The English word "have" does not exist as a word in Latvian. "Having" is expressed with a sentence structure around the verb būt (to be). Compare the same word "ir" in parts 1 and 2 below. In 1, it means "is", and in 2 it means "has".

1. Verb of Being: When the verb (ir, bija, būs, etc.) is used with two nouns or modifiers in nominative (kas?) case, it means "to be":

She is a student = viņa ir studente
They (feminine) are students: Viņas ir studentes

The same structure of nominative (ir/bija/būs) nominative appears for other forms of būt:

I am a student = es esmu students; You (singular) are = tu esi studente
We are = Mēs esam studenti; You (plural) are = jūs esat studentes

2. Verb of Having: It means "have" when a dative (kam?) ending comes before the verb (ir, bija, būs, but not esmu, esi, esam, esat) and nominative (kas?) comes after it.

The boy has a book = Zēnam ir grāmata
The girls have notebooks = Meitenēm ir burtnīcas.