sg | become. pst -3 | weak- nom . sg . m |
| The man was weakened by hunger. | ||||
15
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-is | bad-a | dēļ | kļuv-a | vārg-s. |
| man- nom . sg | hunger- gen . sg | because.of | become. pst -3 | weak- nom . sg . m |
| The man was weakened by hunger. | ||||
16
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-is | nomir-a | no | bad-a. |
| man- nom . sg | die. pst -3 | from | hunger- gen . sg |
| The man died of starvation. | |||
16
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Vīriet-is | nomir-a | bad-ā. |
| man- nom . sg | die. pst -3 | hunger- loc . sg |
| The man died of starvation. | ||
17
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Vīriet-is | kliedz | no | sāp-ēm. |
| man- nom . sg | scream. prs .3 | from | pain- dat . pl |
| The man is screaming from the pain. | |||
17
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Vīriet-is | kliedz | sāp-ēs. |
| man- nom . sg | scream. prs .3 | pain- loc . pl |
| The man is screaming in pain. | ||
18
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | trīc | no | aukstum-a |
| woman- nom . sg | shiver. prs .3 | from | cold- gen . sg |
| The woman is shivering from the cold. | |||
18
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Sieviet-e | trīc | aukstum-ā. |
| woman- nom . sg | shiver. prs .3 | cold- loc . sg |
| The woman is shivering from the cold. | ||
19
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Bērn-s | ieraudāj-ā-s | no | bail-ēm. |
| child- nom . sg | cry- pst -3- rfl | from | fear- dat . pl |
| The child began to cry out of fear. | |||
19
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Bērn-s | ieraudāj-ā-s | bail-ēs. |
| child- nom . sg | cry- pst -3- rfl | fear- loc . pl |
| The child began to cry in fear. | ||
20
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Bērn-s | iesmēj-ā-s | no | priek-a. |
| child- nom . sg | laugh. pst -3- rfl | from | joy- gen . sg |
| The child started to laugh out of joy. | |||
20
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Bērn-s | iesmēj-ā-s | priek-ā. |
| child- nom . sg | laugh. pst -3- rfl | joy- loc . sg |
| The child started to laugh out of joy. | ||
21
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Bērn-s | no | bail-ēm | paslēp-ā-s | šķūn-ī. |
| child- nom . sg | from | fear- gen . sg | hide. pst -3- rfl | barn- loc . sg |
| The child hid in the barn out of fear. | ||||
21
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Bērn-s | bail-ēs | paslēp-ā-s | šķūn-ī. |
| child- nom . sg | fear- loc . pl | hide. pst -3- rfl | barn- loc . sg |
| The child hid in the barn in fear. | |||
22
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Vīriet-is | kautri | klusēj-a. |
| man- nom . sg | modestly | keep.silent. pst -3 |
| The man was modetsly keeping silent. | ||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as an adverb, not a nominal phrase. | ||
22
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Kautrīgum-a | dēļ | vīriet-is | klusēj-a. |
| modesty- gen . sg | because.of | man- nom . sg | keep.silent. pst -3 |
| The man was keeping silent out of modesty. | |||
23
Status: main; causal marker: LOC
| Sieviet-e | bail-ēs | saķēr-a | brāl-i | aiz | rok-as. |
| woman- nom . sg | fear- loc . pl | grab. pst -3 | brother- acc . sg | behind | hand- gen . sg |
| The woman grabbed her brother’s arm in fear. | |||||
23
Status: alternate; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | no | bail-ēm | saķēr-a | brāl-i | aiz | rok-as. |
| woman- nom . sg | from | fear- dat . pl | grab. pst -3 | brother- acc . sg | behind | hand- gen . sg |
| The woman grabbed her brother’s arm out of fear. | ||||||
24
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Sieviet-e | piekus-a | no | darb-a. |
| woman- nom . sg | get.tired. pst -3 | from | work- gen . sg |
| The woman got tired from work. | |||
25
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | od-u | dēļ | ne-var | aizmig-t. |
| woman- nom . sg | mosquito- gen . pl | because.of | neg -can. prs .3 | fall.asleep- inf |
| The woman cannot fall asleep because of the mosquitoes. | ||||
26
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Ūden-s | mēnes-s | gaism-ā | šķiet | gaiš-s. |
| water- nom . sg | moon- gen . sg | light- loc . sg | seem. prs .3 | bright- nom . sg . m |
| The water looks bright in the moonlight. | ||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the noun phrase used in the nominal causal construction semantically deviates from the one intended by the stimulus sentence. | ||||
26
Status: alternate; causal marker: n.a.
| Ūden-s | no | mēnes-s | gaism-as | šķiet | gaiš-s. |
| water- nom . sg | from | moon- gen . sg | light- gen . sg | seem. prs .3 | bright- nom . sg . m |
| The water looks bright from the moonlight. | |||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the noun phrase used in the nominal causal construction semantically deviates from the one intended by the stimulus sentence. | |||||
27
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-im | veic-ā-s | medīb-ās | suņa | dēļ |
| man- dat . sg | be.successful. pst -3- rfl | hunt- loc . pl | dog. gen . sg | because.of |
| The man hunted successfully because of his dog. | ||||
27
Status: alternate; causal marker: pateicoties DAT
| Vīriet-im | veic-ā-s | medīb-ās | pateic-otie-s | sunim. |
| man- dat . sg | be. | successful. pst -3- rfl | hunt- loc . pl | thank- cnv - rfl dog. dat . sg |
| The man hunted successfully thanks to his dog. | ||||
28
Status: main; causal marker: uz ACC
| Siev-a | sadusmoj-ā-s | uz | vīr-u. |
| wife- nom . sg | anger. pst -3- rfl | to | husband- acc . sg |
| The wife got angry at her husband. | |||
29
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | nokavēj-a | darb-u | vīr-a | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | be.late. pst .3 | work- acc . sg | husband- gen . sg | because.of |
| The wife was late for work because of her husband. | ||||
30
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Cilvēk-i | gāj-a | boj-ā | zemestrīc-es | dēļ. |
| man- nom . pl | go. pst -3 | death- loc . sg | earthquake- nge . sg | because.of |
| People died because of the earthquake. | ||||
30
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Cilvēk-i | gāj-a | boj-ā | zemestrīc-ē. |
| man- nom . pl | go. pst -3 | death- loc . sg | earthquake- loc . sg |
| People died in the earthquake. | |||
31
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Vis-as | nelaim-es | notiek | cilvēk-a | dēļ. |
| all- nom . pl . f | misfortune- nom . pl | happen. prs .3 | man- gen . sg | because.of |
| All misfortunes happen because of people. | ||||
32
Status: main; causal marker: pateicoties DAT
| Vīriet-is | sāk-a | labāk | redzē-t | pateic-otie-s | operācij-ai. |
| man- nom . sg | begin. pst -3 | better | see- inf | thank- cnv - rfl | operation- dat . sg |
| The man started to see better thanks to the operation. | |||||
32
Status: alternate; causal marker: pec GEN
| Vīriet-is | sāk-a | labāk | redzē-t | pēc | operācij-as. |
| man- nom . sg | begin. pst -3 | better | see- inf | after | operation- gen . sg |
| The man started to see better after the operation. | |||||
33
Status: main; causal marker: pateicoties DAT
| Sieviet-e | ir | dzīv-a | pateic-otie-s | š-im | vīriet-im. |
| woman- nom . sg | be. prs .3 | alive- nom . sg . f | thank- cnv - rfl | this- dat . sg . m | man- dat . sg |
| The woman is alive thanks to that man. | |||||
34
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-is | pastāstīj-a | t-o | siev-ai | muļķīb-as | dēļ. |
| man- nom . sg | tell. pst -3 | this- acc | wife- dat . sg | stupidity- gen . sg | because.of |
| The man told his wife about it out of stupidity. | |||||
34
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN pec
| Vīriet-is | pastāstīj-a | t-o | siev-ai | muļķīb-as | pēc. |
| man- nom . sg | tell. pst -3 | this- acc | wife- dat . sg | stupidity- gen . sg | after |
| The man told his wife about it out of stupidity. | |||||
35
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | paslīdēj-a | neuzmanīb-as | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | slip. pst -3 | inattention- gen . sg | because.of |
| The woman slipped because of carelessness. | |||
36
Status: main; causal marker: pateicoties DAT
| Pilot-s | spēj-a | nosēs-tie-s | pateic-otie-s | liel-ajai | pieredz-ei. |
| pilot- nom . sg | be.able. pst -3 | land- inf - rfl | thank- cnv - rfl | big- dat . sg . f . def | experience- dat . sg |
| The pilot was able to land the plane thanks to his solid experience. | |||||
37
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Pilot-s | ne-spēj-a | nosēs-tie-s | pieredz-es | trūkum-a | dēļ. |
| pilot- nom . sg | neg -be.able. pst -3 | land- inf - rfl | experience- gen . sg | lack- gen . sg | because.of |
| The pilot could not land the plane because of his inexperience. | |||||
38
Status: main; causal marker: no GEN
| Kar-a | laik-ā | cilvēk-i | no | bad-a | ēda | zāl-i. |
| war- nom . sg | time- loc . sg | man- nom . pl | from | hunger- gen . sg | eat. pst -3 | grass- acc . sg |
| During the war, people ate grass out of hunger. | ||||||
39
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Sieviet-e | iegāj-a | iekšā, | ziņkārīb-as | dzī-t-a. |
| woman | enter | inside | curiosity- gen . sg | drive- pst . pass . ptcp - nom . sg . f |
| The woman went inside driven by curiosity. | ||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | ||||
39
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | iegāj-a | iekšā, | ziņkārīb-as | dēļ. |
| woman | enter | inside | curiosity- gen . sg | because.of |
| The woman went inside out of curiosity. | ||||
40
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-is | nogalināj-a | siev-u | greizsirdīb-as | dēļ. |
| man- nom . sg | kill. pst -3 | wife- acc . sg | jealousy- gen . sg | because.of |
| The man killed his wife out of jealousy. | ||||
40
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Vīriet-is | nogalināj-a | siev-u | greizsirdīb-ā. |
| man- nom . sg | kill. pst -3 | wife- acc . sg | jealousy- loc . sg |
| The man killed his wife out of jealousy. | |||
40
Status: alternate; causal marker: n.a.
| Vīriet-is | nogalināj-a | siev-u | greizsirdīb-as | uzplūd-ā. |
| man- nom . sg | kill. pst -3 | wife- acc . sg | jealousy- gen . sg | burst- loc . sg |
| The man killed his wife in a jealous rage. | ||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the noun phrase used in the nominal causal construction semantically deviates from the one intended by the stimulus sentence. | ||||
41
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Vīriet-is | vis-iem | par | š-o | pastāstīj-a, | godkār-es | dzī-t-s. |
| man- nom . sg | all- dat . pl . m | about | this- acc . sg | tell. pst -3 | vanity- gen . sg | drive- pst . pass . ptcp - nom . sg . m |
| The man told everyone about it driven by vanity. | ||||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | ||||||
41
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-is | vis-iem | par | š-o | pastāstīj-a, | godkār-es | dēļ. |
| man- nom . sg | all- dat . pl . m | about | this- acc . sg | tell. pst -3 | vanity- gen . sg | because.of |
| The man told everyone about it out of vanity. | ||||||
42
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Sieviet-e | sadauzīj-a | vis-us | trauk-us, | niknum-a | dzī-t-a. |
| woman- nom . sg | break. pst -3 | all- acc . pl . m | dish- acc . pl | anger- gen . sg | drive- pst . pass . ptcp - nom . sg . f |
| The woman broke all the dishes driven by anger. | |||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | |||||
42
Status: alternate; causal marker: LOC
| Sieviet-e | sadauzīj-a | vis-us | trauk-us | niknum-ā. |
| woman- nom . sg | break. pst -3 | all- acc . pl . m | dish- acc . pl | anger- loc . sg |
| The woman broke all the dishes in a fit of rage. | ||||
43
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | iegāj-a | gulē-t | ar | vis-ām | drēb-ēm | aukstum-a | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | enter. pst -3 | sleep- inf | in | all- dat . pl . f | garment- dat . pl | cold- gen . sg | because.of |
| The woman went to sleep dressed because of the cold. | |||||||
44
Status: main; causal marker: par ACC
| Skolotāj-s | uzslavēj-a | skolēn-u | par | viņ-a | uzvalk-u. |
| teacher- nom . sg | praise. pst -3 | pupil- acc . sg | about | 3- sg . gen | suit- acc . sg |
| The teacher commended the student for his uniform. | |||||
45
Status: main; causal marker: par ACC
| Vīriet-is | piekāv-a | kaimiņ-u | par | viņa | vārdiem |
| man- nom . sg | beat. pst -3 | neighbour- acc . sg | about | 3- sg . gen | word- dat . pl |
| The man beat his neighbor for his words. | |||||
46
Status: main; causal marker: par ACC
| Bērn-i | sakāv-ā-s | par | bumb-u. |
| child- nom . pl | fight. pst - a - rfl | about | ball- acc . sg |
| The children fought over the ball. | |||
46
Status: alternate; causal marker: GEN del
| Bērn-i | sakāv-ā-s | bumb-as | dēļ. |
| child- nom . pl | fight. pst - a - rfl | ball- gen . sg | because.of |
| The children fought because of the ball. | |||
47
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Vīriet-is | sastrīdēj-ā-s | ar | brāl-i | mantojum-a | dēļ. |
| man- nom . sg | quarrell. pst -3- rfl | with | brother- acc . sg | inheritance- gen . sg | because.of |
| The man argued with his brother because of the inheritance. | |||||
47
Status: alternate; causal marker: par ACC
| Vīriet-is | sastrīdēj-ā-s | ar | brāl-i | par | mantojum-u. |
| man- nom . sg | quarrell. pst -3- rfl | with | brother- acc . sg | about | inheritance- acc . sg |
| The man argued with his brother over the inheritance. | |||||
48
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | nopirk-a | š-o | grāmat-u | t-ās | zīmējum-u | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | buy. pst -3 | this- acc . sg | book- acc . sg | this- gen . sg . f | picture- gen . pl | because.of |
| The woman bought the book because of the pictures. | ||||||
49
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Sieviet-e | ne-gāj-a | uz | tikšan-o-s | ar | draudzen-i | slikt-ā | noskaņojum-a | dēļ. |
| woman- nom . sg | neg -go. pst -3 | to | meeting- acc . sg - rfl | with | friend- acc . sg | bad- gen . sg . m . def | mood- gen . sg | because.of |
| The woman did not go to the meeting with her friend because of her bad mood. | ||||||||
49
Status: alternate; causal marker: n.a.
| Sieviet-e | ne-gāj-a | uz | tikšan-o-s | ar | draudzen-i | jo | bij-a | slikt-ā | noskaņojum-ā. |
| woman- nom . sg | neg -go. pst -3 | to | meeting- acc . sg - rfl | with | friend- acc . sg | because | be. pst -3 | bad- loc . sg | mood- loc . sg |
| The woman did not go to the meeting with her friend because she was in a bad mood. | |||||||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | |||||||||
50
Status: main; causal marker: spriezot pec GEN
| Spriež-ot | pēc | peļķ-ēm, | nakt-ī | bij-is | liet-us. |
| judge- cnv | after | puddle- dat . pl | night- loc . sg | be- pst . act . ptcp . nom . sg . m | rain- nom . sg |
| Judging by the puddles, it rained last night. | |||||
51
Status: main; causal marker: spriezot pec GEN
| Spriež-ot | pēc | burbulīš-iem, | ūden-s | jau | vār-ā-s. |
| judge- cnv | after | bubble- dat . pl | water- nom . sg | already | boil-3- rfl |
| Judging by the bubbles, the water is boiling. | |||||
52
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Nāc | iekšā | -- | auksti taču! |
| come. imper .2 sg | inside | cold | however |
| Come inside, because it is cold. | |||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the causing event is expressed as a dependent clause, not a noun phrase. | |||
53
Status: main; causal marker: n.a.
| Kur | ir | man-s | svīter-is | pret | aukstum-u? |
| where | be. prs .3 | my- nom . sg . m | sweater- nom . sg | against | cold- acc . sg |
| Where is my sweater against cold? | |||||
| Note: This translation is not included in the database because the caused event is not explicitly expressed. | |||||
54
Status: main; causal marker: GEN del
| Š-is | skaitl-is | ne-var | bū-t | mazāk-s | par | vien-u | vienīb-u | matemātik-as | likum-u | dēļ. |
| this- nom . sg . m | number- nom . sg | neg -can. prs .3 | be- inf | less- nom . sg . m | behind | one- acc . sg | unit- acc . sg | mathematics- gen . sg | law- gen . pl | because.of |
| Per mathematical law, this number cannot be less than one. | ||||||||||