TOP
Home
Site Map
Mobile
Learning Dutch?
Now is The Time
Program 3
Pronunciation
Listening
Hear Names
Words Phrases Grammar
my site
Facebook 

Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself

Do take my words for it
Too many examples! Listen just to what looks interesting or useful to you. That's the beauty of a free website - you can just skip what you don't need without feeling bad that you paid for something that's of no use to you. Listen to as many or as few examples as you want.
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

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

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch - page 1

Major Exceptions ... page 2 - Minor Eceptions

Dutch spelling is rather phonetic. When you know the spelling rules, from hearing a word you can usually tell how it's written, and from seeing a written word you can usually tell how it's pronounced. But a few exceptions ...

 bijzonder 
  voiceless, unstressed E, the 'schwa' 
 een / 'n 
 het / 't 
 -IG 
 -ISCH 
 -LIJK 

Most Dutch words ending in -IG, -ISCH  and -LIJK  are adjectives and adverbs; adjectives in most positions get an -E  ending ‑>>

Bijzonder

The IJ in 'bijzonder' click to hear ('special') is pronounced as Dutch 'long I' (IE) click to hear and not as the EI/IJ click to hear you'd expect from the spelling

een bijzondere vrouw click to hear a (great) special, extraordinary woman iets bijzonders click to hear 2 something special 'Bijzonder' lijkt de enige uitzondering click to hear 'Bijzonder' seems to be, looks like the only exception geen bijzondere reden click to hear 2 3 4 (for) no special reason ‑>>

't Is niet vies ... click to hear 2 3 It doesn't taste bad ... ... maar 't is ook niet bijzonder click to hear 2 ... but it's not special either Maar 't had lekkerder kunnen zijn click to hear 2 But it could have been better (-tasting)

Voiceless, Unstressed E

The vowels A, I, O and U have 'long' and 'short' versions and generally follow the spelling and pronunciations rules - you can usually tell from the spelling if these vowels are 'long' or 'short,' and from hearing the word you'll know how it's written.
'Long' and 'short' are traditional terms. The difference is actually more of tone than length.

Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say that:

So (de) man click to hear 2 ('man, human adult male) has the plural mannen (man-nen) click to hear 2 while (de) maan click to hear 2 ('moon') has the plural manen (ma-nen) click to hear 2 3

More about spelling and pronunciation - another version
Learn the Rules by Studying and Listening to Examples

E is not like the other vowels because next to 'short' E click to hear and 'long' E click to hear there is a third E, the 'voiceless, unstressed E' click to hear (the 'schwa.')

e click to hear ee/e click to hear e ("uh") click to hear

This 'third E' is outside the 'long' and 'short' spelling and pronunciation rules. A single E in a word can be 'long,'  'short' or 'voiceless, unstressed.' Dutch people will have heard the words pronounced correctly many times and generally have no trouble when to use which E, but it must be a problem for foreign students. There are good, simple rules, but they do not cover all cases and there are (of course!) exceptions to the rules.

The syllables with 'stress' in the word don't have voiceless, unstressed E's, though there are a few one-syllable words with voiceless, unstressed E - list

Single E at the end of a word
Single E after a consonant at the end of a word is almost always pronounced as voiceless, unstressed E: click to hear

BE-, GE-, TE- and VER- Prefixes
word beginnings be-, ge-, te-  and ver- click to hear have voiceless, unstressed E:

-EN, -ER and -EL suffixes
word endings -en, -er  and -el click to hear have voiceless, unstressed E:

Find a more elaborate explanation with hundreds of examples on my The Dutch E page

EEN / 'N

The Dutch indefinite article ('a') een click to hear is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E click to hear ('the 'schwa') and not the 'long E' click to hear you'd expect from the spelling. It can also be written as " 'n. "

'One' is één click to hear 2 3 - the number 1 and 'one' meaning 'quantity: one,' usually written with accents
Iemand zal een oplosing moeten vinden click to hear Someone will have to find a solution Er is maar één oplossing click to hear 2 There's only one solution

HET / 'T

The Dutch definite article ('the') #2 het click to hear 2 is often pronounced as 't click to
   hear and can phonetically more correctly be written as " 't. " ‑>>
het is click to hear it's, it is
't is click to hear 2 3 it's, it is
Het Delft van Vermeer click to hear The Delft of Vermeer, Vermeer's Delft
't Delft van Vermeer click to hear The Delft of Vermeer, Vermeer's Delft

The -IG Ending click to hear

The -IG ending click to hear is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E click to hear ('the 'schwa') and not the 'short I' click to hear you'd expect from the spelling.
(The Dutch 'voiceless, unstressed E' sounds the same as the Dutch 'short U' click to hear)
Almost all words of more than one syllable with an -IG ending are adjectives or adverbs or words derived from adjectives and adverbs

A few examples to start out with:
luchtig click to hear ('airy, light // not serious')
schichtig click to hear 2 3 ('skittish, nervous, shy')
twintig click to hear (' 20 ') numbers
gezellig click to hear 2 3 (untranslatable: '~pleasant, ~nice, ~enjoyable, ~gregarious, ~cosy') ->>


gewelddadig click to hear / gewelddadige click to hear 2 ('violent') ‑>>
overdadig click to hear ('excessive, lavish')
ongenadig click to hear 2 3 ('merciless') ‑>>
eerbiedig click to hear 2 ('respectful') ‑>>
oneerbiedig click to hear 2 ('irreverent')
volledig click to hear 2 3 4 / volledige click to hear 2 ('complete, full') ‑>>
overvloedig click to hear ('abundant')
armoedig click to hear ('looking poor') ‑>>
spoedig click to hear 2 3 ('soon, shortly, speedy') ‑>>
huidig click to hear 2 / huidige click to hear 2 3 ('present, current')
spinnijdig click to hear 2 ('very angry' - 'like a spider?")
gelijktijdig click to hear ('at the same time')
partijdig click to hear 2 3 ('biased, subjective' - "taking sides")
onpartijdig click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('impartial, even-handed, not biased') ‑>>
voortijdig click to hear 2 3 ('premature, too early')
evenwijdig click to hear / evenwijdige click to hear 2 ('parallel')
veelzijdig click to hear ('many-side, versatile') ‑>>
onzijdig click to hear 2 3 ('neutral, neuter')
geldig click to hear 2 ('valid')
geweldig! click to hear ('great!') ‑>>
geduldig click to hear 2 3 ('patient') ‑>>
ongeduldig click to hear 2 ('impatient')
schuldig click to hear 2 3 ('guilty') ‑>>
onschuldig click to hear 2 ('innocent')
zorgvuldig click to hear 2 ('careful, precise, with care and precision') ‑>>
onzorgvuldig click to hear 2 3 ('careless, sloppy, inaccurate')
handig click to hear 2 ('skillful, 'good with their hands,' but also 'clever' // handy, convenient')
onhandig click to hear ('clumsy, awkward') ‑>>
vijandig click to hear 2 ('hostile') ‑>>
zelfstandig click to hear 2 ('independent')
verstandig click to hear ('sensible, prudent') / verstandige click to hear ('sensible, prudent') ‑>>
onverstandig click to hear ('not sensible,' "a bad idea")
levendig click to hear 2 ('lively, animated, vivid') ‑>>
oneindig click to hear ('endless, infinite ∞') ‑>>
mondig click to hear ('having a voice, being heard')
zondig click to hear ('sinful') ‑>>
overbodig click to hear 2 3 ('superfluous, unnecessary')
nodig click to hear ('necessary, needed') ‑>>
onnodig click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('unnecessary')
zonodig click to hear 2 ('if necessay')
aardig click to hear 2 3 / aardige click to hear 2 3 ('kind, nice // rather, considerably') ‑>>
onaardig click to hear 2 3 ('unkind')
kwaadaardig click to hear 2 3 4 ('with evil intentions // malignant')
goedaardig click to hear 2 3 ('meaning well // benign')
zachtaardig click to hear 2 ('soft-hearted')
rechtvaardig click to hear ('just') ‑>>
gelijkwaardig click to hear / gelijkwaardige click to hear 2 3 4 ('of equal value, similar') ‑>>
merkwaardig click to hear 2 3 4 ('strange, curious')
slordig click to hear 2 ('careless, sloppy // ~good')
tegenwoordig click to hear 2 3 ('present, presently, nowadays') ‑>>
eenvoudig click to hear / eenvoudige click to hear 2 ('simple, easy to solve') ‑>>
zesvoudig click to hear ('sixfold') ‑>>

(lawaaiïg) lawaaiig click to hear 2 (lawaaiïge) lawaaiige click to hear ('noisy') ‑>>
(heiïg) heiig click to hear ('hazy' - old-fashioned)

(zijïg) zijig click to hear ('silky // soft-headed, weak-kneed')

rechthoekig click to hear 2 / rechthoekige click to hear 2 ('rectangular') ‑>>
oppervlakkig click to hear 2 3 ([surface-y] - 'superficial')
krakkemikkig click to hear 2 3 R ('about to fall apart, unreliable' - slang)
gelukkig click to hear 2 3 / gelukkige click to hear 2 3 ('lucky // (happy)') ‑>>

schandalig click to hear ('outrageous, scandalous')
tweetalig click to hear 2 3 ('bilingual')
zalig click to hear ('blessed' // 'heavenly, delicious')
rampzalig click to hear 2 ('disastrous')
gelig click to hear ('yellowish') ‑>>
zielig click to hear 2 ('pitiable, to be pitied, sorry')
akelig click to hear ('awfyl, unpleasant, nasty')
brokkelig click to hear 2 ('crumbly')
gevoelig click to hear 2 ('sensitive') ‑>>
griezelig click to hear 2 3 4 ('gruesome, ghastly, grisly')
duizelig click to hear 2 ('dizzy')
heilig click to hear / heilige click to hear ('saintly, holy') ‑>>
schijnheilig click to hear 2 3 ([seemingly holy] - 'hypocritical')
veilig click to hear 2 / veilige click to hear ('safe, secure') ‑>>
toevallig click to hear 2 ('random') ‑>>
gezellig click to hear 2 3 (untranslatable: '~pleasant, ~nice, ~enjoyable, ~gregarious, ~cosy') ->>
vrijwillig click to hear ('voluntarily')
grillig click to hear ('whimsical, unpredictable' // of irregular shape)
jolig click to hear 2 3 ('jolly')
onverschillig click to hear 2 ('indifferent')
moedwillig click to hear 2 ('deliberate')
oubollig click to hear ('droll, deliberately silly')
overtollig click to hear ('superfluous')

meerstemmig click to hear ('polyphonic' - music)
grimmig click to hear 2 ('grisly, grim')
onstuimig click to hear ('passionate, tempestuous, turbulent ')
romig click to hear 2 3 4 ('creamy') ‑>>

enig click to hear ('only, unique // any') ‑>>
groenig click to hear 2 ('greenish') ‑>>
geinig click to hear 2 ('funny')
weinig click to hear 2 ('little, few') ‑>>
chagerijnig click to hear 2 / (sagerijnig click to hear 2) ('in a bad mood')
krankzinnig click to hear 2 ('insane, crazy')
eigenzinnig click to hear 2 (['following your own sense'] - 'self-willed, idiosyncratic, quirky, ~unorthodox')
diepzinnig click to hear 2 ('profound')
zonnig click to hear 2 3 ('sunny') ‑>>
zuinig click to hear 2 ('frugal, careful with spending money') ‑>>

zompig click to hear ('swampy' - jocular)
voorlopig click to hear 2 ('temporary, for the moment, for the time being') ‑>>
grappig click to hear 2 3 - grappig / grappige click to hear ('funny, amusing, humorous') ‑>>
koppig click to hear 2 ('headstrong')
langwerpig click to hear ([long-throw] - 'elongated, oblong') ‑>>

jarig click to hear ([yeary] - 'having a birthday') ‑>>
karig click to hear 2 ('sparing, scarce, meager')
glibberig click to hear 2 3 4 ('slippery')
wieberig click to hear 2 ('gone, away' - slang)
nederig click to hear 2 ('humble')
weelderig click to hear 2 3 ('luxurious, ample')
bedlegerig click to hear ('bedridden')
hongerig click to hear 2 ('hungry') ‑>>
nieuwsgierig click to hear 2 3 ('curious, inquisitive, eager to know things') ‑>>
plezierig click to hear 2 ('pleasant, enjoyable') ‑>>
onplezierig click to hear 2 3 ('unpleasant, annoying')
blikkerig click to hear 2 ('tinny' - sound)
smerig click to hear 2 3 / smerige click to hear 2 3 ('dirty, filthy, soiled' - unpleasantly, disgustingly so) ‑>>
katterig click to hear ('having a hangover // feeling flu symptoms')
kleverig click to hear ('sticky')
ijverig click to hear 2 3 ('hard-working, diligent, industrious')
vorig click to hear - vorig / vorige click to hear 2 ('previous') ‑>>
langdurig click to hear 2 ('long-lasting, lengthy')
geurig click to hear 2 ('aromatic, having a strong nice smell')
keurig click to hear ('proper, neat')
willekeurig click to hear 2 / willekeurige click to hear 2 ('random') ‑>>
nauwkeurig click to hear ('precise') ‑>>
treurig click to hear / treurige click to hear ('sad, deplorable') ‑>>
vurig click to hear ('fiery, passionate')

vadsig click to hear ('flabby, overweight')
rossig click to hear / rossige click to hear 2 ('reddish') ‑>>
koortsig click to hear 2 3 ('feverish, having a fever' - literally)

matig click to hear 2 ('moderate, moderately')
regelmatig click to hear / regelmatige click to hear ('regular')
overmatig click to hear ('excessive')
statig click to hear 2 ('stately, grand, solemn')
huichelachtig click to hear ('hypocritical')
raadselachtig click to hear ([riddle-like] - 'enigmatic')
neerslachtig click to hear 2 3 4 ('depressed') ‑>>
machtig click to hear 2 ('powerful, "mighty" // very filling') ‑>>
regenachtig click to hear 2 3 ('rainy') ‑>>
krampachtig click to hear 2 ('forced, frantic,' "not flowing")
kinderachtig click to hear 2 ('childish')
reusachtig click to hear 2 3 ('gigantic, very large') ‑>>
koortsachtig click to hear 2 3 ('feverish, frantic')
krachtig click to hear 2 3 / krachtige click to hear 2 ('powerful, strong') ‑>>
prachtig click to hear 2 ('beautiful, great, enjoyable')
tachtig click to hear ('80') numbers
vergeetachtig click to hear ('forgetful') ‑>>
beestachtig click to hear 2 3 ('like a beast, savage // beastly, terrible')
amechtig click to hear ('breathless // short-winded' - both old-fashioned)
schichtig click to hear 2 3 - ('skittish, nervous, shy')
spichtig click to hear 2 3 ('wispy, spidery')
medeplichtig click to hear 2 3 4 CHG ('accessory') (de) medeplichtige click to hear 2 3 ('accomplice') gewichtig click to hear ('self-important, pompous // important, significant')
doorzichtig click to hear 2 ('see-through, transparent')
voorzichtig click to hear 2 ('careful, with caution') ‑>> voorzichtig! click to hear 2 ('be careful!') achterdochtig click to hear 2 3 ('suspicious, paranoid')
vochtig click to hear 2 ('damp')
hardvochtig click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('hard-hearted, heartless')
duchtig click to hear 2 ('thorough, sound, good')
luchtig click to hear ('airy, light')
vluchtig click to hear 2 3 ('fleetingly, superficial')
luidruchtig click to hear / luidruchtige click to hear ('loud, noisy') ‑>>
gemakzuchtig click to hear 2 3 ('craving ease and comfort')
oorlogszuchtig click to hear 2 3 ('craving war, warlike')
gretig click to hear 2 3 ('eager')
heldhaftig click to hear 2 3 ('brave, heroic')
heftig click to hear 2 / heftige click to hear 2 3 ('violent, fierce' // "heavy" - slang)
vijftig click to hear ('50') numbers
negentig click to hear ('90') numbers
zeventig click to hear ('70') numbers
twintig click to hear ('20') numbers
dertig click to hear ('30') numbers
haastig click to hear 2 3 ('hasty, hurriedly') ‑>>
geestig click to hear ('witty')
naargeestig click to hear 2 3 4 ('depressing, gloomy')
ernstig click to hear 2 / ernstige click to hear 2 3 ('serious') ‑>>
gunstig click to hear ('favorable')
hartig click to hear hartige click to hear 2 ('savory' (not sweet) 'salty, hearty, umami?') ‑>>
hooghartig click to hear 2 ('haughty, arrogant, condescending?)
openhartig click to hear 2 3 4 ('frank, straightforward')
veertig click to hear ('40') numbers
lastig click to hear 2 ('bothersome, troublesone, difficult')
zestig click to hear ('60') numbers
mistig click to hear 2 ('foggy, misty')
roestig click to hear 2 3 ('rusty')
rustig click to hear / rustige click to hear 2 3 ('quiet, calm') ‑>>
onrustig click to hear 2 3 ('restless, agitated, not quiet')
prettig click to hear / prettige click to hear 2 3 ('pleasant, nice, enjoyable') ‑>>
onprettig click to hear 2 3 ('unpleasant, disagreeable')
pittig click to hear 2 ('full-flavored, strong-tasting') ‑>>
pietluttig click to hear 2 3 ('petty, niggling')
nuttig click to hear ('useful')

smeuïg click to hear 2 ('smooth, creamy, appetizing' - "easy to eat"- food)

hevig click to hear 2 / hevige click to hear 3 ('violent, vehement, intense, vehement')
stevig click to hear 2 (3) / stevige click to hear 2 ('solid, substantial')
goedgelovig click to hear 2 3 ('credulous, quick to believe')
droevig click to hear ('sad') ‑>>

eeuwig click to hear 2 ([centuries-like] - 'eternal')

bazig click to hear ([boss-like] - 'bossy, domineering, overbearing')
bezig click to hear 2 ('busy') ‑>> bezigheden click to hear 2 3 ('activities') aanwezig click to hear / aanwezige click to hear 2 ('present,' "is here," 'available')
gulzig click to hear 2 ('feeling an eager, almost compulsive urge to eat')
ranzig click to hear 2 ('rancid, spoiled' - oil, fat)

(de) viezigheid click to hear 2 3 1. (literally) dirt, muck
2. (figuratively) smut, filth
(de) vuiligheid click to hear 2 3 dirt, filth // smut
verontreinigd click to hear 'contaminated, polluted, fouled'  ('rein' click to hear 2 is an old-fashioned word for 'clean' or 'pure') (de) luchtverontreiniging click to hear 2 3 air pollution
(de) rottigheid click to hear 2 3 unpleasantness, misery
beledigen click to hear 2 3 to insult
beledigend click to hear 2 3 insulting
een groffe belediging click to hear 2 a grave insult aankondigen click to hear 2 3 to announce
vermenigvuldigen click to hear 2 3 ('to multiply')
enigszins click to hear 2 3 4 [in some sense] - somewhat, slightly (de) vaardigheid click to hear 2 3 skill, ability
(de) vertegenwoordiger click to hear 2 a representative, delegate // travelling salesman De zuinige huisvrouw click to
 hear ('the frugal housewife')
Lammigje click to hear 2 a girls' name

Of course, one-syllable words don't have suffixes:
(de) wig click to hear ('wedge') - (de) big click to hear ('young pig') - ik lig click to hear ('I'm lying down')
- and another exception: (de) vaandrig click to hear 2 ('army cadet officer')

The -ISCH Ending click to hear

The -ISCH ending click to hear is pronounced with Dutch 'long I' (IE) click to hear (English EE) and not the 'short I' click to hear you'd expect from the spelling, and the CH is dropped.

psychisch click to hear 2 3 4 ('psychological, mental')

sporadisch click to hear ('sporadic')
medisch click to hear ('medical') ‑>>
Indisch click to hear ('from the Dutch Indies' // 'from India')


tragisch click to hear 2 / tragische click to hear ('tragical')
Belgisch click to hear 2 3 4 / Belgische click to hear 2 ('Belgian')
logisch click to hear ('logical')
biologisch click to hear ('biological' // "organic" - food)
allergisch click to hear ('allergic')

dynamisch click to hear ('dynamic')
biodynamisch click to hear ("biodynamic" - food growing theory)
chemisch click to hear / chemische click to hear ('chemical') ‑>>
komisch click to hear 2 ('comical') ‑>>

mechanisch click to hear 2 ('mechanical')
organisch click to hear ('organic' - chemistry)
anorganisch click to hear ('anorganic' - chemistry)
hygiënisch click to hear 2 ('hygienic')
oecumenisch click to hear 2 (3) (Greek OE - 'ecumenical')
chronisch click to hear ('chronic, chronical')
diatonisch click to hear ('diatonic' - music)
cynisch click to hear 2 ('cynical')

typisch click to hear ('typical, characteristic')

vegetarisch click to hear 2 ('vegetarian')
lyrisch click to hear 2 ('lyrical')
elektrisch click to hear / elektrische click to hear ('electric') ‑>>
symmetrisch click to hear 2 3 ('symmetrical')

basisch click to hear ('alkaline, basic')

systematisch click to hear 2 ('systematical')
dogmatisch click to hear ('dogmatical')
problematisch click to hear 2 ('problematic')
chromatisch click to hear ('chromatic' - music)
psychosomatisch click to hear 2 ('psychosomatic')
automatisch click to hear 2 * ('automatic')
homeopathisch click to hear ('homeopathic')
synthetisch click to hear ('synthetic')
kritisch click to hear 2 ('critical')
gigantisch click to hear 2 ('gigantic') ‑>>
Romantisch click to hear ('Romantic')
chaotisch click to hear 2 ('chaotic')
fantastisch click to hear 2 3 / fantastische click to hear ('fantastic')
realistisch click to hear ('realistic')
optimistisch click to hear ('optimistic')
pessimistisch click to hear ('pessimistic')

Mulisch click to hear 2 3 - a name from German
Dutch author Harry click to hear Mulisch

technisch inzicht click to hear 2 3 4 [technical insight] - a good understanding of technology, how mechanical things work, how to handle tools

Writing the page, the Dutch -ISCH ending looks rather old-fashioned. My Dad wrote -IES instead in the 1930, when there were plans for a spelling reform that way, but it never came about. It feels long overdue. Changing the -IG and -LIJK endings would be much more problematic.

The -LIJK Ending click to hear 2

The -LIJK ending click to hear 2 is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E click to hear ('the 'schwa') and not the EI/IJ click to hear you'd expect from the spelling.

kwalijk click to hear 2 ('~bad, ~ill, ~amiss')
belachelijk click to hear 2 ('ridiculous') ‑>>
onmiddelijk click to hear ('immediately, right away')
redelijk click to hear 2 / redelijke click to hear ('reasonable, reasonable, fair // rational, sensible') ‑>>
onredelijk click to hear 2 3 ('not reasonable, unreasonable, unfair, not right, unjust')
duidelijk click to hear / duidelijke click to hear - duidelijk/duidelijke click to hear 2 ('clear, understandable') ‑>>
tijdelijk click to hear 2 ('temporary')
geleidelijk click to hear 2 3 ('gradual, at a slow, measured pace')
onvermijdelijk click to hear 2 3 ('unavoidable')
zuidelijk click to hear ('southern')
vijandelijk click to hear 2 ('hostile')
eindelijk click to hear ('finally, at last') ‑>>
uiteindelijk click to hear 2 3 ('in the end, when all was said and done')
vriendelijk click to hear vriendelijke click to hear 2 ('friendly') ‑>>
ondoorgrondelijk click to hear 2 ('unfathomable, incomprehensible')
noordelijk click to hear 2 ('northern')
verantwoordelijk click to hear / verantwoordelijke click to hear 2 ('responsible,'  "to blame") ‑>>
onverantwoordelijk click to hear 2 3 ('irresponsible, ~stupid')
onophoudelijk click to hear 2 ('unending, continuing, ceaselessly, incessantly')
vrijelijk click to hear ('freely, unrestrained')
stoffelijk click to hear 2 stoffelijke click to hear ('physical, material, of matter, real')
ongelofelijk click to hear / ongelooflijk click to hear ('unbelievably')
erfelijk click to hear 2 3 ('inheritable, hereditary, congenital')
bederfelijk click to hear 2 ('perishable, not shelf-stable')
degelijk click to hear degelijke click to hear 2 3 ('reliable, sound')
walgelijk click to hear 2 3 ('disgusting')
mogelijk click to hear 2 / mogelijke click to hear ('possible') ‑>>
onmogelijk click to hear 2 ('impossible')
dergelijk click to hear dergelijke click to hear ('similar, of that kind')
vermakelijk click to hear 2 3 ('amusing, entertaining')
onsmakelijk click to hear 2 ('tasting bad' - literally // 'in bad taste' - figuratively)
noodzakelijk click to hear ('necessary')
aanstekelijk click to hear 2 3 ('infectuous')
rijkelijk click to hear ('lavish, rich, copious')
onovergankelijk click to hear 2 ('intransitive' - verbs)
gebruikelijk click to hear 2 ('common, usual')
ongebruikelijk click to hear 2 3 4 5 6 7 ('unusual')
makkelijk click to hear makkelijke click to hear 2 ‑>>
- gemakkelijk click to hear / gemakkelijke click to hear ('easy') ‑>>
aantrekkelijk click to hear ('attractive')
verschrikkelijk click to hear / verschrikkelijke click to hear 2 ('terrible, awful')
verrukkelijk click to hear 2 3 / verrukkelijke click to hear 2 ('very enjoyable, delightful, great!')
overgankelijk click to hear 2 ('transitive' - verbs)
afhankelijk click to hear / afhankelijke click to hear ('dependent, depending on, relying on')
onafhankelijk click to hear ('independent')
aanvankelijk click to hear 2 ('at first, initially')
bedenkelijk click to hear 2 ('worrying, dubiopus, doubtful, questionable')
oorspronkelijk click to hear 2 3 ('originally')
werkelijk click to hear 2 ('real') (de) werkelijkheid click to hear 2 reality lelijk click to hear 2 lelijke click to hear 2 3 ('ugly') ‑>>
namelijk ... click to hear ("to wit" )
tamelijk click to hear 2 ('rather')
lichamelijk click to hear lichamelijke click to hear ('physical, bodily') lichamelijk letsel click to hear 2 bodily harm heimelijk click to hear 2 ('secretly, in secret, hidden')
erbarmelijk click to hear 2 ('pathetic, pitiable')
mannelijk click to hear 2 / mannelijke click to hear ('male')
vermoedelijk click to hear ('supposedly, probably')
begrijpelijk click to hear 2 ('understandable, clear')
onbegrijpelijk click to hear 2 3 ('incomprehensible, impossible to understand, ~not reasonable')
onherroepelijk click to hear 2 ([cannot be recalled] - 'irrevocable, irreversible')
vreselijk click to hear ('terrible, horrible')
ijselijk click to hear ('gruesome, blood-curdling, horrible')
misselijk click to hear 2 3 4 ('nauseated, nauseous // mean')
ambtelijk click to hear 2 ('official')
onoverzichtelijk click to hear 2 3 ('cluttered, badly organized')
hartstochtelijk click to hear 2 3 ('passionate')
schriftelijk click to hear 2 ('in writing')
gedeeltelijk click to hear 2 3 / gedeeltelijke click to hear 2 ('partly')
feestelijk click to hear 2 3 ('festive')
westelijk click to hear 2 ('western')
christelijk click to hear ("gristelijk" click to hear 2) ('christian' - protestant)
oostelijk click to hear 2 3 ('eastern')
besmettelijk click to hear ('contagious')
afschuwelijk click to hear 2 ('horrifying, horrible, terrible')
vrouwelijk click to hear / vrouwelijke click to hear ('female')
gruwelijk click to hear ('gruesome, atrocious')

behaaglijk click to hear 2 3 4 ('comfortable, pleasant, enjoyable' - temperature)

moeilijk click to hear / moeilijke click to hear ('difficult')

billijk click to hear ('fair, reasonable, legitimate')

eigenlijk click to hear 2 (3) ('actually') ‑>>
aanzienlijk click to hear 2 3 ('considerably, considerable')
gezamenlijk click to hear 2 ('together, complete')
aandoenlijk click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('affecting, touching, moving') ‑>>
ondoenlijk click to hear 2 3 ([undoable] 'cannot be done' - said about an impossible task or job)
fatsoenlijk click to hear 2 ('decent')
waarschijnlijk click to hear 2 ('probably')
onwaarschijnlijk click to hear 2 ('unlikely')
hoogstwaarschijnlijk click to hear 2 ('most likely')
persoonlijk click to hear persoonlijke click to hear 2 ('personal, in person') (de) persoonlijkheid click to hear 2 3 personality
per persoon click to hear 2 3 4 * for each (person)'

olijk click to hear ('roguish, funny-sly')
vrolijk click to hear ('cheerful')

gevaarlijk click to hear 2 3 ('dangerous')
levensgevaarlijk click to hear 2 ('at risk of mortal danger')
veranderlijk click to hear 2 3 ('changeable')
hinderlijk click to hear 2 ('interfering, annoying')
kinderlijk click to hear 2 ('childlike')
afzonderlijk click to hear / afzonderlijke click to hear 2 ('separate')
eerlijk click to hear ('honest, fair')
deerlijk click to hear 2 3 4 ('pitiful, sorely')
heerlijk click to hear 2 3 ('greatly enjoyable')
ergerlijk click to hear ('annoying')
uiterlijk click to hear 2 ('on the surface, exterior, outwardly')
letterlijk click to hear 2 3 ('literally')
figuurlijk click to hear 2 3 ('figuratively')
natuurlijk click to hear ('natural' // 'of course!') / natuurlijke click to hear 2 ('natural')

dagelijks click to hear 2 'daily' (every day)
wekelijks click to hear 2 'weekly'
maandelijks click to hear 2 'monthly'
jaarlijks click to hear 2 'yearly'


(het) huwelijk click to hear ('marriage')
(de) geestelijke click to hear 2 ('cleric, man of the cloth')
eet smakelijk! click to hear [Wishing you a tasty meal] - enjoy your meal! onmenselijk vroeg click to hear 2 [inhumanely] beastly early

Note that a few short words end in 'regular' -LIJK with IJ-sound. One-syllable words don't have suffixes, but there's also gelijk click to hear 2 ('equal') (voiceless E 'ge-' prefix)
(het) lijk click to hear ('dead human body') - (het) slijk click to hear 2 ('mire, sludge') - (het) blijk click to hear ('evidence')
gelijk click to hear 2 ('equal') ‑>> - (de) gelijkheid click to hear ('equality') - gelijkwaardig click to hear ('of equal value') - soortgelijk click to hear ('similar')

Major Exceptions ... page 2 - Minor Eceptions

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

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2022.
All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten,
redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'