Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "betalen" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce betalen in Dutch?

betalen is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /bəˈtaːlə(n)/. It means “to pay.” buh-TAH-luh — throwaway first syllable, stress on the long "aah" in the middle.

buh-TAH-luh — throwaway first syllable, stress on the long "aah" in the middle.

betalen /bəˈtaːlə(n)/

Three syllables with the beat squarely in the middle, be-TA-len, because the be- prefix is inherently unstressed. This gives the word a rare shape for Dutch: weak, strong, weak. Verbs with ver-, ont- and her- behave the same way.

Listen: betalen

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Sound it out

be- The unstressed prefix, reduced to a bare schwa. It never takes a beat anywhere in Dutch.

t Unaspirated, opening the stressed syllable without a burst of air.

a The word's only stressed vowel, lengthened by the open syllable and worth holding.

len A bright l plus the reduced infinitive ending, collapsing to "-luh" in speech.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik wil graag betalen.

I'd like to pay.

Listen: Ik wil graag betalen.

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"Ik wil graag betalen" is the polite way to ask for the bill, using "graag" to soften the request. The infinitive sits at the end after the modal, and the schwa of "be-" runs straight out of the fricative ending of "graag," so the middle of the sentence is a long stretch of weak syllables.

Where English speakers slip

Stressing the first syllable — "BEE-ta-len" — is the standard error, driven by the general Dutch habit of front-stressing. This word is one of the exceptions. English speakers also tend to shorten the aa, and to give the be- prefix a real vowel instead of the colourless schwa it should be.