Pronunciation, episode 2: e and ee
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EN: 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.
EN: 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.
NL: Bed.
EN: Bed - same word, same sound as English.
NL: Het.
EN: It, or 'the' for neuter nouns. The most common word in Dutch. Listen to the short, flat E.
NL: Met.
EN: With. Again, same vowel as English 'met' or Spanish 'pero'.
EN: Now repeat them:
NL: Bed. <break time="0.7s"/> Het. <break time="0.7s"/> Met.
EN: 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.
NL: Twee.
EN: Two.
NL: Nee.
EN: No.
NL: Veel.
EN: Many, or a lot.
EN: Repeat:
NL: Twee. <break time="0.7s"/> Nee. <break time="0.7s"/> Veel.
EN: Now side by side. Same consonants, different E.
NL: Bed. <break time="0.7s"/> Beed.
EN: Bed - the sleeping kind. Beed isn't a real word, just a sound contrast. Hear the difference: short, flat, versus long, tight.
NL: Mensen. <break time="0.7s"/> Meten.
EN: 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.
EN: 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.
EN: Today's Brueghel proverb.
NL: Zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen.
NL: Zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen.
EN: Literally: as the old ones sang, so the young ones pipe. Meaning: kids imitate their parents - good or bad. Example:
NL: Het kind vloekt net als zijn vader - zo de ouden zongen, zo piepen de jongen.
EN: The kid swears just like his father - like father, like son.
NL: Doei doei!