Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "zitten" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce zitten in Dutch?

zitten is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈzɪtə(n)/. It means “to sit.” ZIT-uh — short tight i, one t despite the doubled spelling, and no final n.

ZIT-uh — short tight i, one t despite the doubled spelling, and no final n.

zitten /ˈzɪtə(n)/

First-syllable stress on a short, closed vowel, which gives the word a clipped feel compared with the long-vowel verbs. The doubled t is doing rhythmic work: without it the spelling would be "ziten" and the vowel would have to be long.

Listen: zitten

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Sound it out

z Lightly voiced at the start, landing close to s in northern speech.

i The vowel of "sit." The doubled t behind it exists precisely to keep it that way.

tt A single unaspirated t in speech. Dutch never actually holds a doubled consonant; the second letter is a length marker for the vowel before it.

en After the short clipped vowel and the t, this ending is the only relaxed part of the word.

Hear it in a sentence

Mag ik hier zitten?

May I sit here?

Listen: Mag ik hier zitten?

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"Mag ik hier zitten?" is a polite request with the modal fronted and the infinitive at the end. Dutch uses "zitten" much more literally than English uses "sit" — it also means "to be located" for many objects, so "waar zit dat?" is a normal question about a thing, not a person.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers hold the double t or aspirate it, producing "zit-ten" with a small explosion in the middle. There is one quiet t. The z also gets over-buzzed. And the verb's range is broader than "sit": Dutch distinguishes zitten, staan and liggen for objects, so choosing the wrong posture verb is a very common learner slip.