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Vowel Practice

Every sentence is dedicated to just one vowel sound. All vowels in the first sentence sound like aa. All vowels in the second sound like ee, and so on. Click on a sound file to hear the vowel that belongs to a certain row, pronounced in an example word.
The 13th sentence is an exception, because that sentence contains two different sounds (u and the softest e) that are not exactly the same.

Dutch sentences are in blue font. English translations are in black.vowelexample sound files
Ga daar maar staan. - Just stand over there.aa, aMaastricht
Apeldoorn
Neem geen thee. - Don’t take tea.ee, eBeek
Lelystad
Wie ziet die rivier niet? - Who does not see that river?ie, iSliedrecht
Blaricum
Oom Joop loopt ook zo. - Uncle Joop walks like that too.oo, oOosterhout
Eindhoven
Huurt u uw schuur? - Do you rent your shed?uu, uWijk bij Duurstede
Utrecht

Some vowels sound a little different when they are followed by an r. Listen to the sound files to hear the (small) difference.

Leer meer. - Learn more.ee, eZoetermeer
Boor door. - Keep drilling.oo, oAmersfoort

The next five sentences show the vowels a, e, i, o, and u.

Dat kan allang. - That is possible for a long time.aAlblasserdam
Leg elk vest weg. - Put away every cardigan.eVenlo
Dit is wit. - This is white.iTilburg
Ons hok kon op slot. - It was possible to clock our shed.o Roermond
Rotterdam
Dordrecht

One sentence in this chapter has two different (vowel) sounds. This is the one. When you do not stress the words (which is normal) the difference is hardly audible. The pronunciation of e in this sentence is very different from the pronunciation of e in Venlo.

Ze kunnen de bussen vullen. - The can fill the drums (or cans, or busses).uPutten

The vowels ei and ij are pronounced the same.

Kijk, zijn zeil lijkt klein. - Look, his sail seems to be small.ei, ijIJsselstein
Doe goed. - Do good.oeRoermond
Sluit tuinkruid uit. - Exclude garden herbs.uiSluis
Wou jouw vrouw saus? - Did you wife want sauce?ou, auBaarle-Nassau
Houten

There is a small difference between the eu followed by an r, and eu followed by another letter. Therefore we have two eu examples here.

leuk - nice, funnyeuLeusden
deur - dooreuDeurne



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