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in Dutch - Skip General Introduction

Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself

Adjectives in most positions get an -E  ending ‑>>
Several words appear twice on the page. I do not have an infinite number of recordings, and some combinations of letters are rarely or never found in Dutch.

Spelling and Pronunciation

• a double vowel is always 'long'
  (de) slaap ('sleep') - (de) vloot 2 ('fleet')
• a single vowel at the end of a word is always 'long' (except E)
  (de) sla ('lettuce') - (de) vlo 2 ('flea') - de 2 ('the' #1)
• a single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of a word is 'short'
  slap ('weak') - (het) vlot 2 3 ('raft')
• a single vowel followed by one consonant followed by another vowel is 'long.' (The syllables split is before the single consonant. This is somewhat like English 'silent E')
  slapen (sla-pen) ('to sleep) vloten (vlo-ten) 2 ('fleets')
• a single vowel followed by two or more consonants is 'short.' (The syllable break is between the consonants)
  slappe (slap-pe) ('weak') - vlotten (vlot-ten) 2 3 ('rafts')
  This rule 'works' for double consonants, but not always when the consonants are different
• The 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') is a problem ‑>>
• Diphthongs don't have 'short' and 'long' forms
• Vowels and diphthongs are a little longer when followed by R

mannen (man-nen) 2

(de) maan 2 ('moon')

manen (ma-nen) 2 3

'Long' and 'short' are traditional terms. The difference is actually more of tone than length
More about spelling and pronunciation - another version
Learn the Rules by Studying and Listening to Examples

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR
Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y
'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

A in Dutch - Hear for Yourself

- (de) A ('A')

Page is otherwise unfinished

Unexpected Short 'A'

'long A'

'short A'

unstressed E'

- alom 2 ('all

- (het) abonnement 2 3 ('subscription') - (de) abortus 2 ('abortion') - (de) academicus 2 ('person with a university degree') - (de) academici 2 ('people with a university degree') - (de/het) aceton 2 3 ('acetone') - acuut ('acute')
- (de) adoptie ('adoption') - Agaath 2 (a girls' name) - (de) agenda 2 3 ('diary' - appointments book // 'agenda' - points at a meeting) - (de) agent 2 ('police officer' // "officer" // 'agent') - aju ('goodbye, see you' - slang) - (de) akoestische bas ('acoustic bass') - (de) akoestische gitaar 2 ('acoustic guitar') - alert 2 3 ('alert, vigilant') - Aletta (a girls' name) - (de) alinea 2 ('paragraph') - (het) aluminium ('aluminum') - amandelen ('almonds' // 'tonsils') - (de) amateur 2 ('amateur') - Amerika ('America') - (de) Amerikaan 2 ('American') - Amerikanen 2 3 ('Americans') - (het) amusement 2 ('amusement, entertainment - analoog 2 ('analog') - analyseren 2 3 ('to analyse') - (de) ananas ('pineapple') - (de) anatomie ('anatomy') - apart 2 3 ('apart, separate' // 'peculiar') - (het) apartement 2 ('appartment') - (de) apartheid 2 ("apartheid," the former South-African racist segragation system) - (het) aperitief / - (het) aperitiefje (a drink before a meal) - (de) apostrof ('apostrophe') - (de) apotheek 2 ('pharmacy') - (de) apotheker 2 3 ('pharmacist') - (de) Arabier ('an Arab') - Arabieren 2 ('Arabs') - (het) atoom ('atom') - Axel ("Aksel") (a town) - (het) avontuur 2 ('adventure') - (de) azijn ('vinegar') - (de) bagage (French) 2 ('luggage') - (de) balans 2 ('equilibrium' // 'scale' // 'balance') - (de) banaan 2 ('banaan') - plural - bananen ('bananas') - (de) Barok ('Baroque') - (de) barometer 2 ('barometer') - Batavieren ('Batavians') - (de) batik ('batik') - (de) baviaan 2 ('baboon') - (de) cacao ('cocoa') - (het) cachet (French) 2 ('~class') - (het) cadeau (French) ('gift, present') - (de) cadet 2 3 ('cadet, military trainee') - (het) café 2 ('café') - (de) cafeine 2 ('cafeine') - Californië 2 ('California') - (de) calorie ('calorie') - calorieën 2 ('calories') - (de) catalogus 2 3 ('catalogue') - chagerijnig 2 (3 4) ('grumpy, in a bad mood') - (de) fabriek (fa-briek) 2 ('factory, plant') - (de) familie ('family, relatives') - fataal 2 3 4 ('fatal, deadly') - [(de)] favoriet ('favorite') - (de) fazant ('pheasant') - (de) galerij 2 3 ('gallery') - (de) garage (~French) ('garage' car parking // car repair shop) - (de) garantie ('warranty, guarantee') - (de) gazelle 2 ('gazelle' - also a Dutch bicycle brand) - Jacoba (a girls' name) - Jacobus 2 (a boys' name) - jaloers 2 ('jealous') - januari ('January') - Japan ('Japan') - (het) kabaal 2 ('noise') (de) kabeljauw 2 ('cod') - (het) kabinet 2 (the council of government ministers) - (de) kabouter 2 3 4 ('gnome') - (het) kadaver 2 3 ('cadaver' - usually: 'dead animal body') - (het) kadetje 2 3 (oblong white bread roll, like a hot dog bun) - (het) kadootje ('small present') - (de) kalender 2 ('calendar') - (de) kameel 2 ('camel') - (het) kanaal ('channel, canal') - (de) kanarie 2 ('canary') - (de/het) kaneel ('cinnamon') - (het) kanon ('cannon, big gun') - (de) kapel ('chapel') - (de) kapelaan 2 ('chaplain') - (de) kapitein 2 3 ('captain') - kapot ('broken, defective) - kapucijners (a kind of bean) - (het) karakter 2 3 ('character') - (de) katalysator 2 ('catalyst') - (de) katapult 2 ('catapult') - (de) katastrofe ('French O') 2 ('catastrophe') - (de) kazerne 2 ('military barracks') - (het) katoen ('cotton') - (de) kwaliteit 2 ('quality') - (het) lawaai 2 ('noise') - (de) majoor 2 ('major') - (de) manier 2 ('manner, way of doing') - manoeuvre 2 ('maneuver, strategic move') - manoeuvreren 2 ('to maneuver') - (de) marathon 2 ('marathon') - (de) marechaussee 2 ('Dutch military police') - (de) marine 'navy') - (de) mariniers 2 ('marines') - (het) materiaal 2 ('material') - (de) materie 2 ('matter') - maximaal 2 ('at most, maximum') - (het) maximum 2 ('maximum') - (de) mayonaise (French) 2 ('mayo, mayonaise') - (de) natuur 2 ('nature') - natuurlijk ('of course!') - natuurlijk / natuurlijke 2 ('natural') - (het) paleis 2 ('palace') - (het) paneel 2 ('panel, pane') - (het) paneermeel ('breadcrumbs') - (de) paniek ('paniek') - (de) papagaai 2 3 ('parrot') - (het) papier 2 ('paper' - material) - (de) parade 2 ('parade') - (de) paragraaf 2 ('paragraph') - (de) paraplu ('umbrella') - (de) parochie 2 ('parish') - (de) patiënt 2 3 ('patient' - doctors' customer) - (de) rabarber ('rhubarb') - radicaal 2 3 ('radical') - radijsjes ('radishes') - (de) raket ('rocket') - (de) sabotage 2 3 ('sabotage') - (de) salade ('salade') - (de) salamander ('salamander') - (het) salaris ('salary') - (de) saxofoon 2 ('saxophone') - (de) tabak 2 3 ('tobacco') - (de) tabel 2 ('table of figures') - tabellen 2 ('tables of figures') - tabé ('Bye' - slang) - (het) talent 2 3 ('talent' - gift, ability) - (het) tapijt ('carpet, tapestry') - (de) taxi 2 3 ('taxi') - (de) vakantie 2 ('vacation, holiday')

but as expected

- Abel (a boys' name)

- (de) kabel ('cable')

- rare ('strange,

- mager

/ magere 2 ('skinny')

- (de) tafel 2 3 4 ('table')

- maken ('to make')

- zagen 2 ('to cut'

- (het) gajes ('bad people')

- (de) balie 2 ('reception desk')

- (de) tralie ('prison

- gratis ('free,

- (de) salie ('sage,

- (de) variatie 2 ('variation')

- kalium ('potassium K')

- barium ('barium Ba')

- radium ('radium Ra')

- amechtig ('breathless')

- (de) lava 2 3 4 ('lava')

Major Exceptions to Phonetic Spelling - 2

Introducing the Sound 1
'short A' - Ab (a boys' name) - (het) accent 2 3 ('accent') - (de) accu ('car battery') - ach 2 3 ('an exclamation') - acht 2 ('8') - (de) adder ('adder' - a snake) - af ('off' // 'away from' // 'finished' // more) - Agnes (a girls' name) - aju ('goodbye, see you' - slang) - (de) akker ('agriculture field') - al 2 ('already') - alle ('all, every') - (de) ambassade 2 3 ('embassy') - An (a girls' name) - (het) apparaat ('device, small machine') - Ard 2 (a boys' name) - (de) as 2 ('ashes') - at 2 ('ate' - singular simple past tense)
'long A' - Abel (a boys' name) - Aad (a boys' name) - (de) adel ('the nobility') - (de) ader 2 ('vein,' blood vessel) - Aafke (a girls' name) - Aagje (a girls' name) - (de) aai 2 ('') - (aaien ('') - Ajax 2 3 4 (Amsterdam soccer team // Greek mythological figure) - (de) aal ('eel' - a snakelike fish) - (het) aambeeld ('anvil') - aan ('on' // 'at'// more) - (de) aap 2 3 4 ('monkey') - (het) aquarel 2 3 ('watercolor painting') - (de) aard 2 3 ('nature,) character' - also a boys' name) - Aarts 2 (a family name) - (de/het) aas ('ace' // 'carrion') - Ate 2 3 (a boys' name) - Atrecht (A-trecht) (Arras, a town in the North of France)

Page is otherwise unfinished

Introducing the Sounds 2
- A ('A')

The 'first series' is grouped by the letter before the 's, the 'second series' is grouped by the letter after the 's:

- short first series: A-Z - short second series: B-W
- long first series: A-Z - long second series: -Z

the: de 2 / het 2 3 - 't ->>
Plurals always take 'de'
a: (een) - 'n / one: één 2 3

Repeat the words after me, try saying them like I do, and record yourself or ask a friend to compare how you say them with how I say them. Use as few or as many examples as you like.

0	- (de) ('')
AAU
AB	Ab Abcoude abdij
AC
AD
AE
AEE
AEuh
AEI
AEU
AF
AG
AH
AI
AIE
AIJ	IJ SEE - EI above
AJ
AK
AL
AM
AN
AO
AOO
AOE
AOU	OU see - AU above
AP
AQ
AR
AS
AT
AU
AUU
AUI
AV
AW
AX
AY
AZ

0	- (de) ('')
AA
AAA
AUA
BA
CA
DA
EA
EEA
EuhA
EIA
EUA
FA
GA
HA
IA
IEA
IJA	IJ SEE - EI above
JA
KA
LA
MA
NA
OA
OOA
OEA
OUA	OU see - AU above
PA
QA
RA	Vowels and diphthongs are 'longer' when followed by R
SA
TA
UA
UUA
UIA
VA
WA
XA
YA
ZA

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch:
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR

Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

'Basic' Dutch Words - Pictures Dictionary - Words by Subject - Easy Dutch - Phrases and Conversation Templates - Names - Place Names - verbs

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Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'