bērns

See also: Berns

Latvian

Bērni

Etymology

From an earlier *berns, with lengthening ([èɾ] > [æ̀ːɾ]), from Proto-Baltic *bernas, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- with an extra -no-s. The meaning evolved from “carry, bear” > “carried thing, burden” > “baby (being carried by pregnant woman)” > “child.” Cognates include Lithuanian bérnas (“young, unmarried man; child; boy; servant”), Sudovian barnaj (“children”) (< *bernai), Proto-Germanic *barną (“child”) (Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌽 (barn), Swedish barn, English bairn (“child”)). In the sense of “burden,” also Proto-Slavic *bermę < *bermen- (dialectal Russian бере́мя (berémja, “burden; lap”)), Old Armenian բեռն (beṙn), Ancient Greek φέρνη (phérnē, “dowry”); in the sense of “pregnant,” Russian бере́менная (berémennaja), Polish brzemienna, from brzemienny (“full of cargo”); and in the sense of “to be born, birth,” Ancient Greek φέρμα (phérma, “fruit of the earth”), Old English ġeberan (“to bring forth, to give birth”), German gebären, English bear, be born.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bæ̀ːɾns]

Noun

bērns m (1st declension)

1. child (boy or girl up to approximately 14 or 13 years of age)

   mazs bērns ― small child

   raudošs bērns ― crying, weeping child

   nerātns bērns ― naughty child

   neiznests bērns ― premature (lit. not-fully-carried) child

   ārlaulības, nelikumīgs bērns ― out-of-wedlock, illegitimate child

   bērna audzināšana ― a child's education

   auklēt bērnu ― to baby-sit a child

   kopt bērnu ― to care for a child

   mācīt bērnu ― to teach a child

   adoptēt bērnu ― to adopt a child

   bērnu ratiņi ― strollers (literally, “little children's carts”)

   bērnu autiņi ― diapers (literally, “children's little cloths”)

   bērnu nams, bērnunams ― orphanage (literally, “children's house”)

   bērnu dārzs, bērnudārzs ― kindergarten (literally, “children's garden”)

   bērnu laukums ― (children's) playground

   bērnu literatūra ― children's literature, books

   bērnu ārsts ― pediatrician (lit. children's doctor)

   bērnu spēle ― children's play (= something very simple and easy)

   tu runā kā bērns ― you talk like a child (= too naively, childishly)

2. child (son or daughter, regardless of age, in relation to their parents; descendants)

   vienu vecāku bērni ― children of the same parents, siblings

   pieauguši bērni ― grownup children

   viņai ir vienpadsmit bērnu: septiņas meitas un četri dēli ― she has eleven children: seven daughters and four sons

   kad bērni lieli, iet tie paši ar savu galvu un vecāku prātu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. (colloquial) animal offspring

   “vai, māt, Brūnaļai teļinš!” meitene priecīgi sasit rokas... “Brūnaļa mani vairs nepazīst...” “viņai bail, ka tu nedari pāri viņas bērnam” ― “oh, Mum, Brūnaļa (the cow) has a little calf!” the girl happily clapped her hands... “Brūnaļa doesn't know me anymore...” “she is afraid of what you might do to her child”

4. (poetic) person, with respect to land, people, nation, political movement, etc. to which he or she belongs

   tu biji krietnais tautas bērns ― you were an honest, decent child of the people

   dziesma, ai dziesmiņa, skani skaļi / visur, kur Latvijas bērniem mājas! ― song, oh little song, do sound loud / everywhere where Latvia's children have homes!

Declension

Declension of bērns (1st declension)

	singular (vienskaitlis)	plural (daudzskaitlis)
nominative (nominatīvs)	bērns	bērni
accusative (akuzatīvs)	bērnu	bērnus
genitive (ģenitīvs)	bērna	bērnu
dative (datīvs)	bērnam	bērniem
instrumental (instrumentālis)	bērnu	bērniem
locative (lokatīvs)	bērnā	bērnos
vocative (vokatīvs)	bērns	bērni

Derived terms

• bāra bērns, bārabērns
• bērnība
• bērnišķs, bērnišķīgs, bērnišķīgums
• bērnišķība
• bērnudārzs, bērnu dārzs
• bērnu nams, bērnunams

See also

• ģimene
• vecāki, tēvs, māte