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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.	vowel	example sound files
Ga daar maar staan. - Just stand over there.	aa, a	Maastricht Apeldoorn
Neem geen thee. - Don’t take tea.	ee, e	Beek Lelystad
Wie ziet die rivier niet? - Who does not see that river?	ie, i	Sliedrecht Blaricum
Oom Joop loopt ook zo. - Uncle Joop walks like that too.	oo, o	Oosterhout Eindhoven
Huurt u uw schuur? - Do you rent your shed?	uu, u	Wijk 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, e	Zoetermeer
Boor door. - Keep drilling.	oo, o	Amersfoort

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

Dat kan allang. - That is possible for a long time.	a	Alblasserdam
Leg elk vest weg. - Put away every cardigan.	e	Venlo
Dit is wit. - This is white.	i	Tilburg
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).

u

Putten

The vowels ei and ij are pronounced the same.

Kijk, zijn zeil lijkt klein. - Look, his sail seems to be small.	ei, ij	IJsselstein
Doe goed. - Do good.	oe	Roermond
Sluit tuinkruid uit. - Exclude garden herbs.	ui	Sluis
Wou jouw vrouw saus? - Did you wife want sauce?	ou, au	Baarle-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, funny	eu	Leusden
deur - door	eu	Deurne

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