Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de regen" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de regen in Dutch?

de regen is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də ˈreːɣə(n)/. It means “rain.” duh RAY-khuh — a quick r, a long "ay," then the harsh fricative and a dropped final n.

duh RAY-khuh — a quick r, a long "ay," then the harsh fricative and a dropped final n.

de regen /də ˈreːɣə(n)/

Front-stressed with a steep drop, and the single g after the vowel is the spelling clue for its length. Compare the verb "regenen," which adds a further weak syllable without moving the accent an inch.

Listen: de regen

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Sound it out

r Either a tongue-tip flick or a soft back scrape. Whichever you use, it must not spread into the long vowel behind it.

e Long and tense, stretched because the syllable ends right after it. This is the word's only full vowel.

g The velar fricative sitting between two vowels, where it softens slightly and picks up voicing — but the scrape must still be clearly audible.

en The n disappears entirely in ordinary speech, leaving the fricative running straight into a schwa and then nothing.

Hear it in a sentence

De regen houdt maar niet op.

The rain just won't stop.

Listen: De regen houdt maar niet op.

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"De regen houdt maar niet op" splits the separable verb "ophouden" and uses "maar" as a modal particle meaning roughly "just." That little word carries the speaker's exasperation, and dropping it makes the sentence flat rather than wrong.

Where English speakers slip

The g becomes an English hard g, giving "RAY-gen," which is the reflex substitution. Keep the air moving. Learners also brighten the vowel toward "ree-" using the "ee" of "region," when Dutch ee is lower. And the final n gets pronounced, which makes the word sound read aloud.