Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het paspoort" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce het paspoort in Dutch?

het paspoort is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ət ˈpɑspoːrt/. It means “passport.” ut PAHS-pohrt — a compound with the beat on the first half, and a long "oh" in the second.

ut PAHS-pohrt — a compound with the beat on the first half, and a long "oh" in the second.

het paspoort /ət ˈpɑspoːrt/

Compound stress on the first element, PAS-poort, the standard Dutch pattern. The two elements have contrasting vowel lengths — short then long — which helps make the compound's internal structure audible.

Listen: het paspoort

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Sound it out

pas- A quiet p, an open back "ah," and a hissing s. This is the word "pas" forming the first element and taking the primary stress.

p A second unaspirated p opening the compound's other half, colliding directly with the s before it.

oo Long and steady, taking secondary stress. It is noticeably longer than the short a in the first element, which is the contrast the compound depends on.

rt A brief flick into a quiet t, closing the word without any release puff.

Hear it in a sentence

Vergeet je paspoort niet.

Don't forget your passport.

Listen: Vergeet je paspoort niet.

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"Vergeet je paspoort niet" is an imperative with the negator at the end after the object. "Vergeet" carries the unstressed ver- prefix and its own velar fricative, so the sentence opens with a weak-strong pattern before the compound arrives.

Where English speakers slip

English "passport" reduces the second syllable and adds a heavy r; Dutch keeps the second vowel long and the r light. Learners also aspirate both p's. And the sp seam in the middle tempts people to insert a vowel, when the s and p should meet directly.