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Listen to Dutch - Vowels Explained - Learn A Few Words - 'Holland' and 'The Netherlands'

Just listen to the sounds of Dutch - don't worry about a thing - much will be explained in the course of the lessons. Henk Marsman: Herinnering aan Holland (Remembering Holland) (1936) Denkend aan Holland zie ik brede rivieren traag door oneindig laagland gaan, When I think of Holland I see wide rivers flow slowly in boundless lowlands, Rijen ondenkbaar ijle populieren als hoge pluimen aan de einder staan; Rows of improbably thin poplars stand like high plumes at the horizon; En in de geweldige ruimte verzonken de boerderijen verspreid door het land, And lost in the enormous space farms dotting the land, Boomgroepen, dorpen, geknotte torens, kerken en olmen in een groots verband, Clumps of trees, villages, truncated towers, churches and elm trees in a grand union, De lucht hangt er laag en de zon wordt er langzaam in grijze veelkleurige dampen gesmoord, The sky is low and slowly the sun is smothered in a multicolored grey haze, En in alle gewesten wordt de stem van het water met zijn eeuwige rampen gevreesd en gehoord. And in all parts the voice of water is heard and feared, spelling disaster eternally. (The complete poem) Is it too fast? Hear some SLOW DUTCH.

Vowels

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Dutch vowels not always represent the same sounds as in English; for instance, English HANK sounds like Dutch HENK (a boys' name), English CASEY like Dutch KEESSIE (a boys' nickname) and English HOOT like Dutch HOED (hat).
Dutch vowels come in two varieties, called 'short' or 'long,' though it's actually more a difference in tone. A double vowel is always long; a single vowel can be long or short - the not very difficult rule will be explained in lesson 3
Today's lesson is just about getting to know some of the vowel sounds of Dutch - listen to how I say it and try to say it yourself: record how you say it and compare with how I say it, or better, listen and speak together with a friend, rate each other's efforts (isn't that a nice way to spend time?)
I am a native speaker of Dutch, not of English: my understanding of English sounds is not perfect. Listen to how I say the Dutch words - the explanations of 'like X in Y' are less important, just hints to help you.

A-short		the tone of A in English STAR but shorter - hear Dutch star ('inflexible') al as man vak (already - ashes/axis - man (human male) - bin, area/profession) lat tal pad (slat - number - path/toad) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
A-long		like A in CHICAGO - hear Dutch Kaag (a village) Hear English 'Chicago' by Robert Johnson - Paul Butterfield - Barry Goldberg aal aas maan vaak (eel - ace/carrion - moon - often) laat la taal paden (late - drawer - language - paths) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
E-short		like E in TEST - hear Dutch test (test) like A in FAT - hear Dutch vet (fat) er en bed les (there - and - bed - lesson) bed tel ren ben her- (bed - count - (I) run - (I) am - re-) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
E-long		like A in MALE - hear Dutch meel ('flour') eer een beet lees (honor - a, 1 - bite - (I) read) deel leed been veel (part - suffering - leg - much, many) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
E-voiceless		UH, like A in ALIVE - 'voiceless, unstressed E' is also called the 'schwa' - more about it in lesson4 de te ze me (the - too - she/they - me) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
I-short		like I in DIM is bit lik kip (is - bit (in horse mouth) - lick, lap - chicken) ik pit lid pillen (I - stone (of fruit) - member - pillen) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
I-long		(often written as IE) - like EE in SEE Ier kien die spier 2 (Irishman - smart (slangy) - that, those - muscle) stier piek hiel vlies (bull - peak - heel - film, fleece, membrane) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
O-short		the tone of A in HALL but shorter - hear Dutch hol ('lair') rok lot ton (skirt - lottery ticket/fate - barrel) kok bon hor rot (cook - coupon - bug screen - rotten, off, spoiled) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
O-long		like O in English GO rook loot toon (smoke - shoot (growth) - tone) kook boon hoor rood (do cook - bean - hear - red) Many More Examples: 1  -  2
U-short		UH, like A in ALIVE (sounds the same as 'voiceless E') fut zucht turf stuk ('energy' - sigh - peat - piece/broken) dun put mug lukken (thin - well - mosquito - to succeed, be successful) Many More Examples: 1  -  2  -  3
U-long		There is no sound in English like Dutch 'long U,' but is is found in French, like in cru or dur and in German, like in hügel and muesli duur fuut unie fusie 2 (expensive - a bird - union - fusion) . Many More Examples: 1  -  2  -  3

Recap: The Dutch Vowels

short A long A

short E long E 'voiceless E' ('schwa')

short I long I (IE)

short O long O

short U long U

Words

mes

vork

lepel

tafel

bord

kopje

glas

een flesje water

een kopje thee

een beker melk >>

een glas sinaasappelsap - 2

een kopje koffie

suiker

slagroom - 2

slagroom op de koffie - 2

'Holland,' 'Nederland' and 'The Netherlands'

In English, the common name for my country is 'Holland,' but when speaking Dutch, most people say Nederland . Generally, Holland 2 in Dutch means the Western part of the country, North of the rivers delta, at the sea, the present provinces of 'Noord Holland' 2 and 'Zuid Holland' 2 (North and South) - map. In the other parts of the country the people may say that's where the rulers live, and the poet may use it for the imagined country. So when speaking Dutch avoid saying 'Holland,' and say 'Nederland' 2 instead. It's a bit like some people say 'England' when they mean Great Britain, the UK, or 'America' when they're talking about the US. Some Dutchmen are not happy with the English usage of 'Holland' and would prefer the somewhat official 'The Netherlands.' I have to admit that I avoid saying 'Holland' when talking about the East, North or South of the country ('native language interference.') To me, it sounds a little funny. Still, I think it's all right to call the country 'Holland' when speaking English. 'The Netherlands' is too official, bookish. In French, you can say 'Les Pays-Bas' and in German you could say 'Die Niederlände' but in common conversation Frenchmen and Germans will say 'La Hollande' or 'Holland.' Stating that it's incorrect to say 'Holland' in English seems to imply that 99.99% of English words are 'wrong.' So - don't say 'Holland' when speaking Dutch. You can say 'The Netherlands' as often as you like - just don't tell me and others that it's wrong say 'Holland' in English. Hollandse Kost Dutch Home Cooking ‑>> Hollandse Nieuwe the newly caught, fresh herring of early in the season Ik ben een Hollandse jongen I'm a Dutch boy (not afraid of a little rain) - Maps of The Netherlands - essays - >>

To Dutchmen, things like 'Utrecht, Holland' look a little weird Groningen, Holland

Thank you Billy Eric and Daniel Baskin for feedback that improved this page.

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