ēst
[ɛ̂ːst]
To eat in Latvian is ēst.
The verb ēst is used to describe the act of consuming a meal or food.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you personally eat or are currently eating, use the first person singular present tense form ēdu. If you are giving a command, the form depends on who you are addressing: use ēd for a singular command and ēdiet for a command directed at a group or when addressing someone formally.
Did you know?
- In Latvian culture, it is common to use the phrase labu apetīti before starting to ēst. This is the equivalent of the French 'bon appétit'.
- Latvian has a specific distinction between ēst (to eat) and uzkodēties (to snack). The latter implies a light, informal meal rather than a full sitting.
- The Latvian word ēst is a very old relative of the English word 'eat'. They both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ed-.
Examples in context
- Vai tu gribi ēst?Do you want to eat?This sentence shows how to use ēst to ask about someone's desire to eat.Tatoeba #13092931 by kaspars, translation #773323 by marloncori
- Tev nevajag to ēst.You don't have to eat it.This sentence shows how to use ēst to express that eating something is not necessary.Tatoeba #2525267 by SilverBirdLV, translation #435767 by CK
- Vai es varu to ēst?Can I eat this?This sentence shows how to use ēst to ask for permission to eat something.Tatoeba #13958033 by GemMonkey, translation #54937 by CK
- Vai jūs vēlaties ēst?Would you like to eat?
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jānis and Laura are deciding what to do for dinner.
- JānisLaura, vai tu gribi ēst tagad?Laura, do you want to eat now?
- LauraNē, es gribu ēst vēlāk.No, I want to eat later.
- JānisKo mēs varētu ēst šovakar?What could we eat tonight?
- LauraMēs varam ēst zivs.We can eat fish.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ēst, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ēst, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
