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Listen to as many or as few examples as
you want. Look for words that may be useful to you.
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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) V 23 (de) T.V.
('T.V., television')
V&D ('V-en-D')2
(former department store, closed 2016)
VOC
('Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie' - the Dutch East India Company)
Listen to a few Dutch V's:
(de) verstandsverbijstering
('brain shutdown')
vliegensvlug
([flying-fast] - 'very fast')
(de) vogelverschrikker
([bird-scsrer] - 'scarecrow')
in vogelvlucht2
('a bird's eye view')
voortvarend
('going ahead quickly, not hesitating')
(het) voorval2
('incident, occurrence')
vuurvast2
('fire-proof' - ceramics // 'insensitive to heat' - fingers, jocular)
(het) veevoer
('fodder,' animal food)
vieze vis
('bad-tasing fish')
in vuur en vlam
([in fire and flame} - 'full of enthusiasm') in vliegende vaart
([at flying speed] - 'quickly, rapidly') in volle vaart
('at full throttle, ~high speed')
in een ver verleden
('in a distant past')
vies en voos2
([dirty and dirty] - 'very dirty')
vis noch vlees2
('neither fish nor [meat] fowl') vriend en vijand
('friend and foe') vorst en vaderland2
('King and Country')
de vroede vaderen ('the wise fathers'
- the (old) city government - or jocular)
Vragen staat vrij
234('You're free to ask, feel free to ask')vorm of vent234 ('structure or personality' - the shape of a narrative
or the author's character - schools of literary criticism) Vrouw en vriend2 ('Woman and Friend' - a novel by Anna Blaman) more Dutch alliterations
You may have read about or noticed yourself that Dutch words
don't end in V or Z, and that V and Z are not found before a
consonant. It's an unusual
mouth position for Dutch people. Dutch V and Z need to be followed by a
vowel or diphthong. This means that you'll rarely (if ever) find a
'short' vowel before V or Z - but you will see the problematic 'voiceless,
unstressed E'
(the 'schwa') before V or Z, and occasionally a 'short' A, which is more
often unexpectedly and exceptional 'short'
‑>>
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.
the: de 2 /
het 23
- 't
->> Plurals always take 'de'
a: (een) - 'n
/ one: één
23
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. Use as few or as many examples as you like.
- (de) lava234
('lava,' molten rock from a volcano)
- (het) Carnaval2
('Carnival') - ga verder234
([go further] - 'continue')
- (de) gave2
('gift, donation' // 'gift, talent')
- (de) navel2
('navel, bellybutton')
- (de) klaver23
('clover' // 'clubs' in cards)
- Waver
(a town in Belgium)
- (de) havik23
('hawk') - Batavia2
(Jakarta, Indonesia during the Dutch colonial time)
- Batavieren
('Batavians' - a tribe living 2000 years ago in what's now Holland
- na vijven2
('after5 o'clock') - (de) avond
('evening') - vanavond2
('this evening, tonight')
- (de) MAVO
(secondary school type - not said as an acronym)
- Stavoren2
(a town) - Batavus
(a boys' name - also an old bicycle brand)
- Rob van Glabbeek23
(a computer scientist)
- Ik heb vandaag geen hoofdpijn234
('I don't have a headache today')
- ik heb veel geleerd23
('I have learned a lot')
- ik heb verloren2
('I have lost')
CV
- Isaac van Ostade
(a painter, 1621-1649)
CHV
- (de) pechvogel2
([bad-luck bird] 'a person who has much bad luck')
- vis noch vlees2
(saying)
(['neither fish or meat'] - English says 'fish nor fowl' - 'difficult to
identify')
- zich vervelen2
('to bebored')
‑>> - zichvoorstellen2
('to imagine' // 'to introduce yourself')
- zich voelen
('~to feel')
‑>>
DV
- (het) hoofdvak2
("major," 'a student's main subject')
- (het) aardvarken23
('aardvark') - (de) goudverf234
('gold paint')
- goed verpakt23
('well-wrapped, well-packaged')
- (de) zwaardvis2
('swordfish') - (de) adviseur2
('advisor') - de tijd vliedt23
("time flies")
- (de) woordvolgorde23
('word order, sentence
structure') ‑>> - roodvonk23
[red spark] - 'scarlet fever' - a childhood disease)
- (de) grondvorm23
('basic, "root" form, shape')
- (de) broodvorm
('breadpan') - (de) woordvoerder234
('spokesperson') - Zandvoort
(a town) - (de) vroedvrouw23
('midwife') - (het) koudvuur2
("cold fire")
- oud vuil23
('[old garbage] absolute garbage,
stuff that has to go')
EV
-
EEV
- meevallen2
('turning out not to be as bad as
expected') ‑>> - steevast23
('regular') - Eva2
(a girls' name) - even23
('a moment' // 'equally, just as' // 'even'
- numbers) ‑>> - hevig2 /hevige2
('intense, fierce, serious' [think of 'heavy' and 'hefty'])
- zeven
('7') - Greven23
(a family name) - kleverig /kleverige2
('sticky') - (de) omgeving23
('surroundings, environment')
- Flevoland2
(the new province of reclaimed
land) ‑>> - (de) revolutie2
('revolution') - (het) veevoer
('fodder,' animal food)
EuhV
- (het) geval
('case') - (het) gevalletje2
('vey minor incident' // 'small contraption')
- gevaarlijk23
('dangerous') - wij bevalen
('we ordered') - (het) bevel
('command, order')
- (het) gevecht23
('fight') - tevergeefs23
('in vain, without result')
- bevelen2
('to order, to command')
- een kudde vee
('a herd of cattle')
- vieze vis
('bad-tasting fish')
- Elsevier
(a family name - also a publishing company)
- (de) blinde vlek23
('blind spot' - usually in the eye)
- waardevol2
('valuable') - (de) revolver2
('revolver, handgun')
- (het) gevoel
('feeling') ‑>> - tevreden
('content, satisfied, ~happy')
- mevrouw23
('Mrs.' // "Ma'am")
bevelen / beval / bevolen
('to order / ordered / ordered')
‑>>
- (het) afval2
('garbage') - afvegen23
('to wipe') - (de) afvoer2
('drain') - vijfvoud23
('five-fold')
- (het) zelfvertrouwen2
('self-confidence')
- zelfverzekerd2
('self-assured, very self-confident')
- vorm of vent234
([structure
or personality - the shape of a narrative or the author's
character] - schools of literary criticism)
GV
- (het) vliegveld2
('airport') - erg veel2
('very much, really much, a lot')
- (de) gezagvoerder234
('leading officer, officer in charge' - on an airplane)
- oogverblindend2
([eye-blinding] 'very bright' - light)
- bang voor2
('afraid of')
- de mok van Piet2
('Piet's mug')
- een boek van Vestdijk23
('a book by Vestdijk')
- weet ik veel
(["know I much"] - 'I don't know and I don't care')
- sterk verhaal23
([strong] - 'tall tale')
- (de) blikvergiftiging23
('tin can poisoning' - when you leave food in an open can)
- leuk vinden2
('to enjoy') ‑>> - (de) waakvlam
('pilot [flame] light')
- smaakvol
('tasteful, in good taste')
- tjokvol
('chock- full, very full')
- (de) bakvorm
('baking tin')
- (de) kikvors2
('frog') - (de) jonkvrouw
('noble lady')
LV
(de) alvleesklier
('pancreas')
- (de) zilvervliesrijst2
([silver husk] - 'brown rice')
- alvast2345
(~already, in advance, ~meanwhile')
‑>> - zalven2
('to apply cream' // 'to anoint')
- Alva2
(Spanish governor of The Low Countries at the start
of the Dutch Revolt)
- (de) walvis
('whale') - behalve
('except for') - (de) welvaart
('prosperity') - delven
('to dig, to mine')
- heel veel23
('very much, a lot')
- (het) veelvlak2
('polygon') - (het) zilver23
('silver') - Hilversum
(a town) - golven2
('waves') - wolven
('wolves') - Vilvoorde2
(a town in Belgium)
- (de) peulvrucht23
([pod-fruit] - 'legume, bean')
- Sylvia
(a girls' name) delven - dolf - gedolven2 ('to dig - dug - dug')
MV
- omvallen2
('to fall over')
- (de) omvang2
('extent') - in naam van23
('in the name of, on behalf of, by authority of')
- (het) atoomventiel2
('"atom" valve' - 1950s new tire valve)
- (het) pluimvee2
([plumed cattle] - 'poultry, farm birds')
- (de) stroomversnelling23
('rapids, whitewater')
- (de) Stormvloedkering
('storm-surge barrier')
- (de) stemvork2
('tuning fork')
- een boom voor het huis
('a tree in front of the house
- Vechten om voedsel23
('Fighting over food')
- (de) kraamvrouw
('new mother')
NV
- (de) aanval2
('attack') - tegenvallen234
('to be worse than expected,
to disappoint')
‑>> - aanvaarden2
('to accept') - (de) schoonvader
('father-in-law')
- vier lagen verf
('4 layers of paint')
- Van Veen2
(a family name) - een verzetje2
('an amusement, a welcome interruption')
- Rhijnvis
(a boys' name - traditional)
- 'n vlaag wind
('a gust of wind')
- Van Vliet2
(a family name) - (het) hoornvlies
('cornea' - eye)
- (de) invloed2
('influence') - een vlucht vogels2
('a flock of birds')
- 'n voetbalelftal
('a soccerteam' - 11) - (het) groenvoer
('green food, vegetables' - somewhat contemptuous)
- zinvol23
('useful, sensible')
- onvoltooid2345
('unfinished') - Steenvoorde23
(a town in Belgium)
- zorgen voor23
('to take'care of')
‑>> - (de) eenvoud2
('simplicity') ‑>>