Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "vinden" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce vinden in Dutch?

vinden is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈvɪndə(n)/. It means “to find.” FIN-duh — the v is only lightly voiced, the i is short, and the final n drops away.

FIN-duh — the v is only lightly voiced, the i is short, and the final n drops away.

vinden /ˈvɪndə(n)/

Dutch stress never moves when you conjugate, and this verb demonstrates it cleanly: vind, vindt, vonden, gevonden — the beat stays glued to the root even when the vowel inside it changes for the past tense.

Listen: vinden

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Sound it out

v Half-devoiced at the start of the word in standard northern Dutch, so it comes out closer to f than an English speaker expects.

i The vowel of "tin." The nd cluster behind it keeps the syllable closed and the vowel short.

nd Both consonants pronounced, with the d fully voiced because it sits inside the word rather than at the end. In "ik vind" it moves to word-final position and devoices to t.

en Note that this n is a different animal from the n inside "vind": that one is obligatory, this one is routinely dropped.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik kan mijn telefoon niet vinden.

I can't find my phone.

Listen: Ik kan mijn telefoon niet vinden.

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"Ik kan mijn telefoon niet vinden" places "niet" before the infinitive at the end, which is where Dutch puts the negator when an infinitive closes the clause. The result is a long run-up of unstressed material before the sentence resolves on VIN-den.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers give the v a full buzz and often shorten the word to two crisp syllables, "VIN-den." Soften the v and let the second syllable collapse. A meaning issue also lurks: "vinden" covers both "to find" and "to think/have an opinion" — "ik vind het mooi" is "I think it's beautiful," not "I found it beautiful."