Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "zwart" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce zwart in Dutch?

zwart is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /zʋɑrt/. It means “black.” svahrt — barely-voiced z, soft lip-teeth w, open "ah," and a crisp t.

svahrt — barely-voiced z, soft lip-teeth w, open "ah," and a crisp t.

zwart /zʋɑrt/

One beat, densely packed — four consonants around a single short vowel. When it inflects to "zwarte" a schwa syllable appears at the end and lets the r breathe, which is often easier for beginners to say than the bare form.

Listen: zwart

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Sound it out

z Northern Dutch gives initial z very little voicing, so it lands close to s. Start with breath and let the buzz arrive late, if at all.

w Bottom lip approaches the upper teeth without touching hard — an approximant, weaker than English v and much less rounded than English w. After z it makes a cluster English simply does not have.

a Clipped and produced toward the back of the mouth, cut off by the r behind it. Nearer "father" than "cat," but much briefer than either.

rt A light r followed by a clean unaspirated t, both released quickly with no vowel wedged between.

Hear it in a sentence

Hij heeft zwart haar.

He has black hair.

Listen: Hij heeft zwart haar.

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"Hij heeft zwart haar" leaves the adjective bare before "haar" because "haar" is a neuter het-word used without an article here. The sentence also puts two h-initial words nearby, "heeft" and "haar," both needing the soft voiced Dutch h rather than an English puff.

Where English speakers slip

The zw- cluster is the obstacle. English speakers either insert a vowel — "zuh-wart" — or convert the w into a full English "w" and round their lips. Neither happens in Dutch: the z and w run together with the lower lip riding up to the teeth. Watch the vowel too, which should not be the "aw" of English "wart."