Each of these letter pairs is one sound, not two: a vowel combination, meaning two vowel letters that work as a team. The pairs _ij_ and _ei_ sound the same, and so do _ou_ and _au_. The pair _oe_ sounds like the oo in English food and _ie_ like the ee in see, while _eu_ and _ui_ are new sounds you make by rounding your lips.
The pattern
Read each pair as one single sound. Two pairs share a sound (_ij_ and _ei_, _ou_ and _au_); the other four each have their own.
- _ij_ and _ei_: between English eye and day, in everyday speech usually close to eye: _tijd_ (time), _klein_ (small).
- _ou_ and _au_: close to the ow in now: _oud_ (old), _blauw_ (blue).
- _oe_: the oo in food, a bit shorter: _goed_ (good), _boek_ (book).
- _ie_: the ee in see, also shorter: _niet_ (not). So _niet_ never sounds like night.
- _eu_: no English twin. Say the vowel of _twee_ (two), keep your tongue still and round your lips: _neus_ (nose), _leuk_ (nice). German speakers: this is not the oy of German eu.
- _ui_: the famous one. Start from the vowel in English hut, round your lips and let the sound close a little at the end: _huis_ (house), _uit_ (out).
- Before _r_, the sounds of _ie_, _oe_ and _eu_ stretch: _bier_ (beer), _boer_ (farmer), _deur_ (door).
Examples
| Het huis van Sanne is groot. | Sanne's house is big. |
|---|---|
| Mei heeft een rode neus. | Mei has a red nose. |
| De trein is op tijd. | The train is on time. |
| Daan woont in een klein dorp. | Daan lives in a small village. |
| Mijn fiets is oud. | My bike is old. |
| De lucht is grijs, niet blauw. | The sky is grey, not blue. |
| Het gaat goed met Joris. | Joris is doing well. |
| Yara komt vandaag niet. | Yara isn't coming today. |
| Ik zie de zee. | I see the sea. |
Why it works this way
Dutch spelling remembers how people spoke centuries ago. Back then _ij_ and _ei_ were different sounds, and so were _ou_ and _au_. In the standard language they merged, but the spelling stayed. English has the same headache with see and sea, so you already know the cure: learn the spelling together with the word.
A useful tendency, not a rule: if the English cousin of a word has an i that sounds like eye, the Dutch word usually has _ij_: _mijn_ (my, related to English mine), _wijn_ (wine), _ijs_ (ice). On the phone you will also hear _met een lange ij_ (with a long _ij_) or _met een korte ei_ (with a short _ei_) when people [spell a name](#/lesson/alphabet). That describes the shape of the letters, not the sound.
Remember: two letters, one sound. Your mouth makes one vowel; the spelling simply needs two letters to write it down.
Watch out
- Not: _Dat is mein fiets._ Say: _Dat is mijn fiets._ (a German habit; this word has _ij_)
- Not: _De lucht is blouw._ Say: _De lucht is blauw._ (same sound as _ou_, but this colour uses _au_)
- Not: _Ik zee de trein._ Say: _Ik zie de trein._ (the ee of English see is written _ie_; _zee_ means sea)
- Not: _Ik ben mu._ Say: _Ik ben moe._ (Dutch _u_ is another sound; the oo of food is written _oe_)
Quick check
- Fill in _ij_ or _ei_: _Ik heb vandaag geen t...d._
- Fill in _ou_ or _au_: _Het is k...d buiten._
- Fill in _ui_ or _eu_: _Ahmed is niet th...s._
- Fix the sentence: _Priya komt neet._
Answers
- _tijd_ (this word uses _ij_; the sound alone cannot tell you)
- _koud_ (it rhymes with _oud_; _kaud_ is not a word)
- _thuis_ (the same _ui_ as in _huis_)
- _Priya komt niet._ (the ee sound of see is written _ie_ in Dutch)
Use it today
On your next trip to the station or the supermarket, find one word on a sign for each of the eight pairs and say it out loud, rounding your lips for _eu_ and _ui_. Start with _uitgang_ (exit): every station has one.