Latvian

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Etymology

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Akin with Lithuanian nókti (to become ready, ripe, (dial.) to go, to follow, to chase, to compete). The source of this Baltic word is unclear. One suggestion is that it might be related to Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, near, close), Old High German nāh, German nah. If this suggestion is correct, then the original meaning of nākt would be “to approach, to come closer.” [1]

Pronunciation

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Verb

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nākt (intransitive, 1st conjugation, present nāku, nāc, nāk, past nācu)

  1. to come (to move, to walk towards the speaker, to here)
    nākt pa ceļuto come on the road
    nākt lieliem soļiemto come with big steps
    nākt kājāmto come on foot
    nākt garāmto come by
    nākt iekšā, ārāto come in, out
    nākt pa kāpnemto come down the stairs
    nākt steidzīgā gaitāto come at a hurried pace
    nākt mājāsto come home
    nākt no skolasto come from school
    nākt pie galdato come to the table
    nākt tuvumāto come close
    ņem sievu un bērnu un ej, kur esi nācis!get your wife and child and go (back) where you came (from)!
    sēžam darbu vadītāja kantorī... nāk un iet celtniekiwe are sitting in the foreman's office... construction workers come and go
    visu laiku, kamēr viņi dzīvoja kopā, Mārīte nomanīja, ka Elmārs no viņas baidās, nenāk tuvumāall the time, while they were living together, Mārīte felt that Elmārs was afraid of her, he didn't come close
    “ei, kas tur par ciemiņu?... skaties: kaķis! nu, nāc nu, nāc iekšā”, vecītis aicināja“hey, what kind of visitor is there?... look: a cat! well, come now, come in,” the old man invited
  2. to come, to arrive somewhere (on foot, or in a vehicle)
    nākt ciemosto come to visit
    nākt pie ārstato come to the doctor
    nākt lūgt padomuto come to ask for advice
    nākt vakariņāsto come for dinner
    nāc šovakar uz kino!come tonight to the cinema!
    nākt atpakaļto come back
    nākt talkā, uz talkuto come to the rescue
    nākt palīgāto come to help
    nākt uzbrukumāto come to attack (= to attack the enemy)
    nākt (kādas) pēdāsto come in (someone's) footprints (= to follow someone's example)
    kā tas būs: nāksi vai nenāksi pie manis?so, how will it be: will you, or won't you, come to (visit) me?
  3. to come, to arrive (somewhere, in order to perform an activity, occupy a place)
    “kad nāksi atkal skolā?” skolēni viņam prasa; “kad ciema dārzos izbeigsies vīnogas”, atteic Mameds“when will you come again to school?” the students asked him; “when there are no more grapes in the villagers' gardens,” Mameds replied
    jaunā paaudze nāk vecās vietāthe younger generation comes into the place of (= replaces) the older one
  4. to come (with something), to propose, to give
    nākt ar ierosinājumuto come with a suggestion
    nākt ar jaunām idejāmto come with new ideas
    nākt ar padomuto come with advice
    Uģis nāca ar priekšlikumu pēc nelielas atpūtas nospēlēt vēl vienu volejbola “partiju”Uģis came with the proposal of, after a short rest, playing yet another volleyball “match”
    es, nabags, pilns cerības, nāku pie mūsu visužēlīga tvēa, kunga un ķeizara ar pazemīgu lūgšanuI, a poor (man), full of hope, come to our mercyful father, lord and emperor, with a humble prayer
  5. to come from, to have arrived from (another city, country)
    mēs nācām no Anglijaswe have come from England
  6. (of birds, fish) to come (to fly, to swim to here)
    laši nāk nārstot upēsthe salmon come to spawn in the rivers
    pirms vēl sniegs bija sācis kust, nāca sīki gāju putnibefore the snow had started to melt, little migratory birds came
  7. (of vehicles, also of other objects; usually in the 3rd person) to come, to pass by; to move towards here
    trolejbuss nāk ik pa piecām minutēmthe trolley comes every five minutes
    dunēdams nāk vilciensthe train comes droning
    lidmašīna nākthe airplane is coming
    ledus, lielos gabalos nākdams no Piedrujas, sablīvējas pie Dolesthe ice, coming in big pieces from Piedruja, became more compact by the Dole
  8. to come (to life), to be born
    nākt pasaulēto come to the world (= to be born)
    sestais bērns ģimenē nāca pēc liela pārtraukuma — the sixth child in the family came (= was born) after a long pause (after the fifth)
    meitiņa pasaulē nāca ļoti vārga, šķita, ka viņa izdzisīsthe girl came to the world very weak, it seemed that she was going off
  9. to come, to be from, to have been born in, to have spent time in (a group, a family, a place)
    nākt no inteliģentas ģimenesto come from an educated family
    Munks nāca no nabadzīgiem zvejniekiem, bet izsitās līdz stūrmanimMunks came from (a family of) poor fishermen, but he managed to become an officer
    Mamma nāk no Āgenskalna, no ģimenes un vides, ar ko bija jāsamierinās galdniekzeļļa meitai, bet kas vairs nav vēlama ārsteimother comes from Āgenskalns, from a family and an environment that should satisfy a carpenter's daughter, but which was no longer appropriate for a doctor
    Barons nāca no galvaspilsētas augstskolasBarons came from a university in the capital
    Lote nākusi no ielas, tādēļ, protams, Pētera vecāki viņu nīst un nicinaLote came from the street (= prostitution), because of this, of course, Pēteris' parents despised her
  10. to come from, to be caused by, to result from
    Adatiņš bieži sūdzējas par samaitātu kuņģi; tas nākot no tā, ka sausu vien ēdot...Adatiņš often complained about an upset stomach; this came from, they say, the fact that he only ate dry (bread)
    šī gudrība zēnam nav nakusi no Lūku Pētera kompānijasthis wisdom of the boy didn't come from Lūku Pēteris' gang
  11. (of time periods, usually in the 3rd person) to come, to approach, to draw near
    gadi nāk, un gadi ietthe years come and go
    vakars nākthe evening is coming
    kad stadiona sargs aizslēdza vārtus, nāca jau tuvu vienpadsmitiemwhen the stadium guard locked the gates, it was coming close to 11 (= it was almost 11 o'clock)
    vecums nāk un viņam līdz visādas domasold age is coming and along with it all kinds of thoughts
  12. (of natural phenomena) to come, to start gradually, to approach; (of the sun) to show itself above the horizon
    nāk tumsadarkness is coming
    lēni nāk gaismathe light is slowly coming
    pērkona negaiss nāk tuvāk un tuvāka thunderstorm is coming closer and closer
    Kalvieša bēru dienā nāca sniegs ar lietuduring Kalviesis' funeral, (there) was (lit. came) snow with rain
    vēl kāda stunda, tad saule nāk, nes dzīvību zeltainā traukāstill one hour, then the sun comes (and) brings life in a golden bowl
  13. (of plants) to come, to come out, to start growing, to become visible
    no zemes nāk ārā pirmie asnithe first sprouts are coming out from the earth
    (of teeth) to come out
    zobi tev (zīdainim) vēl nenāk, tu esi vesels... un tomēr tu brēc kā negudrsyour (baby's) teeth aren't coming out yet, you are healthy... and yet you cry like mad
    (of liquids, gases) to come out, to flow (out of somewhere), to fall (e.g., rain), to move in a certain direction (e.g., smoke, drafts)
    no brūces nāk asinisblood is coming out of the wound
    viens Augšzemes lielkungs licis aizsprostot augšā Susēju ar lielu dambi, lai brīvnieka dzirnavām nenāktu ūdensone Augšzeme prince once had the upper Susēja (river) blocked with a dam, so that water couldn't come to the free peasants' mills
    ja putekļi nāktu ārā pa dūmeni, izskatītos, it kā krāsns kurasif dust came out of the chimney, it would seem as if the stove were burning
    debess pār jūru ir bez viena mākoņa, un viļņi nāk krastā caurspīdīgi zaļi, un baltās putu galotnes žilbinathe sky over the sea is without a cloud, and the waves come ashore translucent green, and (their) white foam tops dazzle (the eye)
  14. (of smells, sounds) to come, to spread, to be produced, expressed
    no viņas nāca tīru drēbju un vēl kaut kāda smaršafrom her came the smell of clean clothes and also of something else
    no govju staļļiem nāk troksnisa noise is coming from the cow stables
    artilērijas kanonāde nāca arvien tuvāk un tuvākthe canonade of the artillery came closer and closer
    “te runā Ramba! sveiks, Pāvil!” vārdi nāca kā no akas dibena“this is Ramba speaking! hallo, Pāvils!” the words came as if from the bottom of a well
  15. (of physical or mental states, their consequences) to come (to become increasingly more intensive)
    nāk prieksjoy, pleasure is coming
    nāk ciešanassuffering is coming
    dusmas nākanger is coming
    apetīte nāk ar ēšanuappetite comes by eating
    sāpju lēkmes nāk ik pēc brīžaa pain attack comes every minute
    miegs nāk kā ūdenssleep is coming like water (said when one feels an irresistible desire to sleep)
    mīlestība bija nākusi pār viņu tikpat negaidīti kā par manilove had come to him just as unexpectedly as (it had come) to me
    man nāca smiekli, bet es valdījoslaughter came to me, but I managed to control myself
  16. (of thoughts, ideas) to come to mind, to appear in one's consciousness
    nākt prātā, galvāto come to mind
    nākt atmiņāto come to memory
    tā pēkšņi viņai nāk tās domasso suddenly these thoughts came to her
  17. (of hopes, habits, experience) to come, to grow, to develop
    prāts nāk ar gadiemunderstanding (= experience) comes with the years
    kas is gudrība tautas dziesmu tēlojumā? tā ir: dzīves gudrība; no skolas un grāmatām tā nevarēja nāktwhat is the wisdom in what folk songs portray? it is life's wisdom; from school or books it (= wisdom) could not come
  18. (of mail, letters, money, etc.) to come, to be sent here and be received
    otra vēstule nāca no Alekšathe second letter came from Alekšs
    nez kāpēc Kārlēns ilgi neraksta?... vai nu pasts nenāk, vai kā citādi...I wonder why Kārlēns hasn't written for a while... maybe the mail isn't coming, or maybe something else...
    nu Veckalači dienu pa dienai gaidīja, kad tā lielā nauda naks no Amerikasso the Veckalači waited day by day for the big (amount of) money to come from America
    “Fenikss” cieš dzelzs un čuguna badu; tādas pašas zinas nāk arī no citām Krievijas lauksaimniecības mašīnu rūpnīcāmthe “Phoenix” suffered from lack of iron and cast iron; the same news are coming also from other Russian agricultural machinery factories
  19. to come, to be obtained, to become (someone's) possession
    nākt (kāda) rokāsto come into (someone's) hands, to become (someone's) possession
    maize nenāk bez strādāšanasbread doesn't come without working
    reņģe nāca tīri ciešami, un uz kuģa valdīja lietišķa darba atmosfērathe herring was coming well enough, and on the boat there was a constructive working atmosphere
  20. (usually 3rd person; of time periods, events, states) to come, to start, to begin to happen
    nāk jauni laikinew times are coming
    nāk uzvara, laimevictory, happiness is coming
    nāk jauni notikuminew developments are coming, happening
    nelaime nenāk vienamisfortune doesn't come alone
    nāk par labuit comes for the good (said if something good happens)
    kā tas nāk?how did this come (= how did this happen?)
    ja nāktu karš... jā, tad es zinu, ko darītif war would come (= start)... yes, then I know what to do
    kas viņam varēja nākt vēl briesmīgāks par to, kas jau noticis?what could come (= happen) to him (that is) even more terrible that what has already happened?
  21. (of thoughts, judgments, opinions) to come, to form, to be formed
    nāk nepatīkams secinājumsan unpleasant conclusion is coming
    Mirdzai pat asaras saskrēja acīs, jo likās, ka tūlīt nāks slēdziens, ka tādai muļķīgi spītīgai meitenei komjaunatnē nav vietastears ran from Mirdza's eyes, because it seemed that immediately the conclusion would come that there is no place for such a stupidly stubborn girl in the Komsomol
  22. (of events) to come, to happen, to be (within a certain sequence)
    pēc futbola cienītājiem un hokeja entuziastiem tūdaļ nākot filatēlisti: viņu pasaulē esot vairāk nekā 200 miljonuafter the football fans and the hockey enthusiasts come, apparently, the philatelists: there seem to be more than 200 million of them in the world
    “pastāsti, ko tu tagad domā darīt? vai jauns Latvijas rekords būs?” “rekordi vienmēr nāk pašās beigās”, Zigis nenoteikti paraustīja plecus“tell (me), what do you intend to do now? will there be a new Latvian record?” “records only come at the very end,” Zigis shrugged uncertainly
  23. (of elements in some sequence) to come, to be the next
    tūliņ nāca Kalnasmeltēnu grava, bēris pats zināja, ka tur jāpietur soļiemthen came the Kalnasmeltēnu ravine, the bay horse himself knew that (we) needed to stop there
  24. to become, to come into some state, to acquire a certain quality or property
    ar laiku nāks vecāks un prātīgākswith time (one) comes (= becomes) older and wiser
    nākt pie prātato come by intelligence (= to become intelligent, wise)
    nākt pie sajēgasto come by the notion (= to get the notion)
    nākt pie samaņasto come by consciousness (= to regain consciousness)
    nākt pie atziņasto come to the realization (= to realize)
    nākt pie secinājuma, pie slēdzienato come to the conclusion
    nākt pie pārliecībasto come by, to the belief (= to become confident about something)
  25. (of animals, plants, objects) to become, to come into some state, to acquire a certain property
    ēka nāk gatavathe building is coming (= becoming) ready
    trauks nāk pilnsthe bowl is coming (= becoming) full
    klaips nāk uz beigāmthe loaf is coming to the end (= is finishing)
    rudzi nāk pļaujamithe rye is coming (= becoming) ready for harvest
    āboli nāk ēdamithe apples are coming (= becoming) edible (= ripe)
    zosis nāk kaujamasthe geese are coming (= becoming) ready for slaughter
    brūklenes nāca sarkanasthe cranberries came (= became) red
    pavasarī nāks kumeļš strādāmsin spring the colt will come (= become) ready for working
  26. (of people) to come into a position, job; to come (to, e.g., fame, power, etc.)
    Roplaiņi cēlās un cēlās un nāca slavāRoplaiņi rose and rose and came to fame (= became famous)
    kad Brīviņš nāks amatā, tad būs pavisam cita kārtībawhen Brīviņš comes (lit. will come) into office, then there will be a completely new (lit. different) order
  27. to come into (something), to become the object of a certain action, to get into a certain state
    nākt modēto come into mode (= to become fashionable)
    nākt pārdošanāto come into sale (= to start being sold)
    nākt ļaužu valodās, mēlēsto come into people's talk, tongue (= to become a topic of general conversation)
    vīram pēc Jura dienas visa manta nākusi ūtrupēbefore George's day all (her) husband's property came into auction (= was auctioned)
  28. (in the 3rd person) to come, to fit in (a certain position), to be placed (somewhere)
    nākt galdāto come to the table (= food, to be served, eaten)
    pusdienās visbiežāk nāca galdā putraimu putramostly groats porridge came to table for lunch (= we mostly had groats porridge for lunch)
    “un gredzens nāk ap putna kāju?” “jā, tas nāk ap putna kāju”“and the ring comes (= goes, fits) around the bird's leg?” “yes, it comes (= goes, fits) around the bird's leg”
  29. to come, to be given, granted, as part (of something)
    Ievai pūrā nāca līdz divas govis, drēbju skapis un gulta ar spilveniem un veļu, bez tam vēl trīssimt rubļu naudasin Ieva's dowry came two cows, a wardrobe and a bed with pillows and linens, and in addition also 300 rubles in cash
    varbūt govis juta, ka daļa no piena nāks arī viņu teliņiemmaybe the cows felt that a part of the milk would come (= go, be given) to their calves
  30. to come for (a price), to cost
    tirgus diena; sirma māmuļa lēniem solīšiem iet gar stendiem, tai rokā nobružāta tukša soma: “cik sviestiņš nāk?”market day; an old lady is walking by the stands with little slow steps, in her hand(s) a worn-out bag: “(for) how much does a little butter come?” (= how much does it cost?)

Conjugation

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Derived terms

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prefixed verbs:
other derived terms:

References

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  1. ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “nākt”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca[1] (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN