Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het brood" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce het brood in Dutch?

het brood is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ət ˈbroːt/. It means “bread.” ut BROHT — a clean b, quick r, long flat "oh," and a final d said as a t.

ut BROHT — a clean b, quick r, long flat "oh," and a final d said as a t.

het brood /ət ˈbroːt/

The plural "broden" adds a schwa and drops an o from the spelling, and hearing the pair back to back makes the final-devoicing rule audible — the t of the singular becomes a d in the plural.

Listen: het brood

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Sound it out

br A voiced b into a brief tap or scrape. Keep the r short so it does not spread into the long vowel behind it.

oo Long and steady. English "broad" or "brode" would glide at the end of this vowel; Dutch holds one tongue position throughout.

d Written d, spoken t, because it stands at the end of the word. The plural "broden" puts it between vowels and the real d returns.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik koop elke dag vers brood.

I buy fresh bread every day.

Listen: Ik koop elke dag vers brood.

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"Ik koop elke dag vers brood" leaves the adjective uninflected because "brood" is neuter with no article at all. Note also that the frequency phrase comes before the object, which is standard Dutch order and the reverse of English.

Where English speakers slip

The final d gets voiced because the spelling shows one — it is a t. Learners also glide the "oh" toward "oo" on the English model. And the br- cluster attracts a curled American r, which colours the vowel and blurs the whole word. Keep the r as a single flick.