Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de collega" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de collega in Dutch?

de collega is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də kɔˈleːɣaː/. It means “colleague.” duh kol-LAY-khah — stress on the middle syllable, and the g is the harsh Dutch fricative.

duh kol-LAY-khah — stress on the middle syllable, and the g is the harsh Dutch fricative.

de collega /də kɔˈleːɣaː/

The beat sits on the middle syllable, following the Latin original. Both the first and last syllables are unstressed, but only the first reduces its vowel — the final "a" stays open and full, which is characteristic of these borrowings.

Listen: de collega

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Sound it out

col- A quiet k plus a short rounded o, unstressed and quick on the way to the beat.

le- A bright l plus a long "ay," carrying the primary stress. It is the only long vowel in the word bearing weight.

g The velar scrape between two vowels, softened slightly by that position but still clearly a fricative rather than a stop.

a A full open "aah" at the end, not a schwa. Dutch keeps the final vowel of this borrowing clear rather than reducing it.

Hear it in a sentence

Mijn collega is heel aardig.

My colleague is very nice.

Listen: Mijn collega is heel aardig.

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"Mijn collega is heel aardig" ends on an adjective with the unstressed -ig suffix, so the sentence closes on two weak syllables after the noun's own weak ending. That gives it a long, gentle fade.

Where English speakers slip

English "colleague" has two syllables with the beat on the first and a hard g; Dutch has three with the beat in the middle and a fricative. Almost nothing transfers. Learners also schwa the final vowel, when it should be a clear open "aah."