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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. Look for words that may be useful to you. - Can there be too many examples for you students to listen to?
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 2

- Minor Eceptions Major Exceptions ... page 1

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 ...

 -B   CHRI-   -D   -N   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR

End-of-word B:  " P "

B at the end of a word is pronounced as P. Compound words keep the pronunciation of the original words, but when for declination or conjugation an E (sometimes with more letters) or a T is added, like for instance an ‑E for an adjective, ‑EN for plurals or verbs or ‑T for a verb, then B is pronounced as B ("the P-pronunciation of the original B-ending changes to B.")

(de) eb click to hear 2 ('ebbtide')
ik heb click to hear ('I have') / wij hebben click to hear 2 ('we have')
(de) slab click to hear 2 ('bib') / (het) slabbetje click to hear 2 ('small bib')
(de) krab click to hear 2 3 ('crab') / krabben click to hear ('crabs' // 'to scratch')
Job click to hear 2 (biblical name) - Rob click to hear (a boys' name) - (de) club click to hear 2 3 ('club' - association, organization) - (de) kuub click to hear 2 3 ('m³, cubic meter' - informal)

Huub click to
hear (a boys' name) / Hubert click to hear (a boys' name)
Huib click to hear (a boys' name) / Huibert click to hear 2 (a boys' name)
Jacob click to hear 2 (a boys' name) / Jacoba click to hear (a girls' name)
(het) lab click to hear ('lab, laboratory') / (het) laboratorium click to hear ('laboratory')
(de) bieb click to hear 2 (slang) - short for (de) bibliotheek click to hear ('library')
rib/ribben click to hear 2 ('rib/ribs')
lip click to hear ('lip') / lippen click to hear ('lips')
B before T is also pronounced as P:
ik heb click to hear ('I have') - jij hebt click to hear ('you have') / wij hebben click to hear 2 ('we have')
The parts of compound words keep their original pronunciation:
(de) hebzucht click to hear ('greed') - (de) ebstroom click to
hear ('ebbtide current')

Compare: (de) slab click to hear 2 ('bib') / slap click to hear ('weak, limp')
jij hebt click to hear ('you have') / jij mept click to hear ('you slap, you hit')
(het) lab click to hear ('lab, laboratory') / (de) lap click to hear ('a piece of cloth or land')
(de) labjas click to hear ('lab coat') / lapjes click to hear ('patches, pieces of fabric')
(het) spinnenweb click to hear ('spiderweb')

CHRI-: "KRI-"

The CH in CHRI is pronounced as K. All Dutch words starting with CHRI derive from Christus click to hear ('Christ') - Jezus Christus click to hear 2
(de) christen click to hear christian, christian person plural:  christenen click to hear christelijk click to hear "christian" - in Dutch it usually means 'protestant'
Christien click to hear ('a girls' name') - Christina click to hear ('a girls' name') - Chris click to hear ('a boys' name') - Christiaan click to hear ('a boys' name') - Christoffel click to hear ('a boys' name')
Christian Political Parties in Holland:
(de) Christelijk-Historische Unie (CHU) click to hear 2 - merged 1977 with CDA below
(het) Christen-Democratisch Appèl (CDA) click to hear 2
(de) Christen Unie click to hear 2
more Dutch Politics A small group of very orthodox protestants
say these words and names with Dutch CH:
christelijk click to hear 2 ("orthodox (protestant) christian")

End-of-Word D:  " T "

D at the end of a word is pronounced as T. Compound words keep the pronunciation of the original words, but when for declination or conjugation an E (sometimes with more letters) is added, like for instance an ‑E for an adjective or ‑EN for plurals or verbs, then D is pronounced as D ("the T-pronunciation of the original D-ending changes to D.")

(de/het) draad click to hear ('thread, string') - (de) baard click to hear 2 ('beard') - (de) naald click to hear ('needle') - [(de)] dood click to hear ('death; dead') - (het) strand click to hear ('beach') - (het) zand click to hear 2 ('sand')

compare: (het) bad click to hear ('bath') / (het) gat click to hear ('hole')
(het) bed click to hear 2 ('bed') / (de) pet click to hear ('cap')
(het) lood click to hear 2 ('lead' - metal) / (de) boot click to hear 2 ('boat, ship')
luid click to hear ('loud') / (de) luit click to hear 2 ('lute')
(het) vod click to hear ('rag') / (het) slot click to hear ('lock')

Final D is pronounced as D when a word gets an ending with a vowel, like -e, -el, -er, -en, -ig or the -ing ending:
oud oude click to hear ('old')
(de) daad click to hear ('action,' "deed") / daden click to hear ('actions,' "deeds")
(het) paard click to hear 2 ('horse') / paarden click to hear 2 ('horses')
(de) tijd click to hear ('time') / tijden click to hear ('times') ->>
(het) goud click to hear ('gold') / gouden click to hear ('golden')
(de) brand click to hear ('fire') / branden click to hear ('fires; to burn')
(de) tand click to hear ('tooth') / tanden click to hear ('teeth')
(het) geld click to hear ('money') / geldig click to hear 2 ('valid')
(de) mond click to hear ('mouth') / mondig click to hear ('having a say (in)')
ik leid click to hear ('I am leading, I'm in charge') / leiding click to hear ('leadership; pipe - water, gas etc.')
(de) wond click to hear ('wound, injury') / (de) verwonding click to hear ('injury')
(het) eind click to hear 2 ('end') / (het) einde click to hear 2 ('end') / oneindig click to hear ('endless, infinite')
ik bid, wij bidden click to hear ('I pray, we pray')
(het) bed click to hear 2 ('bed') - plural: bedden click to hear ('beds')
(de) pad click to hear ('toad') - plural: padden click to hear 2 ('toads')
(de) graad click to hear 2 3 4 ('degree') / graden click to hear ('degrees')
(de) graat click to hear 2 ('fish bone') / graten click to hear 2 3 ('fish bones')

(de) vriend click to hear ('friend') / vrienden click to hear ('friends') / (de) vriendin click to hear ('female friend')
hard click to hear ('hard' - not soft) / (het) hart click to hear ('heart') / "harde harten" click to hear ("hard hearts")
(het) lid click to hear ('member') / wit click to hear ('white')
(het) midden click to hear 2 3 ('middle, center') / witte click to hear ('white')
Ed click to hear - Fred click to hear 2 / Frederik click to hear (boys' names)

Dutch people often carry this pronunciation over into English. 'Weed' click to hear 2 is usually called (de) 'wiet' click to hear 2 3 in Holland.

Lopen:  " Lopen " or  " Lope " ?

wij lope click to hear / wij lopen click to hear - we're walking
more lopen  'to walk'

Many people in Holland (probably a majority of the population) don't pronounce the final N's in verb infinitives, verb plurals and noun plurals. Feel free to do that too, you will be perfectly understood either way. But I do not recommend it, dear students, because you have to write those N's anyway, so not pronouncing them just adds a phonetic spelling rule. ‑>>

De mensen praten plat. click to hear
* De mense prate plat. click to hear People talk sloppily, substandard. (Some people in Holand say 'plat praten' for speaking dialect; I use it for talking sloppily, 'city accent') ‑>> Wil je blijven eten? click to hear 2 3
* Wil je blijve ete? click to hear Would you like to stay for dinner (or lunch)? We hebben lopen demonstreren. click to
    hear
* We hebbe lope demonstrere. click to hear 2 3 We have been in a protest march. Dat had ik veel eerder moeten doen click to hear 2
* Dat had ik veel eerder moete doen click to hear 2 I should have done that [much earlier] long ago Ik heb 'm leren kennen in 't leger click to hear 2 3
* Ik heb 'm lere kenne in 't leger click to hear I came to know him in the army * spelling adapted to reflect pronunciation

SCHR: " ShR "

The CH in SCHR is not pronounced - just an H 'aspiration,' breathing out, "an exhalation of breath" - listen to the examples.

schraal click to hear 2 ('thin, scant, meager, poor') - (de) schrale troost click to hear 2 ("cold comfort") - (de) schram click to hear ('scratch') - (het) schrammetje click to hear ('small scratch') - schrander click to hear ('clever, bright') - schragen click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('sawhorses, gantries' // 'to support, prop up') - schrapen click to hear 2 3 ('to scrape')
't Is maar een schrammetje click to hear 2 It's only a small scratch Zet je schrap! click to hear 2 Brace yourself, hold on tight (a shock is coming)

ik schreef click to hear ('I wrote') - wij schreven click to hear ('we wrote') - ik heb geschreven click to hear 2 ('I have written')
Ik heb 't opgeschreven click to hear 2 I've written it down over de schreef gaan click to hear 2 (saying) ['overstepping the "scratch mark," go beyond the pale'] - going too far, into indecent, unacceptable behavior

verschrikkelijk langzaam click to hear 2 3 terribly slow
(het) schrift click to hear ('notebook // handwriting') - De Schrift click to hear ('the Bible' - old-fashioned) - (het) proefschrift click to hear 2 ('PhD thesis') - een net handschrift click to hear 2 ('a neat hand, neat handwriting') - (het) geheimschrift click to hear 2 ('cypher, secret code') - schriftelijk click to hear 2 ('in writing') - (het) tijdschrift click to hear ('magazine, periodical) - plural:  tijdschriften click to hear - (de) schrik click to hear ('scare, fright') - schrikken click to hear 2 3 4 ('to be startled, frightened, scared, shocked') - laten schrikken click to hear ('to frighten, scare, shock') ‑>> - (het) schrikbewind click to hear 2 3 ('reign of terror, ruling by terror') - (het) schrikdraad click to hear ('electric wire') - (de) schrikkeldag click to hear 2 3 ('leap day' - February 29th) - (het) schrikkeljaar click to hear 2 3 ('leap year') - schril click to hear 2 ('shrill') - verschrikkelijk click to hear / verschrikkelijke click to hear 2 ('terrible, horrible, awful, very') - een verschrikkelijke winter click to hear ('an awful winter') - (de) vogelverschrikker click to hear [birds-scarer] ('scarecrow')
- schriel click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('lean, thin, gaunt, scawny' // 'raw, harsh' - weather)

(de) schrobber click to hear ('push broom') - (de) schrobzaag click to hear ('hole saw') - schrok click to hear 2 ('singular simple past tense of 'schrikken'  - see above and below) - (de) schroom click to hear ('hesitance, fearfulness') - beschroomd click to hear ('shy-weak, timid, diffident') - (het) schroot click to hear ('scrap metal') - wij schrokken click to hear ('we were shocked, scared')
Dat is schromelijk overdreven click to hear 2 3 That is grossly exaggerated

schrikken van click to hear 2 to be startled, shocked, frightened by
geschrokken van click to hear 2 shocked, frightened by
Ik schrok van de prijs click to hear 2 I was shocked, taken aback by the price
Ik schrok van 't lawaai click to hear 2 I was shocked, taken aback by the noise
Ik schrok ervan click to hear 2 3 I was shocked, taken aback by it

(de) schreeuw click to hear ('shout') - schreeuwen click to hear ('to shout')

schreien click to hear ('to cry, shed tears' - old-fashioned)
- schrijven click to hear 2 3 ('to write' ‑>>) - (de) schrijver click to hear ('writer, author') - ik schrijf click to hear ('I'm writing') - ik zal schrijven click to hear 2 ('I'll write' - I'll keep in touch) - (de) beschrijving click to hear 2 / (de) omschrijving click to hear 2 ('description')
Schrijf je naam op een papiertje click to hear Write down your name on a piece of paper Kun je 't omschrijven? click to hear 2 Can you describe it? (You don't know the word for something) zich inschrijven bij click to hear 2 3 to sign up for (with?) - to join

(de) schroef click to hear ('screw') - schroeven click to hear ('screws // to screw screws') - (de) bankschroef click to hear ('vise')

schrikken
to be startled
- schrok
was startled
- geschrokken
been startled
click to hear 2 3
schrijven
to write
- schreef
wrote
- geschreven
written
click to hear
schrijven
to write
- ik schrijf
I'm writing
- wij schrijven
we're writing
- ik schreef
I wrote
- wij schreven
we wrote
- ik heb geschreven
I have written
click to hear
schreeuwen
to shout
- ik schreeuw
I'm shouting
- wij schreeuwen
we're shouting
- ik schreeuwde
I shouted
- wij schreeuwden
we shouted
- ik heb geschreeuwd
I have shouted
click to hear
(more about strong verbs)

Compare:
(de) schaal click to hear 2 3 ('large plate, low bowl') / schraal click to hear 2 ('thin, scant, meager, poor')
(de) schoot click to hear ('lap, womb') / (het) schroot click to hear ('scrap metal')
(de) schok click to hear ('shock') / schrok click to hear 2 ('singular simple past tense of schrikken)
(de) schijf click to hear ('disk') / (ik) schrijf click to hear ('(I) write')

schrapen click to hear 2 3 is 'to scrape.' As an example for you students how NOT to pronounce SCHR I have recorded it with  the CH: sGGrapen click to hear 2 . It doesn't come naturally to me and it sounds very wrong. Don't try this outside your home!
The city of The Hague is usually called Den Haag click to hear 2 but its 'official' name is 's-Gravenhage click to hear - similar to CH in SCHR, the G is usually dropped. With some difficulty I can say that G, but very, very few people (if any) say it like this: 's-GGravenhage click to hear
(de) asregen click to hear 2 3 ('ash rain, rain of ash')
I have no difficulty at all saying words with SGR like (de) visgraat click to hear 2 3 4 ('fish bone') - muisgrijs click to hear 2 3 ('mouse-grey') or (de) staatsgreep click to hear ('coup') and - 't Is chronisch click to hear 2 ('It's chronical') but it takes much conscious effort to pronounce the CH in SCHR and it doesn't sound good to me.
Verschrikkelijk click to hear 2 3 4 5 6 ('terrible, horrible, very') - the last two sound 'wrong' to me

-TIE Ending:   1. "-TIE"   2. "-TSIE"   3. "-SIE"

The -TIE ending can be pronounced in three different ways: -TIE after S
(de) hostie click to hear 2 ('holy wafer') - (de) kwestie click to hear ('(question) - matter') - (de) suggestie click to hear ('suggestion')

-TSIE after vowels and N
(de) alimentatie click to hear ('alimony') - (de) coöperatie click to hear ('co-operation, collaboration // co-operative business organisation') - (de) combinatie click to hear 2 ('combination') - complicaties click to hear 2 ('complications') - (de) creatie click to hear ('creation') - (de) democratie click to hear ('democracy') - (de) fluctuatie click to hear 2 ('drift, fluctuation') - (de) generatie click to hear ('generation') - vier generaties click to hear ('4 generations') ‑>> - (de) hallucinatie click to hear 2 ('hallucination') ( - (de) immunisatie click to hear 2 3 ('immunisation')) - (de) incubatietijd click to hear 2 ('incubation period') - (de) inflatie click to hear 2 3 ('inflation') - (het) initiatief click to hear 2 ('initiative') - (de) irritatie click to hear 2 ('irritation, annoyance') - (de) modulatie click to hear 2 ('modulation') - (de) mutatie click to hear ('mutation') - (de) obligatie click to hear ('bond' - a kind of stock) - (de) operatie click to hear ('surgery // (military, police) action') - (de) organisatie click to hear ('organization') - (de) relatie click to hear 2 ('relation, relationship, affair') - (de) reparatie click to hear ('repair') - (de) reputatie click to hear ('reputation, standing') - (de) situatie click to hear 2 ('situation') - (de) spatie click to hear ('space' - in text) ‑>> - (de) theocratie click to hear ('theocracy') - (de) transpiratie click to hear 2 ('sweat') ‑>> - (de) variatie click to hear 2 ('variation')
(de) coalitie click to hear 2 3 ('coalition') - (de) competitie click to hear 2 ('competition, race, match') - (de) conditie click to hear ('shape, fitness // precondition') - (de) oppositie click to hear 2 3 4 ('opposition' - politics) - (de) politie click to hear 2 ('police') - (de) positie click to hear 2 3 4 ('position?') - (de) repetitie click to hear 2 ('rehearsal // secondary school test')
(de) promotie click to hear 2 3 ('promotion')
(de) absolutie click to hear ('absolution, forgiving') - (de) evolutie click to hear 2 ('evolution') - (de) revolutie click to hear 2 ('revolution')
(de) advertentie click to hear ('ad, advertisement') - (de) arrogantie click to hear 2 ('arrogance') - (de) concurrentie click to hear 2 3 ('competition') - (de) correspondentie click to hear 2 ('correspondence, exchange of letters') - (de) essentie click to hear 2 ('essence') - (de) frequentie click to hear 2 3 ('frequency') - (de) garantie click to hear ('guarantee, warranty') - (de) kwitantie click to hear 2 ('receipt, proof of payment') - (de) tolerantie click to hear ('tolerance') - (de) urgentie click to hear ('urgency') - (de) vakantie click to hear 2 ('vacation, holiday')

-SIE - after C, P and R
- (de) actie click to hear 2 ('action?') - (de) collectie click to hear ('collection') - (de) correctie click to hear 2 3 ('correction') - (de) directie click to hear 2 ('management') - (de) fractie click to hear ('very small part // political party') - (de) frictie click to hear 2 ('friction') - (de) infectie click to hear ('infection') - (de) injectie click to hear 2 3 ('injection, shot') - (de) reactie click to hear ('reaction') - (de) reproductie click to hear 2 ('reproduction' - copy of artworks) - (de) sectie click to hear ('section?') - (de) adoptie click to hear ('adoption') - (de) corruptie click to hear ('corruption') - (de) receptie click to hear 2 3 ('reception// reception desk ') - (de) portie click to hear 2 ('portion, share, serving') - (de) proportie click to hear ('proportion')
BUT: Gertie click to hear (a girls' name)

Endings like -TIEF, -TIEK, -TIEL and -TIER are not irregular:
actief click to hear 2 ('active') - politiek click to hear ('politics') - reptiel click to hear 2 ('reptile') - (het) ventiel click to hear ('tube valve') - ventielen click to hear 2 3 ('valves') - kwartier click to hear ('quarter, 15 minutes') - portier click to hear 2 3 ('doorman' / 'car door')
compare:
aktie / aktief click to hear 2 (action / active)
- politie click to hear / politiek click to hear ('police / politics')
- motie / motief click to hear 2 (motion, resolution / motive)
- optie / optiek click to hear (option / viewpoint; optics)
- portie / portier click to hear 2 (portion / car door; doorman)

U in UW is Always Long

The U in UW is always 'long' click to hear

Uw click to hear ('your' - formal) - duw click to hear ('a push') - duwen click to hear ('to push') - zenuw click to hear ('nerve') - ruw click to hear 2 / ruwe click to hear ('rough') - zwaluw click to hear ('swallow' - a bird) - ruwweg click to hear ('roughly' - estimating) - sluw click to hear ('sly, clever') - ruwheid click to hear ('roughness')
(het) fluweel click to hear ('velvet') - juweel click to hear ('a jewel') - juwelen click to hear ('jewels, jewelry') - ruwaard click to hear ('a medieval ruler') - gruwelen click to hear ('horrors// to be horrified') - de Veluwe click to hear / de Betuwe click to hear (areas in the East of The Netherlands)
Compare:
ruw click to hear 2 ('rough') - (de) Rus click to hear ('a Russian') - (de) rug click to hear ('back' - body part) - (het) rund click to hear 2 ('beef cattle') - Ruud click to hear 2 (a boys' name)
duw click to hear ('a push') - (de) durf click to hear ('courage, daring ' "guts") ‑>> - dus click to hear ('so, thus') ‑>> - dun click to hear ('thin, skinny') - duur click to hear / dure click to hear 2 3 4 ('expensive')

WR: " VR "

W before R is pronounced as (Dutch) V

(de) wraak click to hear ('revenge') - (het) wrak click to hear ('wreck') - (het) scheepswrak click to hear ('wrecked ship') - wrang click to hear 2 ('sour // wry') - (de) wrat click to hear 2 ('wart')
wreed click to hear / - wrede click to hear ('cruel') - (de) wreedheid click to hear ('cruelty') - (de) wreef click to hear 2 3 ('arch' - foot // singular simple past tense of 'wrijven'  - see below) - wreken click to hear ('to revenge, take revenge, avenge)
wringen click to hear ('to wring, squeeze') - ik wring click to hear 2 ('I'm wringing, squeezing') - (het) gewricht click to hear 2 ('joint, ~connection') - ontwrichten click to hear 2 3 ('to disrupt, disorganize, disjoint')
(de) wrok click to hear ('grudge, rancor') - verwrongen click to hear ('twisted, distorted')
wrijven click to hear 2 ('to rub') - (de) wrijving click to hear 2 ('friction') - wij wreven click to hear ('we rubbed')
(de) wroeging click to hear ('remorse, feeling bad about past actions)

wreken
to take revenge
- wreekte
took revenge
- gewroken
taken revenge
click to hear
wringen
to wring
- wrong
wrung
- gewrongen
wrung
click to hear
wrijven
to rub
- wreef
rubbed
- gewreven
rubbed
click to hear
wrijven
to rub
- ik wrijf
I'm rubbing
- wij wrijven
we're rubbing
- ik wreef
I rubbed
- wij wreven
we rubbed
- ik heb gewreven
I have rubbed
click to hear
(strong verbs)

Compare:
(de) vraag click to hear 2 ('question') / (de) wraak click to hear ('revenge')
- (de) vrede click to hear ('peace') / wrede click to hear ('cruel')
(het) wak click to hear ('hole in the ice') - (het) vak click to hear 2 ('subject // section // profession') - (het) wrak click to hear ('wreck')
... but not "VR" in compound words: - (de) trouwring click to hear 2 ('wedding ring)

Some of the Dutch and English words look alike and are probably from a common root in proto-Germanic; some of these English words still write the W but it's not pronounced. My computer dictionary says English 'friction' is from Latin 'fricare,' but I think there may be a connection with 'wrijving' click to hear 2 . The Indo-European reconstruction is bhreia.

Major Exceptions ... page 1 - Minor Eceptions

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