Do take my words for it
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Pay special attention to letters, letter combinations and sounds
that you don't have in your own language
These pronunciation pages are not meant for learning
vocabulary. The English translations may lack in precision. But if
you like, follow the occasional links
‑>>
to explanation,
examples of usage and/or related words.
Learning Vocabulary
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
Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say that:
a double vowel is always 'long'
(de) slaap
('sleep') -
(de) vloot2 ('fleet')
a single vowel at the end of a word is always 'long' (except E)
(de) sla
('lettuce') -
(de) vlo2
('flea') -
de2 ('the' #1)
a single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of
a word is 'short'
slap
('weak') -
(het) vlot23 ('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)23 ('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
So (de) man2
('man, human adult male) has the plural
mannen (man-nen)2
while (de) maan2
('moon')
has the plural manen (ma-nen)23
(de) ei (ij) 2 The letters EI and IJ stand for a problematic Dutch
sound:
2 There is no sound like it in English or German, but French has a
sound like it in words like
soleil2 ('sun')
or the city of
Marseille
but I don't know about other languages that have it.
The sound can be represented by the letters EI or IJ - getting the
spelling correct is
also a problem for many Dutch people. To differentiate between the two
spellings we say:
EI: korte ei2('short ei') IJ:
lange ij2('long ij') (het) ei 2'egg' - eieren
'eggs' het IJ 2
/ 't IJ 23a 'river' flowing through Amsterdam EI and IJ are just different ways to represent the same sound
- ei hei steil
('egg / moor, heath / steep')
- IJ hij stijl
('body of water near Amsterdam / he / style')
There is no sound like Dutch EI/IJ in English, but
I've read somewhere (I forgot where, and I'm not sure that it is
useful to you)
that the sound is "somewhere between English
FATE and FIGHT" - hear Dutch feit
('fact')
- or "between MATE and MIGHT"
- hear Dutch: mijt
('parasitic bug') /
meid2
('girl' - slang)
There is a sound in Dutch written as as AÏ or AI
('short A'
+ Consonant Y(Dutch J))
that is
very much like English I in MINE, but it is unusual, there are only a few words that have this sound:
maïs 2maize, Indian corn Thais Thai pais en vree
'peace and peace,' very quiet
mees
2titmouse (a bird)
meis 23"girl" (slang) maïs
2maize, corn mees / meis / maïs
2
Trees
(girl's name) Thijs
(boy's name) Thais
Thai Trees / Thijs / Thais
2
Hear a few more EI's and IJ's:
- vrijheid blijheid2
('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
(de) vrijheid
(liberty, freedom)
(de) gelijkheid
(equality)
(de) broederschap
(brotherhood)
Vrijheid, gelijkheid, broederschap
2
(the slogan of the French Revolution)
Bij tijd en wijle
from time to time - old-fashioned
Beidt Uw tijd
23Bide your time, wait for the right moment - old-fashioned wijd en zijd
2far and wide Wie schrijft, die blijft
[he who writes, remains] - 'the person writing down the
scores always remains in the game' zij zijn rijk
2they are rich Rij jij of rij ik?
23Are you the one who's driving or am I?
- asked of backseat drivers
'n heitje voor 'n karweitje
2'a quarter for a little job'
- old boy scouts fundraising slogan
(de) ijstijd2 ('ice age') - Dutchmen often write the two dots on top of " ij " as a bar.
"IJ" is by Dutch people seen as one letter, and when appropriate, I and J are both
capitalized: IJsselmeer, IJsland. I've seen "
Ij " in
foreign books and it looks really weird to me
In a trend called Poldernederlands234
EI and IJ are pronounced somewhat like (... attempting ...)
'aai'2('long' A + Consonant-Y(Dutch J)) - for instance (... attempting ...)
(het) maaisje2345
('girl') - regular: (het) meisje
- I don't think it's a very widespread trend
English 'I' and German 'EI'
Hear me say English 'mile' and 'lime:' mile
2
('mile') and Dutch:
- (het) meel
('flour') - (de) mijl
('mile') lime
2
('lime') and Dutch
- (het) leem2
('loam, clay, mud') - (de) lijm
('glue') - see also
Dutch EI is different from German EI. Hear my German (with Dutch
accent - an American friend who spoke Geman said my German
pronunciation doesn't have the crispness of real German):
- eigen23
(math term)
- Klein2
('small' / a family name)
Reinheitsgebot(Reinheitsgesetz)
('Law of Purity' - for beer ingredients)
die Zeit2 - Zeitgeist2 - Daß war einmal
('That once was, never coming back')
Halt! Ein Feuer2 Mein Gott!2 /
mein Deutsch
~~
- to me, German 'EI' sounds very much like English 'I'
"Y" is called (de) i-Grèc
2'Greek i' or (de) Ypsilon
- the Greek word for the letter.
In Dutch, Y is usually a vowel, pronounced like
'short I'
or 'long I'
- mostly according to the
spelling and pronunciation rules
- smartphone.
Only when followed by a vowel
(and then often often also prededed a vowel) it's said as consonant-Y,
pronounced like
Dutch J. The Dutch alphabet shows a Y but it's said as Dutch
EI/IJ
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
more about Y in Dutch
Hear the Examples
Note that when connecting with a vowel, the
Consonant-Y(Dutch J)
sound at the end of the IJ-diphthong becomes a little stronger:
- vrij / vrijer
('free / more free') - dij / dijen
('thigh / thighs') - gedijen
('to grow well' - plants) - Bulgarije
('Bulgaria') - zijig
('silky, slimy' - person)
The 'first series' is grouped by the letter after the EI/IJ's, the
'second series' is grouped by the letter before the EI/IJ's:
the: de 2 /
het 23
- 't
->> Plurals always take 'de'
a: (een) - 'n
/ one: één
23
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. Try to bring your pronunciation of the words closer and closer
to how I say them. Use as few or as many examples as you like.
- de Leie
(a river in Belgium
- aardbeien
('strawberries') - breien
('to knit') - heien2
('to drive piles into the ground' - for a building foundation
on soft soil)
- keien2
('rocks, boulders')
- eieren
('eggs') - Meier/Meijer/Meyer
(a family name) - blij /blije /blijblije
('happy, glad')
- vrij /vrije2 /vrijvrije234
('free') - nabije2
('near' - in time)
- bijen2
('bees') - dijen2
('thighs') - Nijenrode2
(a business school)
- specerijen2
('spices') ‑>> - partijen
('political parties' // '~batches')
- keihard23
('hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud')
- hij heeft2
('he has') - (de) blijheid2
('happiness, being cheerful')
- (de) vrijheid2
('freedom, liberty')
- vrijheid blijheid2
('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
In the name of the village of
Wijhe
H is pronounced as Consonant Y(Dutch J)
-I
The -IG ending
is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E
('the 'schwa') and not the 'short I'
you'd expect from the
spelling - more - heiïg
('hazy')
-K
- (de) eik
('oak') - (de) eikel23 /eikels
('acorn'/acorns')
- (het) bereik23
('reach, range')
- Van der Eiken234
(a family name) - (de) scheikundige23
('chemist, expert in chemistry')
- (de) reikwijdte2
('reach, extent')
- ijken23
('to calibrate,' set or check measuring instruments)
- (de) dijk2
('dike, levee')
- kijken
('to look') ‑>> - Kijkduin23
(a town // 1673 sea battle)
- (het) lijk
('corpse,' dead human body)
- (het) slijk2
('mire, sludge') - (het) blijk
('evidence') - gelijk2 ('equal')
‑>> - (de) gelijkheid
('equality') But note that the IJ in the
-lijk2 ending is
pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E'
(the 'schwa') - for instance
- heimelijk2
('secretly') - many more -LIJK-ending words - Nijkerk
(a town) - (de) spijker
('nail' - carpentry)
- [(het)] rijk
('rich' ‑>> //
'realm,' "empire")
- 't Rijk2
('the State' - all the govenment departments and
administration bodies, the whole government bureaucracy, all
Dutch government institutions together)
- (de) rijkdom
([richness] - 'wealth')
- Marijke
(a girls' name) - (het) strijkijzer
('ironing iron')
- (de) wijk
('neighborhood,' city district')
- (de) zijkant2
('side') ‑>>
-L
- (het) onheil23
('disaster, doom,' bad things)
- (het) eiland2
('island') - heilzaam23
('beneficial,' good for health)
- (het) peil
('level') - (de) teil
('zinc basin')
- (het) teiltje
('small zinc basin')
- veil
('of no value' - very old-fashioned)
- (de) dweil2
('rag for wet-cleaning floors')
‑>> - (het) zeil
('sail, tarp' // 'linoleum')
- (de) zeilboot2
('sailboat') - (het) zeilschip
('sailing ship,' "tall
ship") - ijl234
('thin' - air) - ijlen23
('to hurry' // feverish nonsense-talking)
- (de) ijlbode2
('courier, express messenger' - old-fashioned)
- IJlst2
(a town) - (de) bijl
('axe') - (de) strijdbijl2
('battleaxe') - (de) mijlpaal2
('milestone') - (het) nijlpaard2
('hippo, hippopotamus' - [river Nile horse])
- (de) pijl2
('arrow') - (de) stijl
('style') - (de) vijl
('file' - a tool for smoothing or shaping)
- terwijl2
('while') ‑>> - Delfzijl
(a town) - Zijlstra2
(a family name) note that IJ in 'dikwijls'23
is pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E'
(the 'schwa') - it's an old-fahioned, formal word for 'often'
- (de) deining23
('commotion' - literally, originally:
the movement of a ship in the waves)
- gedeisd2
('~quiet, calm') - Hou je gedeisd!('don't make a fuss, lay low,
don't draw attention to yourself') - (de) dij2 /dijen2 / dij/dijen
('thigh'/'thighs')
- (de) abdij
('abbey, monastery')
- dijk2 ('levee, dike')
- (het) gordijn23
('curtain') - radijsjes
('radishes') - (de) andijvie
('Cichorium endivia' - a vegetable)
Euh-
- beëindigen2
('to end, stop')
- korte ei2 ('short ei:'
EI) - lange ij2
('long ij:' IJ) eendeëi2
("ducks' egg") a silly ca. 2000 spelling reform says
it's now to be spelled
'eendenei.' I don't think this new N is pronounced
much. ‑>>
- (de) hei / (de) heide
('heath, moor' // 'heather')
- heidenen2
('heathens') - (de) heibel
('trouble, commotion' - slang)
- waarheid2
('truth') - heien2
('to drive piles into the ground' - for a building foundation
on soft soil)
- heiïg
('hazy') - heilig /heilige)
('holy,sacred')
‑>> - (de) heilige
('holy man, saint')
- schijnheilig23
([seemingly holy] - 'sanctimonious,' pretending to be a good person)
- Heiloo2
(a town) - heilzaam23
('beneficial,' good for health)
- heimelijk2
('secretly') - (de) heimwee2
('homesickness' - German: Heimweh) - Hein
(a boys' name) - Heineken2
(a family name and a beer brand)
- (het) heitje
('a quarter, 25¢ piece' - old slang)
- hij
('he') - hijgen234
('to pant') - (de) hijskraan2
('crane')
J-
- jij
('you' - singular informal - first person.
object) - jijen en jouwen23
('address each other with the informal
"jij," "je" "and "jou -
'being on a first-name basis')
K-
- (de) kei23
/keien2
('rock, boulder' // 'rocks')
- keihard23
('hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud')
- (de) keizer
('emperor') - kijken
('to look') ‑>> - kijk uit!234
('watch out!, be careful')
- Kijkduin23
(a town // 1673 sea battle)
- Verkijk23
(a family name)
L-
- (het/de) lei
('slate' // 'writing board')
- (het) leitje
('old-fashioned slate writing board,
writing with chalk, easily erased')
- van een leien dakje / 't Gaat van een leien dakje
([Like a slate roof?] 'The job is going smoothly'
(Maybe slate roofs were a radical improvement?)
- (de) vallei
('valley') - allerlei2
('all kinds of things //
all kinds of ..., various, miscellaneous')
- leiden
('to lead') ‑>> - (de) leider
('leader') - (de) leiding
('leadership' // 'tube for liquid')
- de Leie
(a river in Belgium
- (het) porselein2
('porcelain, china')
- klein2345 / kleine
('small,little')
‑>> - leip
('cool, ~clever' - slang)
- (het) paleis2
('palace') - (de) glijbaan
('slide' - playground)
- lijden2
('to suffer')
‑>> - blij
/blije
('glad') ‑>> - (de) blijde2
('large club' - medieval weapon)
- (het) lijf
('human body' - slang)
- (de) blijheid
('happiness, gladness') - vrijheid blijheid2
('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
- gelijk2
('equal' ‑>> - vrijelijk
('freely, liberally')
- see also LIJK and -LIJK below
- (de) lijm
('glue') - (de) lijn
('line') - slijpen
('to hone' - knives)
- lijst
('list' // 'picture frame')
- (de) lijster
('thrush' - a bird)
- vlijt
('diligence, steady work')
- slijten2
('to wear out' // 'to sell' // 'to pass the
time') - lijven2
('bodies' - slang)
-LIJK ending
IJ like A in AGO
'voiceless, unstressed E'
(the 'schwa')
rijkelijk
([richly] abundantly)
- vrijelijk
('freely, liberally')
- verrukkelijk ('delicious') - ijselijk
('[icely] dreadful, frightening')
afzonderlijk
('separate') - duidelijk
('clear') - gemakkelijk
('easy') - lelijk2
('ugly') -
lichamelijk
('bodily, physical')
- mannelijk2 ('male') - mogelijk2 ('possible') - persoonlijk
('personal') - stoffelijk2
('physical, material')
- verantwoordelijk
('responsible') - vriendelijk
('kind, friendly')
- vrouwelijk
('female') - billijk
('reasonable' - bookish)
- olijk
('droll, funny')
- belachelijk2
('ridiculous') - degelijk
('solid, robust, sensible')
- natuurlijk
('natural, naturally; of course!')
Note that a few short words end in 'regular' -LIJK with
IJ-sound (one-syllable words don't have prefixes
or suffixes)
- (het) lijk
('corpse, dead human body')
- (het) slijk2
('mire, sludge')
- gelijk2 ('equal')(voiceless E 'ge-' prefix)
- gelijkheid
('equality') - gelijkwaardig
('of equal value')
- soortgelijk
('similar')
- Marseille
(a city in France)
- sein
('signal') - (het) seinhuis
('signals cabin, signals tower')
- (het) seizoen
('season') - scheiding
('separation, divorce') - Sijmen
(a boys' name) - Persijn2
(a family name) - (het) sijsje23
('bird' - slang)
- Ik zei "nee!"
('I said No!')
- Wat zei je?23
('What did you say?)
- Zoals ik al zei23
('As I said before, Like I already said')
- (het) zeil
('sail, tarp')
- (de) zeis
('scythe') - Zeist
(a town) - zij2
('she' // 'they')
- dankzij2
('thanks to, ~because of')
- opzij!23
([to the side!] - 'out of the way!')
- godzijdank23
('the Lord be thanked')
- (de/het) zijde
('side'
‑>> // 'silk')
- (de) zijingang2
('side entrance')
- zijïg
('silky') - Delfzijl
(a town) - (het) azijn
('vinegar') - zijn
('his' //'to be')
‑>> - Zijpe2
(a polder) - gij zijt2
('thou art')
IJ and Y in Names
In names you'll sometimes find IJ and Y after a vowel
where modern Dutch writes an I. These IJ's and Y's
are pronounced as I or as in diphthongs, or occcasionally as
Consonant-Y(Dutch J.)
Hear for instance:
Kraaijkamp, Van Waaij
(family names) - modern Dutch writes
- (de) kraai2
('crow') - Eijsvogel
23 - Huygens
2 - Luijendijk
2 - Muijlwijk
- Johan Cruijff
2
(soccer player) - Hans Gruijters
(politician) - Jan Blokhuijsen
(speed skater) - Annouk van der Weijden
2
(speed skater) - Koen Verweij
2
(speed skater) - Lara van Ruijven
23
(speed skater) - Nicolien Sauerbreij
2
(speed skater) - Wesley Sneijder
23
(soccer player)
Breydel, Van Eijbergen, Den Heyer, Meyers, Schey,
Van Speijck
2
Buys, Van Duyn, Ruygers, Van Uylenburg,
Van Zuylen van Nijevelt
The town of Venraij
is unexpectedly with 'long A' IJ and Y as consonant Y in YES:
- Looijen
2 - Kees van der Staaij
(politician) - André Ooijer
2
(soccer player) Van Ooijen, Plockhoy, Roy, Van Royen,
Verlooy
Boeijen,Van Roey