Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het dier" in Dutch?

ut DEER — a dental d, a long bright "ee," and a light r.

het dier /ət ˈdir/

The plural "dieren" adds a schwa and moves the r between vowels, where keeping it light is easier — a useful stepping stone before attempting the bare singular.

Listen: het dier

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Sound it out

d Made against the teeth themselves rather than the ridge behind them, and released without the breath English adds.

ie A long bright "ee," the digraph's only possible value. It carries the whole word.

r A light closing flick or scrape, arriving only once the vowel is complete and never colouring it from behind.

Hear it in a sentence

De hond is mijn favoriete dier.

The dog is my favorite animal.

Listen: De hond is mijn favoriete dier.

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"De hond is mijn favoriete dier" uses the inflected "favoriete," a French borrowing with the accent on the third syllable. The noun at the end takes "het" as its article, though here the possessive replaces it.

Where English speakers slip

The English "deer" supplies a diphthongised vowel and a heavy r. Dutch has a pure "ee" and a brief flick. Learners also confuse "dier" with "duur": the two differ only in the vowel, one bright and unrounded, the other rounded and front — and practising them as a pair fixes both.