Learning how to pronounce Dutch words can be interesting. Fun? Yes! Easy? No. Challenging? You bet! It is probably the most difficult part of learning Dutch phrases. Guess what? It is doable. Of course, when you practice it daily.
Challenge
One of the first lessons that I learned long ago and far away is that the Dutch pronunciation can create many challenges for English speakers. In this section, I will share with you my challenges and solutions of Dutch pronunciation.
Pronunciation
In this lesson, what are we going to learn? We are going to learn how to understand the Dutch pronunciation. In section one from one of my Dutch pronunciation notebooks, I learned some valuable lessons about pronouncing words in Dutch.
Imitation
One of the first lessons I wrote down was the realization that if I wanted to learn how to pronounce Dutch words correctly, I had to imitate Dutch native speakers. I took that first advice and I started imitating Dutch native speakers.
Listening
The second lesson that I wrote inside my Dutch pronunciation notebook was listening to native speakers. No. Not just once. But listening to them over and over and over again. I took the second advice and I put it into practice.
Repetition
I was also advised to repeat the words that I heard from Dutch language lesson audio tapes over and over again until I could make the same sound. Was it easy? No. Was it productive? Yes. Was there any improvement? Yes, there was. Hugely.
Vowels
I also learned that I must always pay particular attention to the sounds of Dutch vowels, if I wanted to really understand the pronunciation in Dutch. Why? Because they are very different from the English vowels.
Consonants
On the other hand, they are the same as in English. At least, in most cases. Which is really reassuring, if you are an English speaking student. I took many notes of the Dutch consonants and started paying attention to them and applying the lessons on a daily basis.
Uispraak
You saw it in the image above. What does it mean? Pronunciation. That is right. It is the word that I like to use to describe the experience of pronunciation in Dutch. Cool, right? They may be other words but I prefer this particular word because it is simple.
Spelling
Another lesson that I learned about understanding the Dutch pronunciation has to do with spelling. I was advised to pay attention to the spelling as well as how I pronounce them. Why? Spelling changes the pronunciation of the words in Dutch.
Stress
In Dutch, you have stressed and unstressed words. Stress can change how you pronounce words in Dutch. In general, stress normally falls on the first syllable of a word in Dutch. As in English, which is again, should be easier for English speakers.
Stroke
Another way to understand the Dutch pronunciation is by paying attention to stressed (‘) words with a stroke. It is usually placed before the stressed syllable. Usually changes how the word is pronounced. Something to pay attention to in Dutch.
Understanding
This lesson is about understanding the challenges of Dutch pronunciation by reading. It is not about writing or listening. These are areas that I would like to write and share more in the future. There is so much to learn from the Dutch pronunciation.