Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het moment" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce het moment in Dutch?

het moment is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ət moˈmɛnt/. It means “moment.” ut moh-MENT — stress on the second syllable, with a short "eh" and a final t.

ut moh-MENT — stress on the second syllable, with a short "eh" and a final t.

het moment /ət moˈmɛnt/

End-stressed, as in French. This is a reminder that Dutch stress does not imply vowel length: the accented syllable here has a short vowel, closed by a consonant cluster, and is still unambiguously the strong one.

Listen: het moment

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Sound it out

mo- An unstressed opening syllable with a short o, said quickly and without lip work.

m Lips together again, opening the stressed syllable — the word has two m's and both are said cleanly.

e Short even under the stress, because the cluster closes the syllable. Dutch accent does not imply length.

nt Both consonants released together with no vowel between them, closing the word crisply.

Hear it in a sentence

Een moment, alsjeblieft.

One moment, please.

Listen: Een moment, alsjeblieft.

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"Een moment, alsjeblieft" uses the noun as a standalone request, with the politeness word after it. "Alsjeblieft" carries its own late stress, so the phrase has two end-stressed words in a row — an unusual rhythm for Dutch.

Where English speakers slip

English "moment" stresses the first syllable; Dutch stresses the second. That single shift is most of the work. Learners also lengthen the first vowel toward "MOH-" when it should be short and quick. And the final nt cluster gets a helping vowel, which adds a syllable.