Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de deur" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de deur in Dutch?

de deur is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də ˈdøːr/. It means “door.” duh DUHR — the eu is a rounded front vowel like French "eu," with no English equivalent.

duh DUHR — the eu is a rounded front vowel like French "eu," with no English equivalent.

de deur /də ˈdøːr/

A single beat resting on a vowel English speakers have to build from scratch. The plural "deuren" adds a schwa and places the r between vowels, where it is easier to keep light — often a good practice form before tackling the bare singular.

Listen: de deur

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

d Placed against the teeth and released quietly. Everything difficult about this word comes after it.

eu Set the lips as if for "oo" and the tongue as if for "ay," then hold both simultaneously. The result is the vowel of French "deux" — a sound English simply does not have.

r A light closing tap or scrape, and it must not swallow the rounding that comes before it. The vowel's identity is entirely in the lips.

Hear it in a sentence

De deur staat open.

The door is open.

Listen: De deur staat open.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"De deur staat open" uses "staan" as the posture verb, because a door in a doorway is upright. English simply says "is"; Dutch chooses between staan, zitten and liggen based on how the thing occupies space.

Where English speakers slip

The reflexes are "door" and "dyoor," neither of which is close. "Door" puts the tongue at the back; "dyoor" adds a glide Dutch does not have. Say "ay," freeze the tongue, and round the lips. Adding an American r afterwards pulls the vowel backwards and undoes the work.