Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "hebben" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce hebben in Dutch?

hebben is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈɦɛbə(n)/. It means “to have.” HEB-buh — soft h, short "eh," and the final n usually dropped in speech.

HEB-buh — soft h, short "eh," and the final n usually dropped in speech.

hebben /ˈɦɛbə(n)/

As with every plain Dutch infinitive, the front syllable takes the beat. What is worth noticing is how much shorter that stressed syllable is here than in a verb like "eten" — a short vowel closed by a consonant, versus a long vowel in an open one. Same stress position, very different rhythm.

Listen: hebben

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Sound it out

h Voiced and gentle, the vocal cords running through it rather than a sharp exhalation.

e The vowel of "bed." The doubled b behind it is the spelling's way of guaranteeing that shortness.

bb A single b sound, never held or doubled in speech. Dutch doubles consonants on paper purely to protect a short vowel from lengthening.

en Two letters covering almost no sound. After the b, the schwa is so brief that the b and the following n can feel like they touch.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik heb honger.

I am hungry.

Listen: Ik heb honger.

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"Ik heb honger" uses the conjugated stem "heb," not the infinitive, and translates literally as "I have hunger" — Dutch expresses states with "hebben" where English uses "to be." That construction extends to "dorst," "gelijk" and "haast," so it is worth learning as a pattern.

Where English speakers slip

Beginners give the double b a real length, saying "heb-ben" with a pause in the middle. There is only one b. The h also tends to get over-blown; keep it soft. And because the conjugated forms are irregular — heb, hebt, heeft — learners often produce "ik hebben," applying the infinitive where a stem is needed.