Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het werk" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce het werk in Dutch?

het werk is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ət ˈʋɛrk/. It means “work / job.” ut VERK — soft lip-teeth w, a short "eh" before the r, and an unaspirated k.

ut VERK — soft lip-teeth w, a short "eh" before the r, and an unaspirated k.

het werk /ət ˈʋɛrk/

A single short beat, and the noun is identical in form to the verb stem "werk." Dutch does not shift the accent to distinguish them — only the article and the syntax tell you whether you are looking at a noun or a verb.

Listen: het werk

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Sound it out

w The lower lip drifts toward the upper teeth with light contact and no rounding — softer than English v, and nothing like the rounded English w.

e Quick and open-jawed. Because an r follows, English speakers swallow it into an "er" colour; Dutch keeps the vowel audible before the r starts.

rk A brief tap or scrape into an unaspirated k, released together. Neither consonant should stretch the syllable.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik heb nieuw werk gevonden.

I found a new job.

Listen: Ik heb nieuw werk gevonden.

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"Ik heb nieuw werk gevonden" puts the past participle at the very end and leaves "nieuw" uninflected, because "werk" is a neuter noun with no article. The participle's ge- prefix is unstressed, so the sentence closes on a weak-strong pattern.

Where English speakers slip

The English "work" imports a rounded w and an r-coloured vowel that erases the "eh" entirely. Fix the w first, since it is audible from the word's opening instant. Learners also aspirate the k, and they sometimes confuse "werk" the noun with "werken" the verb in sentences where both would fit.