Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de dag" in Dutch?

duh DAKH — short open "ah" and the harsh Dutch fricative at the end.

de dag /də ˈdɑx/

One compact beat, and this noun is a good demonstration of Dutch vowel-length alternation: "dag" has a short a, "dagen" has a long one, because adding the plural ending opens the syllable. The stressed syllable stays in the same place while its vowel changes character entirely.

Listen: de dag

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Sound it out

d Tongue against the upper teeth, voice on, and no puff of air behind it.

a Short and open, produced at the back of the mouth. Two consonants around it keep the syllable closed and the vowel brief.

g A voiceless rasp closing the word. In the plural "dagen" it slips between vowels, softens, and the a lengthens as the syllable opens.

Hear it in a sentence

Fijne dag!

Have a nice day!

Listen: Fijne dag!

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"Fijne dag!" drops both article and verb, which Dutch allows in set well-wishing phrases. The adjective still takes its -e ending, since "dag" is a de-word, so even the abbreviated greeting carries the grammar.

Where English speakers slip

A hard English g at the end gives "dag" as in the English word — which happens to be real, and therefore an easy trap. It is a fricative. Learners also lengthen the vowel toward "dahg," when the closed syllable requires it short. Compare "dagen" to hear the contrast.