Latvian

Verb

ēst tr., 1st conj., pres. ēdu, ēd, ēd, past ēdu

1. to eat (to take food into one's mouth in order to chew and swallow it)

   ēst maizi, gaļu‎ ― to eat bread, meat

   ēst kartupeļus, zupu‎ ― to eat potatoes, soup

   aicināt ēst‎ ― to invite to eat

   man gribas ēst‎ ― I want to eat (= I am hungry)

   pat saldējumu viņa ēda pavisam savādāk nekā citas meitenes‎ ― even ice cream she ate quite differently from the other girls

   pie galda sasēdušies, visi ēda klusu‎ ― having sat at the table, they all ate silently

2. to eat, to have (to consume a meal)

   ēst brokastis, pusdienas‎ ― to have breakfast, lunch

   ēst launagu‎ ― to have a snack

   viņi varēja iet rotaļas... un pēcāk visi kopā ēst vakariņas‎ ― they could go play... and later on all together have dinner

3. (colloquial, of insects) to sting, to bite

   kad saules karstums kļuva neciešams, dunduri un odi ēda viņu kailās muguras‎ ― when the sun heat became unbearable, the horseflies and mosquitoes ate their naked backs

4. (of pests) to eat, to kill, to destroy

   dārzā spradži ēda kapostus nost‎ ― in the garden, the flea-beetles ate the cabbages away

5. (colloquial, of chemical or mechanical processes) to eat, to destroy; to make disappear

   rūsa ēd dzelzi‎ ― rust eats iron

   skābe ēd metālu‎ ― acid eats metal

   saule Bišudruvu dārzā un sētā ēda un kausēja sniegu dienās, migla siltajās naktīs‎ ― in the garden and backyard of the Bišudruvu (family), the sun ate and melted the snow during the day, and the fog (did the same) in the warm nights

6. (colloquial) to nag, to harass, to criticize constantly, to cause pain to

   labi, ka virtuvē nebija saimnieces; tā viņu vienmēr ēda kā par veco kannu, kā par sarūsējušo mazgājamo bļodu‎ ― good that the landlady was not in the kitchen; she always nagged/harassed (lit ate) him like an old pot, like a rusty wash basin

   māte gan prot sabojāt garastāvokli... ko viņa mani nav ēdusi šo nelaimīgu matu dēļ!‎ ― mother really knows how to spoil the mood... what (= how often) hasn't she nagged/harassed me about that damn hair!

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (of "sting", "bite"): dzelt, kost

Derived terms

prefixed verbs:

other derived terms:

• ēdājs, ēdāja
• ēdiens, ēdienkarte, ēdienreize
• ēdināt
• ēdnīca

Related terms

• ēsma

See also

• dzert

References

1. ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “ēst”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, ISBN 9984-700-12-7