Fraaie

Fraaie is a historical and literary inflected form of the Dutch adjective fraai, meaning "beautiful" or "lovely." It is encountered mainly in older texts, poetry, or stylistic writing, rather than in everyday modern Dutch.

In Dutch grammar, adjectives often take an -e ending when they appear after a definite article or possessive determiner. The form fraaie reflects this pattern, so you will find it in attributive position before nouns that are marked by de or het, for example de fraaie tuin or de fraaie gezichten. In contemporary standard Dutch, however, the uninflected form fraai is more common in most contexts, and many speakers would prefer fraai over fraaie in neutral usage. The fraaie form thus signals a more formal, archaic, or literary tone.

Origins and variation: fraa(i)e derives from the historical development of Dutch adjectives where phonological and orthographic changes produced variants that appear chiefly in older or stylized language. Dialects and historical texts may show alternative inflections or spellings.

Usage notes: Because fraaie is associated with older or elevated Dutch, it is typically avoided in everyday conversation and formal writing that aims for contemporary standard language. When encountered, it is often a deliberate stylistic choice to evoke period atmosphere or literary fluency. For learners, focusing on fraai and the regular inflected forms in standard contexts is usually sufficient.

See also: fraai, Dutch grammar of adjectives, Dutch literary language.