Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "zij" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce zij in Dutch?

zij is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /zɛi/. It means “she.” say — with a lightly-voiced z and the ij diphthong. It rhymes with "hij," not with "sigh."

say — with a lightly-voiced z and the ij diphthong. It rhymes with "hij," not with "sigh."

zij /zɛi/

This is the emphatic form of "she"; the everyday unstressed form is "ze." Choosing "zij" is itself a decision to put weight on the subject, so it should be said with real prominence — a mumbled "zij" is self-defeating. The same word doubles as the emphatic "they."

Listen: zij

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Sound it out

z Northern Dutch strips most of the voicing from word-initial z, so it sits close to s. Let the buzz arrive partway through rather than leading with it.

ij The rising diphthong from "eh" up toward "ee." Since "zij" and "zei" (said) are pronounced identically, only spelling and context separate them.

Hear it in a sentence

Zij spreekt goed Engels.

She speaks English well.

Listen: Zij spreekt goed Engels.

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"Zij spreekt goed Engels" uses the strong pronoun, which subtly contrasts her with someone else; "ze spreekt goed Engels" would be the neutral report. Notice that the adverb "goed" comes before the object "Engels," the opposite of English ordering.

Where English speakers slip

Two habits collide here. English speakers buzz the z fully, and they read the ij as the vowel of "sigh." The result, "zye," is unrecognisable. Aim instead for something near "say" with a whispery start. Beginners also mix up "zij" (she/they) with "zijn" (to be/his) at speed, since only that final n separates them in sound.