Do you speak Latvian?

Learning Latvian is harder than any other save Russian. If young you may have chance but middle aged or pensioners never. You see Latvia is one third the size of Wales with less than half the population of Cardiff here. So if Wales is an ethnic language Latvian is more than that. It influences the rest of Europe not one jot. Like Welsh it is not worth learning more than polite 40 words. All speak German and most speak English. especially the young. Latvians are really good at languages whilst us rather lazy Brits have spread our language world wide and travel is our watch word. I have globe trot all over too and always managed even in Tibet to find most speak better English then I can admit. You see internet uses English worldwide. It is the language that is used in medicine and law of EU. Bit of Latvian helps but once you make the effort all break in with English so your stuck really learning. The written word is never the pronunciation and if you get it almost correct no Latvian will recognize a word you think is right unless all the right mouth twists and lip curls make the right turns and what comes out is exact. My advice unless you really wish to be a citizen why bother?

I only speak odd words such as Paldies ... Ludzu ... other than that it is unnecessary.

Major business in Latvia still has Russian as its core and English is becoming more widely spoken.

To be honest Latvia's business world is contracting fast and unless Govt here wakes up - the bankruptcy they hide from the public will become plainly seen.

Eu is heading for financial implode, once UK departs and billions of Euros are no longer available - states like Latvia will no longer be able to milk the EU gravy train.

I've lived in the Baltics for near 25 years and watched the nationalist blinkered idiots destroy what could have been a prosperous land. Their dogged determination of all anti Russian has created a state that is dependent on EU handouts. And too much of those end up being squandered into 'bank accounts'.

Latvia will need to come to terms with its error - The EU did not come here for Latvia benefit, but as a gateway to Russian resources and business. Latvia's insistence on shutting that door has been its worst mistake and EU has suffered. Imagine the wealth that could have been if that door had been held open ?
Latvian Govt claims Russian interests closed that door. Wrong. Latvian Transit rates increased again and again so much - Russian trade was being strangled by Latvian greed. It was no surprise for Russia to invest in its own infrastructure and development to bypass such idiotic Latvian rates.
Now ships sail past Latvia instead of as before picking up their cargoes here.

I originally came to Ventspils in 1993 to oversee Russian Crude OIl through one of the biggest terminals in Baltic. I went on to run companys overseeing Bulk and Oil cargoes through Baltic States. Anyone who thinks business is healthy particularly in Ventspils and Latvia is living a dream. Ventspils is currently only passing approximately 30% of its former tonnage and most of that is piecemeal. Gone are the massive amounts of Crude Oil and Fuels. Most of the Fertilizer trade has gone. The Iron and Steel exports gone. The expected Container traffic never came.

Now Latvia is forced to rape its forests for product to sell ... all the while people continue to leave for other countries to get work.

Ventspils has gone from 40,000 down to barely 19,000 population .... and Ventspils is one of the richest towns in Latvia.

For anyone contemplating being Expat here ... you better have a good job - because there's little here on offer.
I personally shut down my companys due to the over-taxing burdens and lack of trade in the ports. Latvia's answer to weakening revenues from business was to increase tax burdens.

Ask me why my main business is now outside Latvia. 25 years watching decline.

Hi...I must admit that I do not speak Latvian, but I think it is important that if one is going to live in a country that they should learn their language !!!   However, I do speak English and have found many people in (Riga) understand me, and I also speak some Russian, so between the two languages I do ok, however, I do not live in Riga all year (only three months)...if I lived there full time, I would absolutely learn the language