Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "binnen" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce binnen in Dutch?

binnen is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈbɪnə(n)/. It means “inside.” BIN-uh — short tight i, one n despite the doubled spelling, and the final n dropped.

BIN-uh — short tight i, one n despite the doubled spelling, and the final n dropped.

binnen /ˈbɪnə(n)/

The doubled consonant is the rhythm clue for the short vowel, and the accent sits at the front. Set the word beside "buiten": opposites in meaning and near-mirrors in shape, one built on a short vowel and one on a diphthong.

Listen: binnen

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Sound it out

b A voiced stop with the lips released cleanly and no aspiration following.

i Quick and lax, the vowel of "bin," held short by the doubled n that follows.

nn One n in speech. Dutch never holds a doubled consonant; the second letter exists solely to protect the short vowel.

en A weak closing syllable reduced to a schwa, with the final n usually gone — so only one of the word's two written n-endings is actually heard.

Hear it in a sentence

Vanavond eten we binnen.

Tonight we're eating inside.

Listen: Vanavond eten we binnen.

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"Vanavond eten we binnen" opens with the time expression, which forces the verb into second position and pushes the subject after it. That inversion is automatic in Dutch whenever anything other than the subject starts the sentence, and it catches English speakers out constantly.

Where English speakers slip

Learners pronounce both n's, producing "bin-nen" with a held consonant. There is one n in the middle and usually none at the end. The English word "bin" supplies roughly the right vowel, which helps, but the aspirated b and the fully-articulated ending both mark a foreign speaker.