Lesson 10

Exceptions and Irregularities in Spelling and Pronunciation

Exceptions and Irregularities in Dutch Spelling and Pronunciation - Street Words - Fractions - Inches and Centimeters

Regular Vowel Combinations

Foreign Words

D and T Softening

miscellaneous examples

On The Street

Fractions

inches and feet to millimeters (mm) and centimeters (cm)

More from Multatuli: Max Havelaar - see also Lesson 7
The dour narrator of the first chapters further introduces himself, and rightly debunks some patriotic Dutch myths.

I say: truth and common sense, and I stick to that. I take The Holy Writ as an exception, of course.	Ik zeg waarheid en gezond verstand, en hier blijf ik bij. Voor De Schrift maak ik natuurlijk een uitzondering.
It already starts to go wrong with Van Alphen, right away in that first line about those 'darling children.'	De fout begint al van Van Alphen af, en wel terstond by de eerste regel over die 'lieve wichtjes.'
What in heaven's name could that old man have had in mind pretending to worship my sister Truitje with her sore eyes, or my brother Gerrit who was always touching his nose?	Wat drommel kon die oude heer bewegen zich uit te geven voor een aanbidder van myn zusje Truitje die zere ogen had, of van myn broêr Gerrit die altyd met zyn neus speelde?
And yet, he says that he sang those lines of poetry, 'propelled by love.'	En toch, hy zegt: 'dat hy die versjes zong, door liefde gedrongen.'
As a child I was often thinking: 'I'd like to meet you, Mister, and if you'd refuse the marbles I'd ask for, or my full name in sweet pastry - my name is Batavus - then I'd call you a liar.'	Ik dacht dikwyls als kind: 'man, ik wilde U graag eens ontmoeten, en als ge de marmerknikkers weigerde, die ik vragen zou, of myn naam voluit in banket - ik heet Batavus - dan houd ik U voor een leugenaar.'
But I've never met Van Alphen. He had already passed away, I think, when he told us that my Dad was my best friend - I liked Pauweltje Winser better, who lived next door in the Batavierstraat - and when he told us that my little dog was so grateful. We had no dogs, because they're not clean.	Maar ik heb Van Alphen nooit gezien. Hy was al dood, geloof ik, toen hy ons vertelde dat myn vader myn beste vrind was - ik hield meer van Pauweltje Winser, die naast ons woonde in de Batavierstraat - en dat myn kleine hond zo dankbaar was. Wy hielden geen honden, omdat ze zo onzindelyk zyn.

Everything and all lies! And that's the way children are brought up.	Alles leugens! Zo gaat dan de opvoeding voort.
The woman selling vegetables has brought the new little sister in a large cabbage.	Het nieuwe zusje is van de groenvrouw gekomen in een grote kool.
All Dutchmen are brave and noble.	Alle Hollanders zyn dapper en edelmoedig.
The Romans were glad that the Batavians didn't kill them.	De Romeinen waren bly dat de Batavieren hen lieten leven.
The Bey of Tunis would get a colic when he heard the snapping of the Dutch flag.	De Bey van Tunis kreeg een kolyk als hy het wapperen hoorde van de Nederlandse vlag.
The duke of Alba was a monster.	De hertog van Alva was een ondier.
The low tide, of 1672 I think, lasted a little longer than usual, especially to protect Holland.	De eb, in 1672 geloof ik, duurde wat langer dan gewoonlyk, expres om Nederland te beschermen.
Lies! Holland is still Holland because our old folks took good care of business and had the true religion. That's what it is.	Leugens! Nederland is Nederland gebleven omdat onze oude luî goed op hun zaken pasten, en omdat ze het ware geloof hadden! Dàt is de zaak.

Notes
Gezond verstand is translated as 'common sense' - literally it is 'healthy thinking.'
The Batavians (Batavieren) were a Germanic tribe that rose up against Roman rule.

'The Bey of Tunis ...' in the 17th Century, the Dutch Navy was able to suppress the Barbary Pirates for a while. (Thank you Daniel Baskin for the 'snapping' translation.)
A hundred years later, John Adams negotiated with the Barbary Pirates and paid them protection money to leave American shipping alone, which Arab nations now proudly present as the first foreign recognition of the United States.
As described by Barbara Tuchman in The First Salute, when on November 16, 1776 Governor de Graaff of the Dutch Carribean colony of St. Eustatius ordered his lieutenant Ravené to return the salute of the U.S. warship Andrew Dorea, it was the first foreign recognition of the new American Flag and Nation. Call me old-fashioned.

'The duke of Alba ...' the Spanish Governor in the early years of the Dutch Revolt.
'The low tide of 1672 ...' Holland was attacked by England, France and two German bishopries in 1672.

The saying: De uitzondering die de regel bevestigt 2 ('The exception that confirms the rule') is often heard in Dutch, but it is of course nonsense. If a counter-example (tegenvoorbeeld ) can be found the rule is invalid. I remember reading somewhere that the original Latin was something like 'The exception that tests the rule.'
Don't feel overwhelmed by the size of the lesson - Dutch spelling and pronunciation is really far more regular than English, the number of exceptions is much smaller than in English. Still ...

unexpected short A		Sometimes, an A is short, although it should be long according to the spelling rules (followed by one consonant and another vowel.) In these cases, there is usually a second long vowel: `lawaai` 2 - `kabaal` 2 - compare with: `kabel`
een		The indefinite article een ('a') is pronounced with voiceless E. It's also written as " 'n " which shows the pronunciation correctly. The number 1 is usually written with accents: één ('one')
EI, IJ or UI with -E ending		Words that end in ei, ij or ui will have a sound like Y in AWAY inserted before endings that start with voiceless E, like -e, -en or -er. This sound is not put in writing. `ei eieren` - `kei keien ei eieren beiaard` `vrij vrijer` - `lui luie` - `ui uien kruier`
EEUW		`geeuw meeuw schreeuw` - `leeuw leeuwen Zeeuws eeuwig`
H after T		H after T is not pronounced: `thee/teen` - `thans/tand` - `ether/eter` - `theoloog theïne` (theïne = caffeïne)
I after A, AA, OO or OE		'consonant Y,' like Y in AWAY: `kooi roeien vlaai` - `aai boei nooit` AI: like AI in THAIS: `maïs Thais pais` - `maïs Thais pais en vree` - `braille` `fraai fraaie fraaier fraais` - `kraai` 2 `ooi dooien dooit` - `mooi mooier mooist` `koe koeien` - `groei groeien groeit`
IEUW		very much like EW in English NEW `nieuw nieuws` - `nieuw nieuwe nieuws kieuwen` 2 (nieuw = new, nieuws = news)
-IG ending		I like first A in AWAY ('voiceless E') `beeldig zalig bochtig` - `duchtig prachtig` `grimmig jolig kranig` - `aardig melig huiverig` - `schietvereniging`
bijzonder		`bijzonder` ('special') only in this word is IJ pronounced as long I (English EE)
-ISCH ending		I long, CH not pronounced. There have been plans to change this spelling to -IES `Slavisch chemisch Belgisch` - `kritisch fysisch` - `logisch siberisch arabisch`
-LIJK ending		IJ like first A in AWAY ('voiceless E') `degelijk dergelijk dagelijks` - `ijselijk olijk eerlijk` - `lelijk billijk ergerlijk` Note that a few short words end in 'regular' IJK, not -LIJK ending: `gelijk rijk`
SCHR		CH in SCHR is not pronounced: `scheut schreeuw schijf schreien` 2 - `schrijven schriel schroom verschrikkelijk`
STJ, STZ		T between S and J or Z is usually dropped. It's too hard to say. STJ: `kastje worstje` 2 STZ: `postzegels`
UW		long U +W (somewhat like EW in DEW) `stuw kluwen zenuw` - `uw duw duwen zwaluw`
WR		W before R is said as V: `wervel wrevel` - `vrees wreed vraag wraak` - `weerwraak verwrongen` 2
erwt		a rare silent W: `erwt erwten` 2
murw		`murw` - this 'F' pronunciation is an exception. (Thank you Eddie Gillette)

The diphthongs AU/OU, EI/IJ, EU, OE and UI have a unique sound (lesson 2) - and also EEUW and IEUW we heard above; but in other vowel combinations the vowels have their own, regular sound. So this paragraph is not about exceptions but about regular pronunciation.

EA		pronounced separately, long Dutch E and A `kreatief realiteit` - Thea - Beatrix
EO		pronounced separately, long Dutch E and O `geograaf` - `theorie` 2 - `theocratie` - `aureool` - Theo
IA(A)		pronounced separately, long Dutch I, and long or short Dutch A `triangel Ria riant cruciaal`
IAU		`miauw` (meow)
IEE		`prieel dieet diëten` 2 (pri-eel, di-eet, di-e-ten)
IO(O)		pronounced separately: long Dutch I, and long or short Dutch O: `pion trio bastion viool radio`
UE		`juweel ritueel` 2

It's of course not possible to list all foreign words with irregular Dutch pronunciation on this page: these are just some of the most common foreign sounds.
There are many French words in Dutch, because French was the international language of diplomacy, culture and technology after the Latin of the Middle Ages, until English took over early in the Twentieth Century - after the early days of the automobile: many Dutch car words are still from French, like bougie

('spark plug,') benzine

('gasoline') and of course, 'car' itself: auto

French AU		in a few common words of French origin, AU is pronounced as long O (like in CODE) `auto automatisch` Some people say auto with a Dutch AU but I think that sounds awful.
French CH		a few words of French origin have kept the French CH pronunciation (somewhat like English SH) `chirurg` - `chagerijnig` - also said as `sagerijnig`
CH in 'Christus'		CH in 'Christus' (Christ) and derived words and names is usually pronounced as K: `Christus christen christelijk Chris` (Dutch 'christelijk' usually refers to orthodox Protestantism)
Greek EU		Dutch pronounces EU in Greek names and words of Greek origin as Dutch UI: `Zeus Odysseus Theseus` - `therapeut pseudodemocratie`
French short O		`roze` ('pink') - compare with Dutch short O: `ros` and `rot` and Dutch long O: `rozen` 2 and `roos` 2
French OU		several words of French origin keep the French OU pronunciation (somewhat like English OO) `coulant couplet foudraal` - `gouverneur` - `routine` - `bougie` (Note that the G in 'bougie' is also not a Dutch G)
-TIE ending		(probably from French and English -TION) after most consonants: -TIE is pronounced like English SEE: `selectie functie fractie` 2 after vowels and N, -TIE is pronounced like English TSEE: `natie traditie garantie` - `democratie traditie garantie` other -TIE endings like -TIEF, -TIEK and -TIER endings are not irregular: `aktie aktief` `2- motie motief 2 - optie optiek - portie portier 2`
More Words from French		`cadeau bureau` `dressoir boudoir` `ordinair militair` `portemonnaie portefeuille` `garage`

Listening to Dutch, you'll notice that some D's are dropped. You don't have to do that yourself. Like the final N's, I think it's easier for students to pronounce as many letters of Dutch words as possible.

In a few words, D's are changing into Dutch J's, English consonant Y's, usually before voiceless E:

goed goede goeie 2 - (good)
goeiemorgen - good morning
op een goeie dag ... - someday ...
rood rode rooie 2 - (red)
die rooie veger - that red broom (not a stock expression)
door de rooie gaan - cross into extremes
dood dode dooie - (dead)
op z'n dooie gemak - taking his time, without any hurry

D's are also disappearing in a few first person singular, 'ik' ('I') present tense verb forms, and also in the 'jij' question mode:

houden ik houd ik hou - (to hold) / houden van - (to like, to love)
ik houd niet van vis - I don't like fish
ik houd niet van vlees snijden - I don't like cutting meat
daar houd ik niet van - I don't like that
ik snijd het brood - I'm cutting the bread
hij snijdt het brood - he is cutting the bread
ik sneed het brood - I was cuting the bread
jij houdt / houd jij? - you 'hold ' / do you 'hold'?
jij snijdt / snijd jij? - - you are cutting / are you cutting?
"Houd jij van opera? - Ik niet." "Do you like opera? - I don't."

D in oude ('old') and koude ('cold') is often softened to W.
One could say Dutch always has a W-sound after AU and OU, but (to my ears) it gets more prominent when followed by voiceless E:
oud oude ouwe - (old)
ouwe koeien uit de sloot halen 2 - [dredge up old cows from the ditch] pointless talk about foregone matters, to flog a dead horse
kouwe drukte 2 [cold busy-ness] fake bustle

prompt strict arts strak

2
stipt huig luwte duwde

barst vorst worst dorstig

krant stronk brink

bazen Pasen wasem vazen

smak smaak smeren snert smachten smikkelen

smet smid smeden smoren smullen

snip snode sneeuw snavel

2
kraan kraam traan raam

braaf brave blaas blazen

vochtig zwichten

wringen stengel kronkel drempel

middel model gevel bevel gedwee ongedwongen

heks

- fiks

extra

2 - extract

2 - sextant

- hexagonaal

xenon

- xenofobie

- Xantippe

fluor

2 - fluoride

jodium

- uranium

- silicium

smeuïg

Op straat

(de) straat

(de) stoep

straat en stoep

(het) straatje

(de) bocht

(het) huis

(de) garage

(de) auto

(de) oprit 2

(de) stoep

((het) trottoir

(de) straat

garage

car

driveway

sidewalk

sidewalk)

street

(het) verkeer

((de) auto's

)

(de) lantarenpaal

(het) stoplicht

(de) fiets

(de) auto

(het) zebrapad

((de) voetgangersoversteekplaats

(de) bus

(de) bushalte

(het) bushokje

(de) boom

(de) bomen

(het) gras

(het) grasveld

breuken

('fractions') - singular: (de) breuk

(also: 'break, fracture, rupture')

Fraction numbers 1, 2 and 3 are irregular; otherwise the fraction number is formed by adding a -DE ending to the regular number; except numbers ending in -T or -D, or in -G, which get an -STE ending.

¹/₂	een half
¹/₃	één derde
¹/₄	één vierde
¹/₅	één vijfde

¹/₆	één zesde
¹/₇	één zevende 2
¹/₈	één achtste 2
¹/₉	één negende 2

¹/₁₀	één tiende
¹/₁₀₀	één honderdste
¹/₁₀₀₀	één duizendste

¹/₃₂	één tweeëndertigste
²/₃	twee derde
³/₄	driekwart 2
³/₈	drie achtste

Instead of stressed één ('one') you could also use the definite article ('a') een or 'n (pronunciation explained earlier in this lesson): een derde ('one-third.')
But een half ('one-half') is rarely (if ever) said with the stressed één.
¼ - next to één vierde we also say een kwart (like 'een half' with unstressed 'een.')
Like words we've seen in the 'Colors' lesson, the adjective half also appears as halve - half is used for 'het' words after 'een.'
een half ei ('half an egg') - een halve theelepel ('½ teaspoon.')
Een goed begin is het halve werk ('A good start is half the job' - with a good start the job is already half done)
But - De laatste loodjes wegen het zwaarst (~ 'Finishing a job, the home stretch is the hardest') - so what's in between?
The noun for 'half' is (de) helft - De helft van de bevolking ('Half the population')
1½ anderhalf, anderhalve

In the Dutch popular imagination, Simon Stevin (1548-1620) is best known for the zeilwagen ('sailing cart') he built for Prince Maurits - but he played a much larger role as chief engineer for Maurits's army, and he was an early scientist. He was one of the first to write about decimal fractions, for instance.
Dutch independence came about at the time of the birth of modern Science, and with patriotic love of language, Simon Stevin and others made up Dutch names for the sciences that differ from those in most other European languages.

(de) wetenschap	science
(de) wiskunde	mathematics

(de) natuurkunde	physics
(de) scheikunde	chemistry >>

(de) sterrenkunde 2	astronomy
(de) plantkunde	botany

(de) geneeskunde	medicine >>
(de) aardrijkskunde	geography

1 inch = 25.4 millimeter = 2.54 centimeter

1 millimeter = 0.04 inch

1 cm = 0.39 inch

1 centimeter = 10 millimeter

12 inches = 1 foot = 30.48 centimeter

millimeter		centimeter		(decimeter )		meter		kilometer
1 millimeter = ¹/₁₀₀₀ meter		1 centimeter = ¹/₁₀₀ meter		(1 decimeter = ¹/₁₀ meter)				1 kilometer = 1000 meter (= 0.62 miles)

The meter itself is not superior to the inch, foot or yard, but the beauty and ease of the metric system is in the factor-10 relations between the various units. A kilometer is one thousand meters, a centimeter is one-hundredth of one meter. Not like 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 8 fluid ounces in a cup, 4 cups in a quart etc. A cubic decimeter is a liter, and a liter of water weighs 1 kilogram. In a future lesson I'll show the relations between the length, volume and weight units in the metric system at greater length.

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Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2