The pattern
Stress the first syllable of the root, skipping unstressed prefixes like be-, ge-, ont- and ver-. Separable prefixes, many French loanwords and a few endings take the stress themselves.
- Root first: WERken, TAfel, BOODschappen, KINderen. Endings like -en and -e stay quiet.
- The inseparable prefixes be-, ge-, ont- and ver- are unstressed, so the stress moves to the root: beGINnen, verTAlen, ontBIJten, geWERKT.
- The prefix her- is usually unstressed too: herHAlen, herKENnen. In some words where it clearly means 'again', it takes the stress: HERindelen (to redraw, for example the borders of a gemeente), HERbenoemen (to reappoint).
- Separable prefixes, the ones that split off as in Ik bel je op, are stressed: OPbellen, MEEnemen, AFwassen. This stays true with ge- inside: OPgebeld. See separable verbs.
- Many French loanwords stress the last syllable: restauRANT, caDEAU, staTION, toiLET.
- Some endings take the stress: -ij (bakkeRIJ), -in (vrienDIN), -es (leraRES), -teit (universiTEIT) and the verb ending -eren (stuDEren).
In the running text, capitals show the stressed syllable. In the examples below, it is in bold.
Examples
| Op maandag werken we niet. | We don't work on Mondays. |
| De sleutels liggen op tafel. | The keys are on the table. |
| Fatima vertaalt een brief voor haar buurman. | Fatima is translating a letter for her neighbour. |
| De cursus begint om negen uur. | The course starts at nine o'clock. |
| Ahmed heeft de huisarts opgebeld. | Ahmed called the GP. |
| Bas heeft zijn lunch meegenomen. | Bas brought his lunch. |
| We eten vanavond in een restaurant. | We are eating in a restaurant tonight. |
| Yara heeft een cadeau voor Joris gekocht. | Yara bought a present for Joris. |
| De bakkerij op de hoek is dicht. | The bakery on the corner is closed. |
| Lotte is mijn beste vriendin. | Lotte is my best friend. |
Why it works this way
Dutch is a Germanic language, like English and German. These languages tend to put the weight on the part of the word that carries the meaning. In WERken that part is werk, and the -en is only grammar.
The prefixes be-, ge-, ont- and ver- never stand on their own. They are glued to the root, so they stay small. In be-, ge- and ver- the vowel even shrinks to the neutral e. If you speak German, this will feel familiar. The prefix her- is usually just as quiet, but in some words with a clear 'again' meaning, like HERindelen, it takes the stress.
A separable prefix is a real little word (op, mee, af) that can walk away from the verb: Ik bel je straks op. A word that can stand alone keeps its own stress. That is why stress can even change meaning: Dat komt vaak VOOR (that happens a lot) but Zo voorKOM je problemen (that is how you prevent problems). There is more on this in One verb, two meanings.
Many French words came into Dutch with their stress at the end, and Dutch kept it there. Not all of them did, so listen carefully when you meet a new one. The stressed endings have no deep logic. There are only a few of them, so learn them as a set.
Careful with words that only look like they have a prefix. In GEven, BEter and VERder, the first syllable belongs to the root, so the normal rule applies.
Remember: a prefix that can walk away is loud, a prefix that is glued on is usually quiet, and many French guests keep their accent at the end.
Watch out
FalschSTAtion
RichtigstaTION
this French loanword is stressed at the end, unlike in English
FalschuniVERsiteit
RichtiguniversiTEIT
the ending -teit takes the stress
FalschTElefoon
RichtigteleFOON
stress at the end, not where English puts it
FalschVERtalen
RichtigverTAlen
ver- is unstressed
FalschopBELlen
RichtigOPbellen
separable prefixes take the stress
Quick check
- Which syllable is stressed in vertellen: ver, tel or len?
- Choose the correct stress: UITnodigen or uitNOdigen?
- Which syllable is stressed in bakkerij: bak, ke or rij?
- Fix the stress: Ik heb een CAdeau voor Emma.
Antworten zeigen
- tel (ver- is unstressed, so the root takes the stress).
- UITnodigen (uit is separable: Ik nodig je uit).
- rij (-ij is one of the endings that take the stress).
- Ik heb een caDEAU voor Emma. (cadeau is a French loanword stressed at the end).
Use it today
On your next train trip, listen to the announcements and quietly repeat staTION, verTREKT and verTRAging with the same stress. Then write down five words from your day with the stressed syllable in capitals, and say each one out loud three times.