Home
Site Map Mobile |
Learning Dutch?
There's Never Been A Better Time |
Pronunciation
Listening Hear Names |
Words
Phrases Grammar |
Search my site: |
April 2013: Major Upgrade - mouseovers with translation and more than 300 sound files for individual words added, and a new introduction.
A rough translation of all Dutch words on this page - or see mouseovers.
Introduction: 'Long' and 'Short' Vowels | |
---|
Vowels Compared | |
Vowels and Diphthongs Compared | |
Diphthongs Compared | |
---|
Other Vowel Sounds | |
Dieresis | |
Compound Words | |
---|
Long and Short Vowels:
Dutch vowels can be 'long' or 'short.'
('Long' and 'short' are
traditional names - the difference is actually more a matter of tone.)
short A
![]() long A ![]() |
short E
![]() long E ![]() 'voiceless E' ('schwa') ![]() |
short I
![]() long I (IE) ![]() |
short O
![]() long O ![]() |
short U
![]() long U ![]() |
There is no sound in English like Dutch 'long U.' Y is almost always pronounced as Dutch I, either long or short. More on pronunciation of vowels and diphthongs |
long: | Kaat
![]() |
maan
![]() |
slaap
![]() |
Deen
![]() |
boom
![]() |
vloot
![]() |
Double vowel: always long |
long: exception: |
ka
![]() |
ma
![]() |
sla
![]() |
de ![]() |
Co
![]() |
vlo
![]() |
Single vowel at the end of a word:
long - except for E at the end of a word which is voiceless: e (uh) ![]() |
short: | kat
![]() |
man
![]() |
slap
![]() |
den
![]() |
bom
![]() |
vlot
![]() |
Single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of a word: short |
long: | kater
![]() |
manen
![]() |
slapen
![]() |
Denen
![]() |
bomen
![]() |
vloten
![]() |
Single vowel followed by one consonant followed by another vowel: long - this is a bit like 'silent E' in English, which indicates that a preceding vowel is long. |
short: | katten
![]() |
mannen
![]() |
slappe
![]() |
dennen
![]() |
bommen
![]() |
vlotten
![]() |
Single vowel followed by two or more consonants: short |
You'll hear a single word by clicking the speaker icon next to it; clicking 'hear' will let you hear the three or four words in the column above.
Later additions:
tragisch
2
- kleurrijk
- breuklijn
2
- mammoet
-
poema
-
garnaal
-
sprinkhaan
2
3
-
huisdeur
2
-
huisbaas
2
-
reisbeurs
2
-
aorta
- chaos
kreatief realiteit
hear
- creatie
2
slow
- reactie
- reageerbuis
- realistisch
aureool
- hear
miauw (meow)
- hear
triangel Ria riant cruciaal
- hear
- triangel
- Ria
- riant
- cruciaal
prieel
dieet diëten
- hear
- 2
pion trio bastion viool radio
- hear
- pion
- trio
- bastion
- viool
- radio
2
- riool
2
(de) spion
2 / spionnen
2
- spy/spies (I and O are pronounced separately)
exception: (het) ion
/ ionen
ion / ionen
2
- ion / ions - I more like consonant Y, Dutch J
schorpioen
2
oase
leeuw leeuwen leeuwtje leeuwin
- hear -
2
- leeuw
- Zeeuws
2
- geeuw
- meeuw
- sneeuw
2
nieuw nieuwe nieuws
- hear
- nieuw
- nieuws
- very much like Britsh English 'new' and 'news'
- kieuw
2
sneu
2
3
- sneeuw
2
- nieuw
juweel ritueel
- hear
- 2
- juweel
2
- ritueel
The I after a vowel is pronounced like English Y in 'Yes'
(except of course in ei and ui)
fraai fraaie fraaier fraais
- hear
- haai
- maaien
- zaaitijd
maïs Thais pais
- hear
- Dutch AI sounds very much like English 'I' -
maïs
2
- Thai
snijmaïs
2
3
-
maïsbrij
2
-
maïsmeel
- maïsfeest
2
- Maizena
ooi dooien dooit
- hear
- ooi
- dooi
prooi
2
mooi mooier mooist
- hear
- mooi
- hooi
koe koeien
- hear
- koeien
- koeien loeien
groei groeien groeit
- hear
- groei
2
- groeien
2
- boeien
2
Words that end in ei, ij or
ui will have a sound like Y in English 'Yes' (Dutch 'J')
inserted before endings that starts with a vowel, like -e,
-en or
-er. This sound is not put in writing.
ei eieren
- hear
kei keien ei eieren beiaard
- hear
vrij vrijer
- hear
lui luie
- hear
ui uien kruier
- hear
- ui
2
- uien
Compare also:
beiaard
2
-
bejaard
2
In a few words of French origin, the ou is pronounced as English OO:
coulant couplet foudraal
- hear
More words and sounds from French:
cadeau bureau
- hear
dressoir boudoir
- hear
ordinair militair
- hear
portemonnaie portefeuille
- hear
French O:
roze
- zone
- controle
2
In Greek names and a few words of Greek origin, the Dutch
pronounce EU as Dutch UI, OE as Dutch EU, and the Latin -US ending is
as Dutch OE:
Prometheus Oedipus
- hear
Zeus
2
- Orpheus
2
aä - eë - eï - eü
- ië - oë - uï - uü
Dieresis
- two dots on top of a vowel indicate that
the vowel is pronounced separately from the preceding vowel(s), not
forming a long vowel or a diphtong. In Dutch, it's called
trema
- it may look somewhat similar to the German
Umlaut, but its meaning is completely different.
geëerd
![]() weeën ![]() kopiëren ![]() |
ingrediënt
![]() België ![]() Oekraïne ![]() |
De Zeven Provinciën
![]() De Verenigde Provinciën ![]() Nederlands-Indië ![]() |
Californië
![]() Israël ![]() Sinaï ![]() |
Rafaël
![]() Daniël ![]() |
When you listen closely, you may have noticed that Dutch vowels get longer before R and/or change slightly in tone. Don't worry about it in your first years of studying Dutch - Vowels before R.
All the Dutch words on this page translated - or see mouseovers.
Compound Words | ||
As you may have seen, Dutch has many
compound words. For instance
(de) spoorweg
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() God ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In English, compound words may need the approval of Mr Webster and the
Queen, but in Dutch any native speaker can make up compound
words.
I remember, long ago in a shop, two teenagers came in and asked
for an 'inkijkboek'
![]() ![]() I may have made up one or two of the words on this page myself. But not all word combinations are correct Dutch and some sound unpleasant, like the German-style meerprijs ![]() ![]() 'At a slightly higher price ...' Foreigners may not have a good sense of what's right. 'Darkroom' is the only example that I can think of where an English compound word translates into two Dutch words: donkere kamer ![]() |
Welcome | Learning Dutch? | - Lesson 1 | Site Map | Pronunciation | Words and Phrases | Hear Dutch Names |
---|
email
Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2006-2013. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, hotlinked to
or redistributed.
Don't be a
dief (thief) -
dievegge (female thief) -
diefstal (theft) -
stelen (to steal) -
heler (dealer in stolen goods) -
hear Dutch -
2