Low German or Plattdeutsch - Plattdüütsch

Standard Low German / Plattdeutsch vocabulary, numerals and quotations for comparison with other languages


The dialects spoken in North Germany belong to the Plattdeutsch or Low German language which is closer to Dutch than to German. "Low" doesn't refer to status, but to the fact that it is the language of the lowlands of North Germany. In the same way, the German language is sometimes referred to as High German because it had its origins in the highlands of South Germany. "Platt" comes from Latin and is related to the English word "flat". In the Middle Ages Low German was an important language of commerce in North Germany, especially along the North Sea and Baltic coasts. The Low German from that time is called Middle Low German.

1. Broder    brother        1. ja    yes        1. Wovääl köst dat?    How much is that?
2. Swester    sister        2. nä    no        2.   
3. Söhn    son        3. wääs so good    please        3. Verstahn    To understand
4. Dochter    daughter        4. dank di    thank you        4. Ik verstah    I understand
5. Vader    father                  5. Ik verstah nich    I don’t understand
6. Mudder    mother        1. Sünndag    Sunday        6. Ik weet    I know
          2. Moondag    Monday        7. Ik weet nich    I don’t know
1. Fröhjohr    spring        3. Dingsdag    Tuesday          
2. Sommer    summer        4. Middeweeken    Wednesday        1. ik bün    I am
3. Harvst    autumn        5. Dunnersdag    Thursday        2. du büst    you are (informal)
4. Winter    winter        6. Fredag    Friday        Se sünd    you are (formal)
          7. Sünnabend    Saturday        3. he is    he is
1. Peerd    horse                  se is    she is
2. Hund    dog        1. Stadt    town        dat is    it is
3. Katt    cat        2. Dörp    village        1. wi sünd    we are
4. Koh    cow        3. Straat    street        2. ji sünd    you are (inf. plural)
5. Bull    bull        4. Platz    square        Se sünd    you are (fml. pl.)
6. Swien    pig        5. Brüch    bridge        3. se sünd    they are
7. Schaap    sheep        6. Huus    house          
8. Wulf    wolf        7. Goorn    garden          
9. Muus    mouse        8. Kark    church          
10. Vagel    bird        9. School    school        1. een, eene, een    one (msc., fem., ntr.)
11. Goos    goose        10. Bahnhoff    station        2. twee    two
12. Fisch    fish                  3. dree    three
                    4. veer    four
1. Brood    bread        1. swatt    black        5. fief    five
2. Appel    apple        2. witt    white        6. söß    six
3. Nööt    nut        3. blau    blue        7. söben    seven
4. Solt    salt        4. gröön    green        8. acht    eight
5. Peper    pepper        5. geel    yellow        9. negen    nine
6. Honnig    honey        6. root    red        10. tein    ten
7. Melk    milk                  11. ölven    eleven
8. Botter    butter        1. sehn    to see        12. twölf    twelve
9. Kees    cheese        2. hören    to hear        13. dörtein    thirteen
10. Water    water        3. eten    to eat        20. twintig    twenty
11. Wien    wine        4. drinken    to drink        30. dörtig    thirty
12. Beer    beer        5. singen    to sing        100. hunnert    a hundred
                      
1. Barg    mountain        1. Naam    name        1. Hand    hand
2. Meer    sea        2. schrieben    to write        2. Foot    foot
3. See    lake        3. Book    book        3. Hart    heart
4. Fluss    river        4. spreken    to speak        4. Blood    blood
5. oold    old        5. Dag    day        5. Kopp    head
6. nie    new        6. Nacht    night        6. Oog    eye
7. Schipp    ship        7. Week    week        7. Ohr    ear
8. Tog    train        8. Maand    month        8. Tahn    tooth
9. Bus    bus        9. Jahr    year        9. Haar    hair
10. Hoben    harbour        10. un    and        10. slapen    to sleep
                      
1. Januar    January        7. Juli    July        1. Sünn    sun
2. Februar    February        8. August    August        2. Maan    moon
3. Märt    March        9. September    September        3. Steern    star
4. April    April        10. Oktober    October        4. Wind    wind
5. Mai    May        11. November    November        5. Regen    rain
6. Juni    June        12. Dezember    December        6. Snee    snow
                    7. Ies    ice
1. koold    cold        1. hitt    hot        8. Füüer    fire
2. lütt    small        2. groot    large        9. Steen    stone
3. dünn    thin        3. dick    thick        10. Sülver    silver
4. suur    sour        4. sööt    sweet          
                      
1. Mund    mouth        1. geben    to give        1. doof    deaf
2. Tung    tongue        2. kööpen    to buy        2. deep    deep
3. Woord    word        3. sitten    to sit        3. vull    full
4. Spraak    language        4. lesen    to read        4. jung    young
5. Bloom    flower        5. Markt    market        5. good    good
6. Seep    soap        6. Döör    door        6. König    king

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Denn so leev hett Gott de Welt: He hett sienen eenzigsten Söhn hergeben. He will, keeneen schall verlaren gahn, de an em glööben deit. De glöövt, de schall ewig leben.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3,16

* * * * * * * *

1 Smiet ju nich to’n Richter op, sünst doot de annern dat ok öwer ju. 2 Jüst so, as ji afuurdeelen doot, warrd malins öwer ju afuurdeelt. Un mit datsülwige Maat, wo ji anner Lüüd mit meten doot, warrd se ju meten.

1 Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. Matthew 7

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Allens, wat ji vun anner Lüüd verlangen doot, dat schüllt ji ok för ehr doon.

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you Matthew 7,12

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Du schallst dienen Neegsten jüst so leev hebben as di sülm.

Love others as much as you love yourself. Matthew 22,39

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9 Unse Vader in’ Himmel! Laat hilligt warrn dienen Namen. 10 Laat kamen dien Riek. Laat warrn dienen Willen so as in’n Himmel, so ok op de Eerd. 11 Uns’ dääglich Brood giff uns vundaag. 12 Un vergiff uns unse Schuld, as wi de vergeben hebbt, de an uns schüllig sünd. 13 Un laat uns nich versöcht warrn. Maak du uns frie vun dat Böse.

9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6

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Low German is spoken in:

Nörden - Norden
Jever
Auerk - Aurich
Varel
Emden
Leer
Hamborg - Hamburg
Flensborg - Flensburg
Kiel
Lübeck
Sleswig - Schleswig
Bremen
Bremerhoben - Bremerhaven
Lümborg - Lüneburg
Ollnborg - Oldenburg
Mäkelborg - Mecklenburg
Rostock
Swerin - Schwerin
Wismer - Wismar


Some Approximate Pronunciations
Plattdeutsch as in is pronounced as in UK English
g- gahn g- go
-gg- seggt -ch- Scots loch
-g Dag -ch Scots loch
j- jung y- young
-ng Gang -nk thank
-r Vader [silent] father
s- Söhn; See z- zoo; zebra
sch- Schuur; schickt sh- shoot; shift
sp- spreken sp- speak
st- Steen st- stone
-uu- Huus -oo- goose
v- Vader f- father
w- wi v- view


My other websites:
Languages of the World
New Nutshell
Christianity in a Nutshell

My wife's websites:
Meaning of Life
Bits



I wanted to share with you why I think Christianity is such a great religion. A person who lives to 70 has a life of 613,200 hours. Christianity promises that the next life will be in ideal surroundings with friendly, happy people. There will be perfect health and no crime. Of course you’re free to reject it.

Isn’t it worth, though, spending at least part of one of your 613,200 hours just checking it out. Then if you reject it, at least you’ll have made an informed decision. Is it just possible that your world view could be wrong and Christianity might actually be true? Where would that leave you if you choose to turn down the offer of eternal life?


These are some of my wife's thoughts and ideas:

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