Dutch has five vowels that come in a short and a long version: _a_ and _aa_, _e_ and _ee_, _i_ and _ie_, _o_ and _oo_, _u_ and _uu_. The short one is quick and sharp; the long one has a slightly different sound and is usually held longer. Swap them and you get another word: _man_ is a man, _maan_ is the moon.
The pattern
In a stressed syllable (the loud beat of a word) that ends in a consonant, a single vowel letter usually means a short, sharp vowel, as in _man_. A doubled letter, or _ie_, mostly means its long partner, as in _maan_: a different sound that is usually also longer.
- _a_ and _aa_: _man_ (man, husband) and _maan_ (moon)
- _e_ and _ee_: _pet_ (cap) and _peet_ (godparent)
- _i_ and _ie_: _zit_ (sits) and _ziet_ (sees); Dutch writes the long one _ie_, not _ii_
- _o_ and _oo_: _bom_ (bomb) and _boom_ (tree)
- _u_ and _uu_: _bus_ (bus) and _buur_ (neighbour)
- In longer words a long vowel can have just one letter, as in _manen_ (moons): see [open and closed syllables](#/lesson/open-closed-syllables).
Examples
| Mijn man werkt in Utrecht. | My husband works in Utrecht. |
|---|---|
| De maan is mooi vanavond. | The moon is beautiful tonight. |
| Daan draagt de pet van zijn peet. | Daan is wearing his godparent's cap. |
| Ik ben moe. | I am tired. |
| Mijn been doet pijn. | My leg hurts. |
| Ahmed zit in de trein. | Ahmed is sitting on the train. |
| Fatima ziet de trein. | Fatima sees the train. |
| De zon schijnt. | The sun is shining. |
| Mijn zoon fietst naar school. | My son cycles to school. |
| De bus is duur. | The bus is expensive. |
Why it works this way
Think of a piano. A short vowel is a quick tap on one key. Its long partner is the key next door, and you usually hold it down. So _maan_ is not a stretched _man_: you move to a new key. To Dutch ears, _bom_ and _boom_ are as different as ship and sheep are to English ears.
Each pair differs like this:
- _a_ is dark, nearer the o in American hot than the a in English man; _aa_ is brighter and longer, a bit like the a in father.
- _e_ is the e in bed, _i_ the i in sit; _ee_ is close to the ay in day, _ie_ is the ee in see.
- _o_ is close to the o in British dog; _oo_ is close to oh. The English oo sound is a different Dutch vowel, _oe_: see [vowel combinations](#/lesson/vowel-combinations).
- _u_ has no English twin: try the vowel of her, short, with rounded lips. _uu_ is _ie_ said with rounded lips.
Two pairs need an honest footnote: _ie_ and _uu_ only sound clearly long before _r_, as in _bier_ and _muur_. Elsewhere, as in _ziet_, the difference from _zit_ is mostly the tighter, clearer sound.
Spanish has no long vowels, so Spanish speakers should exaggerate them at first. German and Arabic speakers already have short and long vowels, which is a head start.
Train your ear with minimal pairs: two words that differ in one sound only, like _pet_ and _peet_. Hear them side by side and the line between them becomes clear.
Remember: a long vowel is the key next door, usually held down; change the sound, not just the length.
Watch out
- Not: _Mijn nam is Carlos._ Say: _Mijn naam is Carlos._ (_naam_, name, has a long _aa_; _nam_ means took)
- Not: _Ik been moe._ Say: _Ik ben moe._ (_ben_ has a short _e_; _been_ is a leg)
- Not: _Ik zee de bus._ Say: _Ik zie de bus._ (the sound of English ee is spelled _ie_; _zee_ is the sea)
- Not: _Ik zook mijn fiets._ Say: _Ik zoek mijn fiets._ (Dutch _oo_ sounds like oh; the English oo sound is spelled _oe_)
Quick check
- Choose: _Mijn ... werkt bij de gemeente._ (_man_ / _maan_)
- Choose: _Lotte zit onder de ... in het park._ (_bom_ / _boom_)
- Fix the sentence: _Mijn zon is drie jaar._
- Choose: _Yara ... de bus niet._ (_zit_ / _ziet_)
Answers
- _man_ (short _a_; the moon has no job at the _gemeente_)
- _boom_ (long _oo_ means tree; a _bom_ is a bomb)
- _Mijn zoon is drie jaar._ (long _oo_ means son; _zon_ is the sun)
- _ziet_ (long _ie_ means sees; _zit_ means sits)
Use it today
Say these pairs out loud, slowly and then fast: _man_ and _maan_, _pet_ and _peet_, _zit_ and _ziet_, _bom_ and _boom_. Then ask a Dutch colleague or neighbour to say one word from each pair, and guess which one you heard.