Pronunciation, episode two: the letter E. Dutch has two distinct E sounds. The short E, written as a single 'e' in a closed syllable, and the long E, written as 'ee' or as a single 'e' in an open syllable. They are different sounds, not just longer or shorter versions of the same sound. Listen for the difference.
First, the short E. Mouth relaxed, tongue low, similar to the English 'e' in 'bed', and almost exactly the Spanish 'e' in 'pero'. Quick and flat. Three examples.
Bed. — Bed - same word, same sound as English.
Het. — It, or 'the' for neuter nouns.
The most common word in Dutch. Listen to the short, flat E.
Met. — With.
Again, same vowel as English 'met' or Spanish 'pero'.
Now repeat them:
Bed. Het. Met.
Now the long EE. Tongue higher, mouth tighter, and crucially - no glide. In English, our long A in 'say' or 'day' slides into a 'y' sound at the end - it's a diphthong, two sounds glued together. Dutch EE is pure, one sound, held steady. Like the Spanish letter E said clearly. Three examples.
Twee. — Two.
Nee. — No.
Veel. — Many, or a lot.
Repeat:
Twee. Nee. Veel.
Now side by side. Same consonants, different E.
Bed. Beed. — Bed - the sleeping kind.
Beed isn't a real word, just a sound contrast. Hear the difference: short, flat, versus long, tight.
Mensen. Meten. — People - the first E is short.
To measure - the first E is long. Both written with a single 'e' but different sounds. The rule: when the syllable is closed - meaning it ends in a consonant like 'mens' - the E is short. When the syllable is open - meaning it ends in the vowel like 'me-ten' - the E is long, even though you only write one E.
That open-versus-closed rule is the single most important thing to know about Dutch vowels. We'll come back to it for every other vowel pair in this season.
Today's Brueghel proverb.
Zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen.
Zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen. — Literally: as the old ones sang, so the young ones pipe.
Meaning: kids imitate their parents - good or bad. Example:
Het kind vloekt net als zijn vader - zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen. — The kid swears just like his father - like father, like son.
Doei doei!
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