Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het papier" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce het papier in Dutch?

het papier is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ət paːˈpir/. It means “paper.” ut pah-PEER — stress on the second syllable, with a long bright "ee."

ut pah-PEER — stress on the second syllable, with a long bright "ee."

het papier /ət paːˈpir/

End-stressed, marking this as a French borrowing. The two p's frame a stressed and an unstressed syllable, so saying them at the same volume is one of the quickest ways to flatten the word's rhythm.

Listen: het papier

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Sound it out

pa- A quiet p plus an open a, unstressed and quick on the way to the beat.

p A second unaspirated p, this one opening the stressed syllable. The word has two and neither carries a puff.

ie A long bright "ee" carrying the primary stress — the digraph's only possible value in Dutch.

r A light closing flick, arriving only once the long vowel is complete.

Hear it in a sentence

Geef me een vel papier, alsjeblieft.

Give me a sheet of paper, please.

Listen: Geef me een vel papier, alsjeblieft.

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"Geef me een vel papier, alsjeblieft" uses "vel" as the measure word for a sheet, with no preposition between it and the substance. The imperative "geef" devoices its own final consonant, so the sentence opens with a small devoicing lesson.

Where English speakers slip

English "paper" front-stresses and uses a diphthong in the first syllable; Dutch stresses the end and uses a plain open a. Almost nothing carries over. Learners also aspirate both p's and add an American r that shortens the stressed "ee."