tante
The English word 'aunt' is tante in Latvian. Wiktionary also lists tēva māsa.
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latvian |
|---|
| tante |
| tēva māsa |
The term refers to a parent's sister or sister-in-law.
How does it change in a sentence?
tante follows standard feminine noun declension. For example, the dative case tantei is used to express 'to the aunt' or 'for the aunt' and the genitive singular form tantes is used to indicate possession, such as 'the aunt's'.
Did you know?
- In some Latvian social contexts, tante can be used as a polite title for an older woman who is not actually a relative.
- The word tante is a linguistic traveler that entered Latvian from German, which had previously borrowed it from French.
- While tante is a common loanword, the more descriptive term tēva māsa literally translates to 'father's sister'.
Examples in context
- Kur ir jūsu tante?Where's your aunt?This sentence is useful for asking where someone's tante is.Tatoeba #13968374 by GemMonkey, translation #7453787 by CK
- Manai tantei nav brāļu un māsu.My aunt does not have siblings.This sentence shows the use of the dative form tantei.Tatoeba #11438725 by GemMonkey, translation #11130126 by carlosalberto
- Toms dzīvo pie sava onkuļa un tantes.Tom lives with his uncle and aunt.This sentence demonstrates a context involving an uncle and a tante.Tatoeba #13970590 by GemMonkey, translation #7435543 by Hybrid
Example conversation
Kristīne and Andris are looking at old family photos.
- KristīneKas ir šī sieviete fotoattēlā?Who is this woman in the photo?
- AndrisTā ir mana tante, viņa dzīvo Amerikā.That is my aunt, she lives in America.
- KristīneVai viņa bieži mūs apmeklē?Does she visit us often?
- AndrisNē, mana tante atnāk tikai reiz gadā.No, my aunt comes only once a year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries tante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries māsa, tante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
