[vaɾɛ̂ːt]
OriginFrom the same stem as vara (“power; authority; violence”), made into a third conjugation verb (ending -ēt (perhaps via a no longer extant verb *vert, of which varēt could be the iterative or durative form).
- transitivecan; to be able to (to have the mental or physical capacity to do something, to react in a certain way)
“varēt staigāt, runāt” — to be able to walk, to talk
“varēt atcerēties” — to be able to remember
“vai tu vari paiet?” — can you go/walk?
- transitivecan, to be able to (to have properties that make a certain activity or function possible)
“automobilis var attīstīt lielu ātrumu” — the automobile can reach high speed
- third-person, transitive, usuallyto be possible, to succeed in
“ēst, dzert var” — one can eat, drink it (= it is edible, drinkable)
“mēli var izmežģīt” — it can test the tongue (= it is difficult to say, to pronounce)
“vai es kaut reizi esot padomājis, ka Beātei no manis varētu bērns būt?” — did I ever imagine that Beāte could have a child from me?
- transitivemay, be allowed to, have permission for
““vai mēs ar Gunāru varam iet kājām?” Klāvs prasa tēvocim” — “can (= may) Gunārs and I go on foot?” Klāvs asks his uncle
“vienam bērnam ieteicams sauļoties, otrs turpretī nedrīkst; viens var peldēties, cits nē” — one child is allowed to tan, while the other is not; one can (= may) swim, the other (can't)
Formsconjugation(third-person) · varu(present) · vari(present) · var(present) · varēju(past) · es(first-person, indicative, singular) · varu(first-person, indicative, present, singular) · varēju(first-person, indicative, past, singular) · varēšu(first-person, future, indicative, singular) · -(first-person, imperative, singular) · tu(indicative, second-person, singular) · vari(indicative, present, second-person, singular) · varēji(indicative, past, second-person, singular) · varēsi(future, indicative, second-person, singular) · vari(imperative, second-person, singular) · viņš(indicative, singular, third-person) · viņa(indicative, singular, third-person) · var(indicative, present, singular, third-person) · varēja(indicative, past, singular, third-person) · varēs(future, indicative, singular, third-person)