pelnīt

Originally the verbalized form of an old noun pelns (cf. nopelns (“merit”)), from Proto-Baltic *pel-na-s, from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to sell, to earn”). Cognates include Lithuanian pelnýti, Proto-Slavic *pelnъ “booty” (Old Church Slavonic плѣнъ (plěnŭ), Russian поло́н (polón)), Ancient Greek πωλέω (pōléō, “to sell”)^[1]

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pelnīt (transitive, 2nd/3rd conjugation, present pelnīju, pelnī, pelnī / pelnu, pelni, pelna, past pelnīju)

1. to be paid, to earn (to receive payment for work, for doing something)

   pelnīt lielu naudu ― to earn a lot of money

   pelnīt maizi, iztiku ― to earn bread, a livelihood

   cik viņš pelna mēnesī? ― how much does he earn per month?

   viņš jau strādāja un pelnīja ― he was already working and being paid

   Krišus pelnīja piecdesmit kapeiku dienā, un no viņa algas vajadzēja iztikt mātei un abiem brāļiem ― Krišus earned fifty kopeks per day, and from his pay his mother and his two brothers had to live

   Mintauts labi pelna, viņš noteikti ir arī šo to iekrājis ― Mintauts earns well, he also certainly (managed to) save some (money)

2. to earn, to deserve (to be such that one should receive, e.g., recognition, praise, blame, guilt, etc.)

   pelnīt rājienu, pērienu ― to deserve, to earn a reprimand, a beating

   pelnīt piecinieku ― to deserve, to earn an A (lit. 5) grades

   tas pelna ievērību, nosodījumu ― this deserves attention, condemnation

   māte ir pelnījusi cieņu un mīlestību ― mother deserves respect and love

   viņš to nav pelnījis ― he hasn't earned, doesn't deserve that

   ko pelnījis, to dabūjis ― he got what he earned, deserved

Even though pelnīt can in principle be a 2nd-conjugation (pelnīju) or a 3rd-conjugation (pelnu) verb, its 3rd-conjugation forms are much more frequent. In certain cases, the 2nd-conjugation forms are even apparently not used at all (e.g., the adjectival present active participle 1 is attested as pelnošs, not pelnījošs, and the present passive participle as pelnāms, not pelnījams).

prefixed verbs:

other derived terms:

• pelnīties

• nopelns
• peļņa