Convenience Store

1. Vai vēlaties maisiņu?

   vai VĒ-la-ties MAI-si-ņu?

   Would you like a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Latvia charges for lightweight plastic bags, and not only Rimi and Maxima but every small veikals will check. Decline with "Nē, paldies"

   Grammar Note

   The particle "vai" at the front turns the sentence into a yes/no question. "Maisiņš" is "maiss" (bag) plus the diminutive "-iņš" — Latvian loves diminutives, and many of them have become the everyday word

2. Vai jums ir lojalitātes karte?

   vai jums ir LO-ja-li-tā-tes KAR-te?

   Do you have a loyalty card?

   Usage

   Said by staff. With Rimi's Mans Rimi and Maxima's Paldies card the gap between member and standard prices is substantial, so you are always asked. Travellers answer "Nav, paldies"

   Grammar Note

   Possession uses a dative construction — "to you there is" — rather than a verb "to have". The negative answer is simply "Nav", the negated form of "ir"

3. Vai maksāsiet ar karti vai skaidrā naudā?

   vai MAK-sā-siet ar KAR-ti vai SKAID-rā NAU-dā?

   Will you pay by card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Latvia is heavily cashless and a one-euro purchase goes through on card without comment; cash-only shops have all but disappeared

   Grammar Note

   "Skaidrā naudā" literally means "in clear money" and is the fixed phrase for cash. Note the case split: instrumental "ar" takes the accusative, while "naudā" is locative

4. Vai jums vajag čeku?

   vai jums VA-jag ČE-ku?

   Do you need the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. A receipt is required for returns and exchanges, so keep it for clothing or electronics; for food it is fine to decline

   Grammar Note

   "Vajadzēt" (to need) takes no subject: the person needing goes into the dative ("jums") and the thing needed into the accusative ("čeku"). Latvian uses this pattern for many verbs of need and feeling

5. Kur ir taromāts?

   kur ir TA-ro-māts?

   Where is the deposit return machine?

   Usage

   Latvia launched its deposit scheme in February 2022, adding ten cents to plastic bottles, cans and glass. The "taromāts" sits by the entrance or on the outside wall, printing a voucher you can spend in store

   Grammar Note

   "Taromāts" blends "tara" (container) with "automāts" (machine). Only containers carrying the scheme's mark on the label are accepted; anything else the machine rejects

6. Līdz cikiem drīkst pirkt alkoholu?

   līdz CI-kiem drīkst pirkt AL-ko-ho-lu?

   Until what time can I buy alcohol?

   Usage

   Latvian law limits shop sales of alcohol to daytime hours ending at 10pm, and outside them the till simply refuses. Late-opening shops cover the drinks shelves. Bars and restaurants are regulated separately

   Grammar Note

   "Drīkst" expresses permission, as opposed to "varēt" for ability — the question here is what the law allows, so "drīkst" is the right choice. The preposition "līdz" governs the dative

7. Vai varat to uzsildīt?

   vai VA-rat to UZ-sil-dīt?

   Could you heat this up?

   Usage

   Latvian shops have no Japanese-style reheating service. For hot food, use a supermarket's hot deli counter, a Circle K forecourt store, or grab a hot dog at a Narvesen kiosk

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "uz-" adds a sense of completion, turning "sildīt" (to warm) into "uzsildīt" (to heat through). Latvian verb prefixes work much like Russian ones in shaping aspect

8. Cikos jūs aizverat?

   CI-kos jūs AIZ-ve-rat?

   What time do you close?

   Usage

   Central Riga has some 24-hour supermarkets, but a provincial veikals shuts around 8pm with shorter Sunday hours. In winter the daylight vanishes early, so darkness tells you nothing about closing time

   Grammar Note

   "Cikos" is the plural locative of "cik" (how many) and means "at what o'clock". Latvian always addresses a stranger with the plural "jūs", reserving "tu" for close acquaintances

9. Vai jums ir auksts ūdens?

   vai jums ir auksts Ū-dens?

   Do you have cold water?

   Usage

   Small shops have limited chiller space and may stock only room-temperature bottles. Latvian tap water is safe and good, so refilling at your accommodation usually suffices

   Grammar Note

   "Ūdens" is masculine, so the adjective takes the masculine "auksts". Latvian adjectives inflect for gender, number and case, and additionally distinguish definite from indefinite forms — this is the indefinite one

10. Kur atrodas baterijas?

    kur AT-ro-das BA-te-ri-jas?

    Where are the batteries?

    Usage

    Batteries, charging cables and umbrellas usually hang on a rack near the till rather than in the aisles. Swap in any product name to reuse the sentence

    Grammar Note

    "Atrasties" is a reflexive verb — the final "-s" marks the reflexive — meaning "to be located". It sounds more natural than plain "ir" when asking where something sits in a shop

11. Vai varu maksāt ar telefonu?

    vai VA-ru MAK-sāt ar TE-le-fo-nu?

    Can I pay with my phone?

    Usage

    Phone contactless works in almost every Latvian shop. Chinese-style QR payment is not used, though bank apps are the norm for transfers between individuals

    Grammar Note

    The preposition "ar" governs the accusative in the singular, so "telefons" becomes "telefonu". In the plural it switches to the dative — Latvian prepositions change case according to number

12. Vai šeit ir tualete?

    vai šeit ir TU-a-le-te?

    Is there a toilet here?

    Usage

    Small shops almost never have one. In Latvia the fallback is a shopping centre or a petrol station, and city public toilets often charge — carry some coins

    Grammar Note

    Toilet doors are marked "Vīrieši" (men) and "Sievietes" (women). Initials V and S also appear, and they are easy to confuse without the full words, so learn both

13. Vai varat uzlādēt braukšanas karti?

    vai VA-rat UZ-lā-dēt BRAUK-ša-nas KAR-ti?

    Can you top up a travel card?

    Usage

    Riga's transport card (e-talons) can be topped up at Narvesen kiosks and news stands. In Latvia these kiosks come closest to a Japanese konbini, also selling tickets and lottery entries

    Grammar Note

    "Braukšanas" is the genitive of a verbal noun from "braukt" (to ride), modifying "karte". Latvian expresses "B of A" as genitive plus noun, in that order

14. Cik kopā?

    cik KO-pā?

    How much altogether?

    Usage

    A short way to confirm the total. Latvian tills usually face the customer so the figure is on screen, but this is handy when you want it said aloud

    Grammar Note

    The verb is dropped in this colloquial form; the full sentence would be "Cik kopā ir?". "Kopā" is the locative of "kopa" (a group), functioning as an adverb meaning "together"

15. Vai jums ir sīknauda?

    vai jums ir SĪK-nau-da?

    Do you have any change?

    Usage

    Sometimes asked by staff of the customer. Because Latvia runs so heavily on cards, tills hold little cash and a fifty-euro note may simply be refused for lack of change

    Grammar Note

    "Sīknauda" compounds "sīks" (fine, small) with "nauda" (money). Latvian forms compound nouns freely, with the first element appearing as a bare stem

16. Maisiņu nevajag, man ir savs.

    MAI-si-ņu NE-va-jag, man ir savs.

    No bag needed, I have my own.

    Usage

    How to decline when you have a reusable bag. Bringing a cloth bag is entirely routine in Latvia, and this line speeds up the checkout

    Grammar Note

    Negation attaches "ne-" directly to the verb as one word (vajag → nevajag). "Savs" is the reflexive possessive, usable with any subject and resolved by context as "my own", "your own" and so on

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