Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de film" in Dutch?

duh FILM — short tight i and a bright l, with the m closing it cleanly.

de film /də ˈfɪlm/

Two liquids-and-nasals close this beat rather than a stop, so the word ends softly. The plural "films" adds an s with no other change, making it one of the simplest Dutch plurals.

Listen: de film

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Sound it out

f A plain voiceless f, lower lip against the upper teeth, needing no adjustment from English.

i Exactly the vowel of English "film" — the cognate spelling gives you this one at no cost.

lm A bright forward l into a closing m. English darkens the l here so heavily that many speakers insert a vowel — "fil-um" — which Dutch never does.

Hear it in a sentence

Zullen we vanavond een film kijken?

Shall we watch a movie tonight?

Listen: Zullen we vanavond een film kijken?

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"Zullen we vanavond een film kijken?" uses "zullen" for a suggestion and sends the infinitive to the end. Note that "kijken" here takes a direct object without "naar" — an exception to the usual "kijken naar" pattern when the object is a film or programme.

Where English speakers slip

The English "film" is spelled identically, and many English speakers break the lm cluster with a vowel. Dutch says both consonants in one gesture. The l should also stay bright rather than darkening. Neither error obscures the word, which is why they persist.