Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de trein" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce de trein in Dutch?

de trein is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /də ˈtrɛin/. It means “train.” duh TRAYN — unaspirated t, quick r, and the ei diphthong that sounds exactly like ij.

duh TRAYN — unaspirated t, quick r, and the ei diphthong that sounds exactly like ij.

de trein /də ˈtrɛin/

One beat, and its internal movement comes from the diphthong. The plural "treinen" adds a schwa without disturbing the accent, so the stressed diphthong sounds identical in both forms — a useful check that your ei is stable.

Listen: de trein

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Sound it out

tr An unaspirated t straight into a brief tap. English "train" adds a puff after the t and curls the r, both of which reshape the vowel that follows.

ei The Dutch diphthong rising from around "eh" toward "ee." Identical in sound to the ij spelling, so only orthography distinguishes them.

n A clean final n that cuts the glide off rather than letting it trail away.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik neem de trein naar Rotterdam.

I'm taking the train to Rotterdam.

Listen: Ik neem de trein naar Rotterdam.

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"Ik neem de trein naar Rotterdam" uses "nemen" for taking transport, which is the idiomatic verb. The city name carries stress on its second syllable, rot-ter-DAM, so the sentence has a late peak after the diphthong of "trein."

Where English speakers slip

The English "train" is close in meaning and spelling and supplies the wrong diphthong: English "ay" travels from a higher starting point and is longer. Dutch ei starts around "eh" and moves a shorter distance. Aspirating the t and curling the r compound the problem.