_Maan_ (moon) becomes _manen_ (moons) because Dutch spells a long vowel differently depending on how its syllable ends. A long vowel at the end of a syllable gets one letter (_ma-nen_). A long vowel followed by a consonant (a letter like _n_, _m_ or _t_) in the same syllable gets two (_maan_). The sound never changes, and this one idea explains hundreds of plurals, verbs and adjectives.
A syllable is one beat of a word: _ma-nen_ has two beats. If long and short vowels are still new to you, start with [Short and long vowels](#/lesson/short-long-vowels).
The pattern
A long vowel that ends a syllable is written with one letter: _ma-nen_. A long vowel in a syllable that ends in a consonant is written with two: _maan_.
- Open syllable: it ends in a vowel, like _ma_ in _ma-nen_.
- Closed syllable: it ends in a consonant, like _maan_ or _boom_.
- In most words, one consonant between two vowels starts the next syllable: _ma-nen_, _bo-men_.
- The same rule covers plurals (_boom_, _bomen_), verbs (_ik loop_, _wij lopen_) and adjectives (_groot_, _een grote tas_).
- This pattern is for long _a_, _e_, _o_ and _u_. The spellings _oe_, _eu_, _ui_ and _ij_ stay the same (_boek, boeken_; _tuin, tuinen_), and _ie_ has a few rules of its own (see [vowel combinations](#/lesson/vowel-combinations)).
Examples
| De maan is vanavond heel mooi. | The moon is very beautiful tonight. |
|---|---|
| Jupiter heeft veel manen. | Jupiter has lots of moons. |
| Voor ons huis staat een boom. | There is a tree in front of our house. |
| In het park staan veel bomen. | There are lots of trees in the park. |
| Ik loop elke dag naar mijn werk. | I walk to work every day. |
| Mei en Bas lopen naar het station. | Mei and Bas walk to the station. |
| Ons huis is niet groot. | Our house isn't big. |
| Ahmed heeft een grote tuin. | Ahmed has a big garden. |
Why it works this way
Dutch reads a single vowel followed by a consonant in the same syllable as short: _man_ (man), _bom_ (bomb). So a long vowel that is closed in by a consonant needs a second letter as a signal: _maan_, _boom_.
In an open syllable nothing follows the vowel, and a single _a_, _e_, _o_ or _u_ there is normally read as long. A second letter would add nothing, so Dutch drops it: _ma-nen_, _bo-men_. An unstressed _e_ can also be the neutral sound you hear in _de_, like the last _e_ in _gro-te_.
Compare _de man_ (the man) with _de maan_ (the moon), and _de mannen_ (the men) with _de manen_ (the moons). In _man-nen_ the double _n_ closes the first syllable, which keeps the _a_ short. That trick is the next step: [Doubling consonants after a short vowel](#/lesson/double-consonants).
The rule also works in reverse. Take _-en_ off _lopen_ and you get _lop_, a closed syllable, so you write _ik loop_. More in [Finding the stem of a verb](#/lesson/verb-stem).
Remember: an open syllable is an open door, and a long vowel can stand there alone. A consonant shuts the door, and the vowel needs a second letter to stay long.
One honest exception: a long _e_ at the very end of a word is written _ee_, as in _zee_ (sea), _twee_ (two) and _thee_ (tea). A single _e_ there would look like the neutral _e_ in _de_.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik zie veel boomen._ Say: _Ik zie veel bomen._ (_bo_ ends in a vowel, so one _o_ is enough)
- Not: _Ik lop naar huis._ Say: _Ik loop naar huis._ (the syllable ends in _p_, so the long _o_ needs two letters)
- Not: _Wij woonen in Delft._ Say: _Wij wonen in Delft._ (_wo-nen_ is open)
- Not: _Ik koop een groote tas._ Say: _Ik koop een grote tas._ (_gro-te_ is open, ending included)
Quick check
- Write the plural: _een raam, twee ..._
- Fill in the gap: _Ik ... (slapen) goed._
- Choose: _Lotte heeft een (gele / geele) jas._
- Fix the sentence: _Yara en Carlos maaken soep._
Answers
- _ramen_: _ra-men_ is open, so one _a_.
- _slaap_: the syllable ends in _p_, so the long _a_ needs two letters.
- _gele_: _ge-le_ is open.
- _Yara en Carlos maken soep._: _ma-ken_ is open.
Use it today
Next time you are in the supermarket, find three products with a long vowel, like _de peer_ or _de tomaat_, and write the plural on your shopping list: _peren_, _tomaten_. Clap the syllables as you write them: _pe-ren_, _to-ma-ten_.