Dutch pronunciation
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Some letters, vowels and combinations of them are pronounced very different in Dutch and hard to compare to other languages. Below you will find an explanation on how to pronounce them and examples.
The pronunciation of Dutch vowels depends on if it is an open or closed syllable. It is a closed syllable when it is between two consonants. An open syllable is when it is not.
The Dutch language also contains combinations of vowels, which are pronounced differently than the syllables on their own.
Combination | Pronunciation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
'ee' | Pronounced as 'e', but longer. | Zij eten veel kaas. | They eat a lot of cheese. |
'oe' | Pronounced as 'oo' in 'boot'. | Ik heb een leuke groep. | I have a nice group. |
'eu' | Pronounced as 'ur' in 'hurt' with rounded lips. | De leuke jeugd. | The nice youth. |
'ei/ij' | Pronounced as a combination of 'eh' and 'ee'. | Hij is erg blij. | He is very happy. |
'uu' | Pronounced as as the short 'u', but longer. | Zij betalen huur. | They pay rent. |
'ui' | Pronounced as a short 'a' followed by a 'u'. | De ui laat mij huilen. | The onion makes me cry. |
'uw' | Pronounced as the short 'u', but the tongue and lips have to be moved more to the front. After that a 'w 'has to be added. | Uw dochter gaf mij een duw. | Your (formal) daughter pushed me. |
'ou' | Pronounced similar to the 'ou' in pronounced. | Ik zeg dat ik van je hou. | I am telling you that I love you. |
'aa' | Pronounced as the short 'a', but longer. | Ze heeft blond haar. | She has blonde hair. |
'au' | Pronounced as ow in 'how'. | Het vlees is rauw. | The meat is raw. |
'aai' | Pronounced as the English pronoun 'I'. | De haai zwemt in de baai. | The shark swims in bay. |
'eeuw' | Pronounced as a long 'e' and followed by 'uw'. | Ik schreeuw de longen uit mijn lijf. | I scream from the top of my longs. |
'oo' | Pronounced as the 'o' in hope, but longer. | Hij heeft hoop. | He has hope. |
'ooi' | Pronounced as a long 'o' and followed by an 'i'. | De vogel vliegt uit de kooi. | The bird flies out of the cage. |
'oei' | Pronounced as a combination of 'oe' and 'ie'. | In de zee drijft een boei. | A buoy is floating in the sea. |
'ie' | Pronounced as the 'e' in the English personal pronoun 'we'. | Hij zei dat niet. | He did not say that. |
'ieuw' | Pronounced as a combination of 'ie' and 'uw'. | Vissen hebben kieuwen. | Fish have gills. |
Listen to the audio text to hear the correct pronunciation.
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The combination of some consonants are pronounced differently than when they are on there own.
Combination | Pronunciation | Example | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
'c' |
|
|
|
'ch' |
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|
'ck' | Pronounced like the 'k'. | Diederick speelt hockey. | Diederick plays hockey. |
'ng' | Pronounced like the 'ng' in the word 'long' in English. | De lange kring van slingers werd verbroken. | The long circle of garlands was broken. |
'nj' | Pronounced like the 'ni' in the English word 'onion'. | Het oranje team gaat naar Spanje. | The orange team goes to Spain. |
'sch' |
|
|
|
'sj' | Pronounced as the 'sh' sound in English. | Sjoerd sjoemelde met de winstcijfers. | Sjoerd defrauded the profit figures. |
'tj' | Pronounced as the 'ch' sound in English. | Het hutje was natgeregend. | The cabin was wet, because of the rain. |
Listen to the audio text to hear the correct pronunciation.
The consonant 'c' is pronounced as 'k' after the a, o, u, l or r. After e, i or ij the 'c' is pronounced as 's'.
The pronunciation of Dutch vowels depends on if it is an open or closed syllable. It is a closed syllable when it is between two consonants. An open syllable is when it is not.
Mark the words with long vowels:
De huur (the rent)
De jurk (the dress)
Het paard (the horse)
De boor (the drill)
De pen (the pen)
Het park (the park)
Het schaap (the sheep)
De boot (the boat)
De klip (the clip)
Het rood (the red)
Het pad (the path)
De haat (the hate)
De ring (the ring)
De stoom (the steam)
De rook (the smoke)
The pronunciation of Dutch vowels depends on if it is an open or closed syllable. It is a closed syllable when it is between two consonants. An open syllable is when it is not.
Mark the words with long vowels:
De huur (the rent)
De jurk (the dress)
Het paard (the horse)
De boor (the drill)
De pen (the pen)
Het park (the park)
Het schaap (the sheep)
De boot (the boat)
De klip (the clip)
Het rood (the red)
Het pad (the path)
De haat (the hate)
De ring (the ring)
De stoom (the steam)
De rook (the smoke)
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Hi! I live in Germany since 2014, I live in the Frankfurt am Main area. I teach German to refugees since the beginning of 2017 and I have been teaching Dutch at several language schools, at peoples homes and in-house at several companies. I passed the C1-level Test for German at the Goethe Institut.
It is my goal to adapt my lessons as much as possible to the wishes of the student. This means that, besides offering regular learning methods, I am open to initiatives like talking about subjects that are of interest to the student, for example reading and discussing articles, watching and discussing educational videos and/or current happenings in the world.
I look forward to meeting you online!
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I've learnt so much from Marlijn! She is a great teacher that adapts the lessons to the student's needs and is available to provide additional material and correct homeworks also outside the lecture. Her friendly personality made me very comfortable and able to learn in a relaxed environment. Communication was great. I strongly recommend her!
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Marjolein is a great, patient and supportive teacher that adapted perfectly to my level. She could provide a personalized course for me according to my initial requests. I can only recommend her. Keep up the good work!
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Hi, Mi name is Paul. I'm a certified (TEFL, ELE) teacher with over 10 years of experience in language teaching. I am actually teaching business clients and individuals.
I always try to keep the classes informal and relaxed. It's important that the students like the class, and that they feel comfortable. That results in progress, and that's exactly what we want.
The focus is on conversation (so pronunciation!) and understanding but also reading and writing are important to improve active vocabulary.
Now grammar is also important to understand the structure of a language, but I only touch grammar when needed, so that depends a lot on the level (from A1 to C2).
For lower-level students who still need some native language in class, I speak fluently Spanish, Dutch and some German and French.
The first class is free of charge, so just try it! I'm sure you'll like it.
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Paul has done well gauging my level and then setting up lessons to match. With a combination of grammar, pronunciation, and learning new words. And now with more focused work and being able to come up with sentences.
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Helene is an excellent teacher and a pleasure to work with. She has an organized lesson at the start and has a easy and clear communication style. I took Dutch classes from her, so I know she is at least fluent in English and Dutch. I also understand she is fluent in French as well. I plan to continue taking classes with Helene!
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My mother language is Dutch and I mainly teach Dutch nowadays.
However, I have a Master's degree in Spanish and I am also fluent in English.
I offer interactive classes, often focused on speaking skills. I am patient and helpful.
My students come from all over the world, all levels and ages.
I look forward to meeting you!
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Juf Elvira has great intuition and attention towards the student's needs from the first (introduction) lesson and tailors suitable curriculum to meet these needs. The dialogue is made only in Dutch so the mind does not waver between English or Dutch, it stays focused on making the dialogue happen in Dutch, one way or the other. She has good attention to detail and corrects any mistakes, and also gives hints about small nuances, which will help the student grasp the native way of pronouncing some words. Also she has quality material and a good balance of homework, based on the availability of the student. I really enjoyed our first lessons and I believe she will help me advance my Dutch to a level where I can communicate with people easily in my daily life, which is an important long term goal for me.
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Hello and nice to meet you!
My name is Laura Borger and I am a qualified language teacher. I have been teaching Dutch to young and old for the past seven years.
I have been teaching online for a year now and I love it. My students range from beginners to advanced, so I have collected tons of materials for all levels.
Also, at the University of Leiden I completed the Master Linguistics and the Master Education.
My lessons are based on the needs and interests of my students. For example, if you are in need of grammar, I will adjust my material accordingly. Or if you want to focus on speaking skills, I have tons of activities to develop this skill too!
My personal goal is to ensure that my classes are dynamic, active and fun! I use games, current topics and digital exercises and I feel the proudest when I can really observe the progress in my student's Dutch level.
I offer a free trial lesson of 25 minutes!
If this sounds good to you, press the button and we will see each other soon!
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Speaks clearly, corrects positively, steers the class confidently at a pace that suits the student. Great teacher.
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Hello, my name is Michel and I'm a Dutch primary school language teacher. I lived in France for 7 years and I worked for an international school that is well known all over France. I moved to Madeira, Portugal and started to work as online Dutch language teacher 4 years ago. Teaching children and adults is my passion aswel as having fun with learning a new language.
My lessons are adapted to your level and due to my job and experience I have acces to teaching methodes to learn you the basics of the Dutch language or to improve your level. I can help you to improve your level of writing and speaking or help you learn your first words and phrases.
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Michel teaches with a smile. Very good teacher with a lot of patience and a very good contact with children and adults! I definitely recommend Michel if you are looking for an (online) teacher.
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It took me a long time to find my real passion in my (work) life. After studying in two universities, graduating in two bachelors, travelling the world and working abroad for several years I realized public education is where my heart lies. I went for the third time back to the university to get my teachers degree.
I have been a classroom teacher for 5 years in Dutch primary schools before I moved 4,5 years ago abroad to Colombia where I became specifically an English teacher. I am specialized in teaching in pre-, elementary, middle (secondary) and high school. I have been teaching in all different grades and all primary subjects in English and got specialised in Teaching English as a second language. Most schools where I have been working were inspired by the philosophy of 'Vygotsky'. A philosophy and methodology I also use in my private classes. Therefore they are dynamic and adapted to your personal needs.
Working in the Netherlands and Colombia in education and in several countries worldwide have allowed me to gain a variety of skill sets. These experiences also have provided me with the tools necessary for working abroad and online including adaptability, patience, dedication to my peer’s success, and respect for cultural and societal norms. Learning English as a second language from someone that is trained to teach the language like this and also once has learned the language herself as a second language (as my native language is Dutch), gives me a lot of benefits in comparison of learning the language from a native speaker.
Aside from this being my day to day job already for the past 10 years in Bilingual primary, middle and high schools, I started private classes to teach English as a second language in the afternoons. I am new to this platform as I haven't offered my services in the past through an official platform. With the recent changes worldwide I thought it is a good moment to focus more on online teaching and decided to dedicate all my time at the moment on online teaching. Therefore I have a wide availability Let me know which level you have and if there's anything specific you would like to focus on. I have experience in teaching all facets of the language.
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We found our first Dutch class with Lisa really helpful. She is very patient and made the class enjoyable. Looking forward to getting started :)
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My name is Job and Dutch is my native language.
I can help you with all the basics of speaking, reading and writing. I can also help you pass exams that require dutch, like your inburgeringscursus (NT2a or CNAVT). I can teach students from A1 up to B2 level. Also, I passed for my TEFL for the English language, so there will be no problem with explaining the Dutch language.
Discipline is the key to effective learning. I'm extremely organized, well-prepared for each of my lessons and I will never miss a single class. I have tons of study materials, which I hand out to my students after the class and customize lesson plans with.
Each learning objective is met by the end of the lesson. Grammar and a sufficient range of vocabulary are impossible to overlook, and I value it in my approach.
Dutch grammar can be tricky for non-native speakers. I go over concepts repeatedly until my students get the hang of it.
Why choose me as your tutor? I am:
--> Students passed for their exams with help of my lessons.
--> Organised; always prepared for every lesson.
--> Patient: we can continue as long as we need.
--> Friendly
--> Enthusiastic
--> Like meeting new people from the rest of the world.
My Methodology
My classes are normally up to one hour. It's possible to have longer lessons If you prefer this.
So far I have done over 1000+ lessons and gathered sufficient information that is useful in order to pass your exams or to get familiar with the language.
My materials comprise of speaking, writing, grammar, reading and listening. During our lessons we shall cover all of these aspects.
Here's a normal lesson plan with me if you're a beginner:
- Vocabulary (5 min): discussing new learned verbs.
- Pronounciation (10 min): reading a short story and building on vocabulary and articulation.
- Writing (15 min): Q and A sessions where I write your answers down and further discuss sentence structures and mistakes.
- Speaking (20 min): eloquently answering questions which are commonly asked in the exams.
-Listening (10 min): listening to an audio of a short story and answering questions.
The lesson plan varies according to your level of Dutch. Naturally, more advanced speakers focus on speaking and writing.
I always make sure I'm prepared before our lesson starts, so we can start right away and make the most of your time.
If you wish to have a well-organized and disciplined tutor who can help you achieve your goals and express yourself authentically - you can count on me!
I will make sure you're on track and every minute of your learning experience is valuable. Dutch is a pretty straight-forward language, and so am I - do ask me anything you'd like to know!
If you wish to have a well-organized and disciplined tutor who can help you achieve your goals and express yourself authentically - you can count on me!
I will make sure you're on track and every minute of your learning experience is valuable. Dutch is a pretty straight-forward language, and so am I - do ask me anything you'd like to know!
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Thanks to Job I feel more confident with the Dutch language. He has a lot of different materials to practice grammar, reading, speaking and writing. so far i did 20 lessons with Job and I will definitly continue. I recommend job as a tutor to everyone who wants to know the basics of language or need to prepare for exams.
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Do you want to improve your Dutch for work and daily life in the Netherlands? I help young expats enhance their Dutch skills, so you can speak and write with more confidence. Not because you have to, but because you want to! My lessons are practical and focused on what you truly need, whether you’re a beginner or already at a higher level.
What you can expect:
Lessons for beginners to advanced learners (B2 to C1), with a methodical and structured approach
Exercises that fit your work and life in the Netherlands
Focus on building confidence and keeping your self-respect, as you find your place as a new resident
Long-term collaboration, aimed at lasting progress and making the most of your new country
In my lessons, you’ll not only learn the language but also how to communicate your unique value and fully use the opportunities in your new home. This way, you’ll get to know the Netherlands better and make your own special contribution!
Ready to improve your Dutch? Contact me and let’s explore the possibilities!
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Monique is an incredibly patient, warm, and encouraging teacher, I feel much more competent in my language skills and testing abilities after only a few lessons. Highly recommend!
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Hello, my name is Claus !For many years I teach students from all over the world as a professional teacher of the German language. With a lot of experience and patience I lead my students to their to teach successfully and with fun. I offer you general language courses of B1- C2 with test preparations, as well as courses in Business German (prerequisites are language proficiency in German from level B1 +!).
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Claus has now been helping me to improve my German for a few weeks. Claus has a lot of experience as a teacher and he also has a large general culture. He always comes with interesting topics. The discussions help me to gain confidence, expand my vocabulary and correct some mistakes.
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We focused a lot on pronunciation of words and Linda was very helpful, particularly on all those Dutch sounds so difficult for foreigners!
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Hi!
I would like to help you with Cambridge Examination preparation (KET, PET, FCE and CAE), as well as conversational English!
Please contact me for one-on-one lessons.
Denise
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She is very easy to understand because she speaks very clear and she explains very well. The working material that she makes available to me is very professional. She is a very friendly and competent teacher. I really enjoy the lessons.
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Do you want to improve your Dutch for work and daily life in the Netherlands? I help young expats enhance their Dutch skills, so you can speak and write with more confidence. Not because you have to, but because you want to! My lessons are practical and focused on what you truly need, whether you’re a beginner or already at a higher level.
What you can expect:
Lessons for beginners to advanced learners (B2 to C1), with a methodical and structured approach
Exercises that fit your work and life in the Netherlands
Focus on building confidence and keeping your self-respect, as you find your place as a new resident
Long-term collaboration, aimed at lasting progress and making the most of your new country
In my lessons, you’ll not only learn the language but also how to communicate your unique value and fully use the opportunities in your new home. This way, you’ll get to know the Netherlands better and make your own special contribution!
Ready to improve your Dutch? Contact me and let’s explore the possibilities!
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Monique is such a great teacher! Her genuine kindness is a huge asset to learning a new language—I highly recommend :)
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Hello,I would love to help you improve your knowledge of English.I adapt the lessons following your wishes : are you a beginner and need to get some basic knowledge with grammar and easy texts or do you want to improve your conversation skills. I can help you either way.Looking forward to meeting you !
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I have been with franscoise for nearly 20 lessons now. She has excellent command of English so it is easy to learn the Dutch expression equivalent to the one in english. She can focus on routine grammar stuff as well as useful daily conversation phrases such as “don’t jump the queue “ etc . She can definitely tailor the programme according to my need but in a discreet manner . Franscoise would give me homework such as exercise from the text or essay to help me consolidate what I have learnt , or simply prepare for the next lesson. She travelled a lot and has international perspective as well as cultural sensitivities but keeping her sense of humour. A kind and understanding person to be with. Definitely has a passion to teach and to share. Definitely not a money grabber ! Lucky to have her in my journey of Dutch learning.
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Hi! I live in Germany since 2014, I live in the Frankfurt am Main area. I teach German to refugees since the beginning of 2017 and I have been teaching Dutch at several language schools, at peoples homes and in-house at several companies. I passed the C1-level Test for German at the Goethe Institut.
It is my goal to adapt my lessons as much as possible to the wishes of the student. This means that, besides offering regular learning methods, I am open to initiatives like talking about subjects that are of interest to the student, for example reading and discussing articles, watching and discussing educational videos and/or current happenings in the world.
I look forward to meeting you online!
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I've learnt so much from Marlijn! She is a great teacher that adapts the lessons to the student's needs and is available to provide additional material and correct homeworks also outside the lecture. Her friendly personality made me very comfortable and able to learn in a relaxed environment. Communication was great. I strongly recommend her!
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Marjolein is a great, patient and supportive teacher that adapted perfectly to my level. She could provide a personalized course for me according to my initial requests. I can only recommend her. Keep up the good work!
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Hi, Mi name is Paul. I'm a certified (TEFL, ELE) teacher with over 10 years of experience in language teaching. I am actually teaching business clients and individuals.
I always try to keep the classes informal and relaxed. It's important that the students like the class, and that they feel comfortable. That results in progress, and that's exactly what we want.
The focus is on conversation (so pronunciation!) and understanding but also reading and writing are important to improve active vocabulary.
Now grammar is also important to understand the structure of a language, but I only touch grammar when needed, so that depends a lot on the level (from A1 to C2).
For lower-level students who still need some native language in class, I speak fluently Spanish, Dutch and some German and French.
The first class is free of charge, so just try it! I'm sure you'll like it.
Reviews
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Communication
Punctuality
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Paul has done well gauging my level and then setting up lessons to match. With a combination of grammar, pronunciation, and learning new words. And now with more focused work and being able to come up with sentences.
Review
Teaching methodology
Communication
Punctuality
Internet connection
Learning materials
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Helene is an excellent teacher and a pleasure to work with. She has an organized lesson at the start and has a easy and clear communication style. I took Dutch classes from her, so I know she is at least fluent in English and Dutch. I also understand she is fluent in French as well. I plan to continue taking classes with Helene!
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