A Latvian verb for sleeping, lying down, resting or being situated somewhere, with figurative uses for still coverings and a slang sense of sleeping with someone.
To sleep, be asleep, or spend time in normal rest.
Usage
Use gulēt for being asleep, sleeping through a period, or going to bed in phrases such as iet gulēt.
Examples
Bērns mierīgi guļ savā gultiņā.
The child sleeps peacefully in the crib.
Es slikti gulēju pēc garā lidojuma.
I slept badly after the long flight.
Vai tu labi guli jaunajā dzīvoklī?
Do you sleep well in the new apartment?
Brīvdienās viņi guļ ilgāk nekā parasti.
On weekends they sleep longer than usual.
Ir laiks iet gulēt.
It is time to go to sleep.
Common mistakes
The present and past stems are mixed with invented forms.
Incorrect
Correct
Es gulēt katru nakti.
Es guļu katru nakti.
Tu guļi labi?
Tu guli labi?
Viņi guļāja līdz rītam.
Viņi gulēja līdz rītam.
Similar words
dusēt
snaust
čučēt
migt
Lie in a resting position
verb
body
neutral
To be lying down or resting horizontally, whether awake, sick, unconscious, or poetically at rest in a grave.
Usage
Use gulēt for the state of lying down, and use gulties or apgulties for the action of getting into that position.
Examples
Pacients guļ slimnīcā jau trešo dienu.
The patient is lying in the hospital for the third day already.
Viņa gulēja saulē un lasīja grāmatu.
She lay in the sun and read a book.
Suns guļ uz muguras pie krāsns.
The dog is lying on its back by the stove.
Viņš gulēja bezsamaņā pēc kritiena.
He lay unconscious after the fall.
Dzejā var teikt, ka senči guļ kapos.
In poetry, ancestors may be said to rest in their graves.
Common mistakes
The state of lying is confused with the movement of lying down.
Incorrect
Correct
Viņš gulēja uz krēsla.
Viņš sēdēja uz krēsla.
Es gulēju gultā tagad.
Es guļu gultā tagad.
Viņa gulēt uz sāniem.
Viņa guļ uz sāniem.
Similar words
zvilnēt
gulšņāt
dusēt
Be lying or situated
verb
objects
neutral
To be placed, lying, or left somewhere, especially when an object is still, idle, or unused.
Usage
Use gulēt mostly in the third person for objects, papers, money, goods, and other things that lie or remain somewhere.
Examples
Uz galda guļ neatvērta vēstule.
An unopened letter lies on the table.
Plauktā gulēja vecas fotogrāfijas.
Old photographs lay on the shelf.
Nauda mēnešiem guļ bankas kontā.
The money lies in the bank account for months.
Pagalmā guļ salauzts velosipēds.
A broken bicycle is lying in the yard.
Dokumenti gulēja mapē bez paraksta.
The documents lay unsigned in the folder.
Common mistakes
Personal verb forms are used where an object needs the third person.
Incorrect
Correct
Grāmata guļu uz galda.
Grāmata guļ uz galda.
Nauda gulam kontā.
Nauda guļ kontā.
Vēstules gulēja uz galdu.
Vēstules gulēja uz galda.
Similar words
atrasties
būt
palikt
Spread quietly over a place
verb
nature
literary
To lie, settle, or spread over a place, said of fog, darkness, silence, snow, or a similar still covering.
Usage
Use gulēt figuratively for a quiet layer or mood covering a scene, not for active movement across it.
Examples
Pār laukiem guļ bieza migla.
Thick fog lies over the fields.
Ielejā gulēja vakara ēnas.
Evening shadows lay in the valley.
Pēc sniega ciemā gulēja dziļš klusums.
After the snow, deep silence lay over the village.
Virs upes guļ pelēki mākoņi.
Gray clouds hang over the river.
Tumsa gulēja pār ceļu līdz rītam.
Darkness lay over the road until morning.
Common mistakes
The figurative sense is used for things that move or fall actively.
Incorrect
Correct
Lietus guļ pār pilsētu.
Lietus līst pār pilsētu.
Vējš guļ pār laukiem.
Vējš pūš pār laukiem.
Migla gulēja pa mežu.
Migla gulēja pār mežu.
Similar words
klāties
izplatīties
dusēt
snaust
Have sex with someone
verb
relationships
slang
To sleep with someone, meaning to have sex with that person.
Usage
Use gulēt with ar for this slang sense, and choose a more neutral verb such as mīlēties in formal or careful contexts.
Examples
Viņa negribēja gulēt ar cilvēku, ko tikko satikusi.
She did not want to sleep with someone she had just met.
Baumas apgalvoja, ka viņš guļ ar kolēģi.
Rumors claimed that he was sleeping with a colleague.
Viņi sāka gulēt kopā tikai pēc ilgām attiecībām.
They started sleeping together only after a long relationship.
Šajā nozīmē gulēt ir sarunvalodas vārds.
In this sense, sleep is a colloquial word.
Viņa jautāja, vai viņi vēl guļ kopā.
She asked whether they were still sleeping together.
Common mistakes
The preposition ar is omitted in the slang meaning.
Incorrect
Correct
Viņš gulēja viņu.
Viņš gulēja ar viņu.
Viņa negrib gulēt viņu.
Viņa negrib gulēt ar viņu.
Viņi gulēja kopā viens otru.
Viņi gulēja kopā.
Similar words
mīlēties
pārgulēt
čupoties
Usage
Use the correct stem: guļu, guli, guļ in the present, gulēju and gulēja in the past, and jāguļ for necessity.
Common mistakes
Tu guļi and viņi guļāja are wrong, use tu guli and viņi gulēja.
Etymology
Related to Latvian gult, to lie down, and cognate with Lithuanian gulėti. The older history is connected with a Baltic verb family for lying or resting.
FAQ
What does gulēt mean?
It most often means to sleep or be asleep, but it can also mean to lie, rest, or be situated somewhere.
How do you say I sleep in Latvian?
Say es guļu, not es gulēt.
What is the past tense of gulēt?
The common past forms include es gulēju, tu gulēji, and viņš gulēja.
Is guļāja correct?
No. The correct past form is gulēja, as in viņi gulēja līdz rītam.
What is the difference between gulēt and gulties?
Gulēt names the state of sleeping or lying, while gulties means to lie down or get into that position.
Can gulēt mean that an object lies somewhere?
Yes. Uz galda guļ vēstule means a letter is lying on the table.
Can gulēt describe fog or darkness?
Yes. In figurative or literary Latvian, fog, darkness, silence, or shadows can gulēt over a place.
Does gulēt mean sleep with someone?
Yes, in slang gulēt ar kādu means to sleep with someone or have sex with that person.
What is the debitive form of gulēt?
The debitive form is jāguļ, meaning must sleep or has to lie down.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Newest
Top
Active
Hidden Lynx
Jul 11
guļu still looks impossible to spell tbh
0
Reply
Contribution
Hardy Trout
Jul 10
Čučēt sounds soft, mostly kids / pets language. Fine for a toddler, a cat, maybe joking with your partner, but dont use it like a plain neutral verb for adults.
1
Reply
Contribution
Solid Snail
Jul 7
man jāguļ, not es jāguļu. That jā form takes the person in dative, same pattern as man jāiet or man jāstrādā
2
Reply
Contribution
Rustic Beagle
Jul 4
I used to translate went to sleep as aizmigu every time and got corrected. Latvian keeps those apart. Aizgāju gulēt is more like I went to bed, maybe you lay there scrolling for another hour. Aizmigu is when you actually fell asleep.