Use tu when the relationship is familiar or explicitly informal, and switch to jūs for plural or polite formal address.
Use tu when the relationship is familiar or explicitly informal, and switch to jūs for plural or polite formal address.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Es redzu tu. | Es redzu tevi. |
| Es dodu grāmatu tu. | Es dodu grāmatu tev. |
| Tu ir mājās. | Tu esi mājās. |
| Labdien, tu varat palīdzēt? | Labdien, jūs varat palīdzēt? |
Read tu in expressions such as ak tu debess as part of the exclamation, not as the ordinary pronoun you.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Ak jūs debess, cik vēlu! | Ak tu debess, cik vēlu! |
| Ak tu debess, lūdzu, parakstiet līgumu. | Lūdzu, parakstiet līgumu. |
| Es satiku ak tu debess vakar. | Es vakar ļoti pārsteidzos. |
Use tu for familiar address to one person, and recognize it in set exclamations where it adds emotion rather than direct address.
Tu ir is wrong because the pronoun takes esi, and formal address usually needs jūs.
Inherited from Proto-Balto-Slavic and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European forms of the second-person singular pronoun.
What does tu mean in Latvian?
tu is the informal singular second-person pronoun, used when speaking to one familiar person.
When should tu be used instead of jūs?
tu fits friends, relatives, children, and agreed familiar address, while jūs is used for plural or polite formal address.
What are the main case forms of tu?
The main forms are tevis in the genitive, tev or tevim in the dative, tevi in the accusative, and tevī in the locative.
Is jūs an antonym of tu?
No. jūs is the plural or polite counterpart, but it is not a true opposite, so it belongs as a related term.
What does tu do in ak tu debess?
In phrases such as ak tu debess, tu works like an emphatic exclamation word, adding surprise or emotion rather than pointing to one person.