Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "de vriend" in Dutch?

duh FREENT — soft v, quick r, a long "ee," and a final d said as a t.

de vriend /də ˈvrint/

One beat with a long vowel wedged between two consonant groups. The plural adds a weak syllable and lets the nd cluster split across the boundary, so "vrienden" is rhythmically more relaxed than the tight singular.

Listen: de vriend

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Sound it out

vr A half-devoiced v straight into a light tap. Run them together — a helping vowel between them adds a syllable.

ie Long tense "ee," bright and steady, carrying the whole word.

nd Say both; the d turns into a t at the end of the word. The plural "vrienden" puts it between vowels and the real d returns.

Hear it in a sentence

Hij is mijn beste vriend.

He is my best friend.

Listen: Hij is mijn beste vriend.

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"Hij is mijn beste vriend" uses the superlative "beste" with its -e ending, and the possessive "mijn" is unstressed. The sentence therefore has one long run-up before landing on the noun at the end, where the devoiced t closes it off.

Where English speakers slip

The English "friend" supplies a short "eh" vowel and a voiced final d, both wrong — Dutch has a long "ee" and a t. Learners also break the vr- cluster. Note too that "vriend" specifically means a male friend, and using it for a woman requires "vriendin" instead.