Your Ultimate Dutch Pronunciation Guide

Dutch Pronunciation

Dutch pronunciation is made easier when you consider the fact that the Dutch Alphabet is structured similarly to the English one. That is, it has twenty-six letters and is divided into both vowels and consonants. Therefore, it would be a logical approach to discuss the pronunciation of vowels and then that of consonants. As we do, please keep in mind that another similarity between Dutch and English is that there are always exceptions to these general rules. Still, a few simple points to keep in mind will get you well on the way to pronouncing Dutch words correctly.

Dutch contains the same vowels as English; a, e, i, o, and u. Another similarity between Dutch and English is that these vowels can be pronounced with either “long” or “short” sounds. Also, when these vowels occur in combination, the rules of Dutch pronunciation dictate that those vowels be pronounced as a single sound. Those combinations of vowels that are pronounced as single sounds are known as dipthongs. For the most part, Dutch consonants are pronounced the same way they are in English. Yet, this is an area in which Dutch pronunciation begins to differ from that of English. One specific example of this type of difference is the fact that the letters “d” and “b” are actually pronounced like the letters “t” and “p” when they occur at the end of a word. Though this is not technically a rule of pronunciation, it is also interesting to note that a Dutch word cannot end in a double consonant. Like most other languages, Dutch borrows words from other languages. Often, these borrowed words don’t follow the rules we’ve outlined. The best way to handle these is simply to memorize every one you come across. One of the other points to note about Dutch pronunciation is that it uses accent marks. Often, these accent marks are used to distinguish one word from another. They are also used to specify which vowel sounds should receive emphasis. One of the most notable features about Dutch is the use of the dieresis. That’s the two little dots that you see above the vowels sometimes. You see it most often above the letter e, and its basic purpose is to inform a reader that the vowel under it should be pronounced separately. Since two vowels would normally be pronounced as one sound, this is a useful way to distinguish the exceptions to that.

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

DutchPod101 has plenty of resources to help you with your Dutch pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native Dutch speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce Dutch vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our DutchPod101 dictionary!

Use the Dutch dictionary provided by DutchPod101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to often listen to Dutch music and recorded books, and watch plenty of Dutch movies and/or TV shows in Dutch. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice…

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native Dutch speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in Dutch! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your Dutch teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native Dutch speakers, consider investing in DutchPod101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native Dutch teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking Dutch and get feedback from your Dutch teacher.