West Frisian is spoken by around 470,000 people in the province of Fryslân in the Netherlands. It is one of the closest living relatives to English, and many words will feel surprisingly familiar from the very first lesson.
Greetings and Introductions
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Goeie moarn | Good morning |
| Goejûn | Good evening |
| Hoe giet it? | How are you? |
| It giet goed | I am fine |
| Tank jo | Thank you |
| Asjebleaft | Please |
| Oant sjen | Goodbye |
| Wolkom | Welcome |
Basic Conversations
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Hoe hjitsto? | What is your name? |
| Ik hjit… | My name is… |
| Wêr komsto wei? | Where are you from? |
| Ik kom út… | I come from… |
| Spreksto Frysk? | Do you speak Frisian? |
| In bytsje | A little |
| Ik begryp it net | I do not understand |
| Kinsto dat werhelle? | Can you repeat that? |
Numbers 1 to 20
| Frisian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ien | EEN | 1 |
| Twa | TWAH | 2 |
| Trije | TREE-yuh | 3 |
| Fjouwer | FYOW-er | 4 |
| Fiif | FEEF | 5 |
| Seis | SACE | 6 |
| Sân | SAWN | 7 |
| Acht | AKHT | 8 |
| Njoggen | NYOG-en | 9 |
| Tsien | TSEEN | 10 |
| Alve | AL-vuh | 11 |
| Tolve | TOL-vuh | 12 |
| Trettjin | TRET-chin | 13 |
| Fjirtjin | FYIR-chin | 14 |
| Fyftjin | FYFT-chin | 15 |
| Sechtjin | SEKH-chin | 16 |
| Santjin | SAN-chin | 17 |
| Achttjin | AKHT-chin | 18 |
| Njoggentjin | NYOG-en-chin | 19 |
| Tweintich | TWANE-tikh | 20 |
Days of the Week
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Moandei | Monday |
| Tiisdei | Tuesday |
| Woansdei | Wednesday |
| Tongersdei | Thursday |
| Freed | Friday |
| Sneon | Saturday |
| Snein | Sunday |
Months of the Year
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Jannewaris | January |
| Febrewaris | February |
| Maart | March |
| April | April |
| Maaie | May |
| Juny | June |
| July | July |
| Augustus | August |
| Septimber | September |
| Oktober | October |
| Novimber | November |
| Desimber | December |
Colors
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Read | Red |
| Blau | Blue |
| Grien | Green |
| Giel | Yellow |
| Swart | Black |
| Wyt | White |
| Oranje | Orange |
| Pears | Purple |
Common Questions
| Frisian | English |
|---|---|
| Hoe hjitsto? | What is your name? |
| Wêr is…? | Where is…? |
| Hoefolle kostet dat? | How much does that cost? |
| Kinsto my helpe? | Can you help me? |
| Wat is dat? | What is that? |
| Wannear? | When? |
| Wêrom? | Why? |
Head to LearnFrisian.com to practice these phrases with audio recordings from a native speaker.
