Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "bezorgd" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce bezorgd in Dutch?

bezorgd is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /bəˈzɔrxt/. It means “worried.” buh-ZORKHT — unstressed be- prefix, then a rounded o, a fricative, and a final t.

buh-ZORKHT — unstressed be- prefix, then a rounded o, a fricative, and a final t.

bezorgd /bəˈzɔrxt/

Second-syllable stress, dictated by the be- prefix. The word is a past participle used as an adjective, and the participle's own shape — prefix plus root plus a -d that devoices — is what gives it this weak-strong rhythm.

Listen: bezorgd

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Sound it out

be- The unstressed prefix reduced to a bare schwa, reliably pushing the accent onto whatever follows.

z Only lightly voiced at the start of the stressed syllable, sitting close to s in northern speech.

o Purse the lips slightly and keep it brief — the consonant pile-up behind it leaves no room to stretch.

rgd A flick, then the velar fricative, then a d devoiced to t. Three consonants, and the g is fully voiceless here because everything around it is.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik ben bezorgd over het examen.

I'm worried about the exam.

Listen: Ik ben bezorgd over het examen.

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"Ik ben bezorgd over het examen" uses "over" for the source of worry, the same preposition as "verbaasd over." "Examen" is a loanword with stress on its middle syllable, so the sentence has two mid-word peaks in succession.

Where English speakers slip

The rgd cluster defeats most beginners: they drop the fricative, giving "be-ZORT," or voice the final d. All three consonants are there, and the ending surfaces as "-kht." Front-stressing to "BE-zorgd" is the other reflex error.