Frisian Grammar Guide – West Frisian Language Rules
This guide covers the essential grammar rules of West Frisian (Frysk), the closest living language to English. Whether you are a beginner or looking to improve your understanding of Frisian sentence structure, this reference covers articles, nouns, pronouns, verbs, word order, and adjectives with clear examples.
Articles (Lidwurden)
Frisian has two definite articles and one indefinite article. Like Dutch, nouns are either common gender (de-words) or neuter gender (it-words).
| Type | Common gender | Neuter gender | Plural (all) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | de | it | de |
| Indefinite | in | in | – |
De man is grut. – The man is tall.
It hûs is lyts. – The house is small.
In frou rint oer de dyk. – A woman walks along the road.
Nouns (Haadwurden)
Frisian nouns have two genders: common (de-words) and neuter (it-words). Plurals are formed by adding -(e)n or -s.
Plural formation
| Rule | Singular | Meervoud | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add -(e)n | wurd | wurden | word / words |
| Add -s | famke | famkes | girl / girls |
| Irregular | ko | kij | cow / cows |
| Irregular | man | manlju | man / men |
| Irregular | frou | froulju | woman / women |
| Irregular | hûs | hûzen | house / houses |
| Unchanged | bern | bern | child / children |
| Unchanged | skiep | skiep | sheep / sheep |
Pronouns (Foarnamwurden)
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | ik | my | myn |
| You (informal) | do | dy | dyn |
| You (formal) | jo | jo | jo |
| He | hy | him | syn |
| She | sy | har | har |
| It | it | it | syn |
| We | wy | ús | ús |
| You (plural) | jimme | jimme | jim |
| They | hja | harren | harren |
Ik sjoch dy. – I see you.
Hy jout har in boek. – He gives her a book.
Jimme binne wolkom. – You (plural) are welcome.
Verbs (Tiidwurden)
Frisian verbs have two main tenses: present and past. Other tenses use auxiliaries. Here are the most important verbs:
Wêze (to be)
| Person | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| ik | bin | wie |
| do | bist | wiest |
| hy/sy/it | is | wie |
| wy/jimme/hja | binne | wienen |
Hawwe (to have)
| Person | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| ik | ha / haw | hie |
| do | hast | hiest |
| hy/sy/it | hat | hie |
| wy/jimme/hja | hawwe | hienen |
Regular verb: Wurkje (to work)
| Person | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| ik | wurkje | wurke |
| do | wurkest | wurkest |
| hy/sy/it | wurket | wurke |
| wy/jimme/hja | wurkje | wurken |
Ik bin siik. – I am sick.
Do hast in moai hûs. – You have a beautiful house.
Hy wurket yn Ljouwert. – He works in Leeuwarden.
Word Order (Wurdfolchoarder)
Frisian is a V2 (verb-second) language, like Dutch and German. The conjugated verb always takes the second position in main clauses.
Standard order: Subject – Verb – Object
Ik lês in boek. – I read a book.
De frou keapet in hûs. – The woman buys a house.
Inversion: when something else comes first
When a time word, place, or other element starts the sentence, the verb stays second and the subject moves after it:
Juster kocht ik in boek. – Yesterday I bought a book.
Yn Ljouwert wennet hy. – In Leeuwarden he lives.
Subordinate clauses: verb goes to the end
…om’t hy in boek lêst. – …because he reads a book.
Adjectives (Eigenskipswurden)
Adjectives add -e when placed before a noun, except before indefinite neuter singular nouns:
| Context | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Definite + common | de wite kat | the white cat |
| Definite + neuter | it lytse famke | the little girl |
| Indefinite + neuter | in lyts famke | a little girl (NO -e!) |
| Indefinite + common | in wite kat | a white cat |
| After verb (predicative) | De kat is wyt. | The cat is white. (NO -e) |
Comparatives add -er and superlatives add -ste: moai (beautiful) → moaier → de moaiste.
Start Learning Frisian Grammar
Ready to practice these grammar rules? Start our free Frisian course with interactive exercises that cover pronouns, verbs, word order, and more. You can also explore our Frisian Phrases guide or Pronunciation guide to build your Frisian skills.
