Pronunciation, episode 3: ui
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EN: Pronunciation, episode three: the ui sound. The most distinctively Dutch vowel - written 'u' followed by 'i'. No close equivalent in English or Spanish, which is why foreigners struggle with it.
NL: Ui. <break time="0.6s"/> Ui. <break time="0.6s"/> Ui.
EN: How to make it. Start your mouth in the position for the English 'how' or 'now'. Now round your lips like you're saying 'oo'. Then glide that to a tight, fronted 'ee' - tongue forward, mouth tight. It's a diphthong - two sounds in one - but with vowel positions English doesn't use. The closest English approximation is the vowel in 'house' said with very round, pursed lips.
EN: Three examples. Listen and repeat each one.
NL: Ui.
EN: Onion. The word itself, just one syllable.
NL: Huis.
EN: House. Notice how different this is from the English 'house' - tighter, more rounded.
NL: Buiten.
EN: Outside.
EN: Now all three in a row:
NL: Ui. <break time="0.7s"/> Huis. <break time="0.7s"/> Buiten.
EN: And in a sentence:
NL: Ik snijd een ui voor het avondeten buiten op het terras.
EN: I am cutting an onion for dinner outside on the terrace. Listen for the three ui sounds, all the same vowel.
EN: Today's Brueghel proverb.
NL: Een rad voor de ogen draaien.
NL: Een rad voor de ogen draaien.
EN: Literally: to turn a wheel in front of someone's eyes. Meaning: to deceive someone, to pull the wool over their eyes. Example:
NL: De verkoper probeerde me een rad voor de ogen te draaien.
EN: The salesman tried to pull the wool over my eyes.
NL: Fijne dag nog!