The pattern
Neighbouring sounds adjust to each other, and short unstressed words melt onto the word before them. You hear the blend, but you write the normal spelling.
- Before b or d, a sound like p, t, k, f or s often starts to buzz: op de sounds like ob de, is dat like iz dat.
- A k that buzzes becomes the hard g of English go, not the Dutch g sound: zakdoek sounds like zagdoek. In the sound spellings in this lesson, g means that English g.
- After p, t or k, the sounds v and z usually lose their buzz: op vakantie sounds like op fakantie, ik zie like ik sie.
- Short unstressed words such as je, hij and het shrink and stick to the word before them: heb je can sound like heppie, heeft hij like heeftie. Niet often loses its t.
- The faster and more relaxed the speech, the more blending you hear.
Examples
| Waar is mijn zakdoek (zagdoek)? | Where is my handkerchief? |
| Je fiets staat op de (ob de) stoep. | Your bike is on the pavement. |
| Is dat (iz dat) jouw fiets? | Is that your bike? |
| We gaan in mei op vakantie (op fakantie). | We're going on holiday in May. |
| Ik zie (ik sie) je morgen op het werk. | I'll see you at work tomorrow. |
| Heb je (heppie) de trein van acht uur gehaald? | Did you catch the eight o'clock train? |
| Heeft hij (heeftie) de huur al betaald? | Has he paid the rent yet? |
| Sorry, ik weet het niet ('k weet 't nie). | Sorry, I don't know. |
Why it works this way
Put your fingers on your throat and say zzz, then sss. You feel a buzz with z but not with s. Sounds with that buzz are called voiced (the vocal cords vibrate).
Switching the buzz on and off in the middle of a word is extra work, so neighbours agree. Picture b and d as bossy: they make the sound before them buzz too. The letters v and z are pushovers: after p, t or k they give up their own buzz. So op de gets a b sound, while op vakantie gets an f. A buzzing k turns into the g of English go, because that is simply a k with the buzz switched on. The Dutch g is a different, rougher sound, so it does not appear here.
Melting is simpler. Unstressed words like je, het and hij carry little information, so speakers spend little effort on them, just as English turns "did you" into "didja". The b of heb already sounds like p (see why d sounds like t at the end of a word), and je glues on. The shortcuts 't and 'k come from the same habit (see spoken shortcuts).
Recognising blends helps your listening far more than producing them helps your speaking. Clear pronunciation sounds perfectly natural, the voicing in zakdoek tends to appear by itself as you speed up, and heppie is very casual, so save it for friends.
Formal speech blends less. Newsreaders and people giving a presentation shorten small words less often and less strongly, so you hear the t of niet more often. They still blend some, though: the b sound in op de is normal even on the news. Speakers and regions differ, so treat all this as a strong tendency, not a strict rule.
Remember: hear the blend, write the word. Your ears get heppie, your pen gets heb je.
Watch out
NotHeppie even tijd?
SayHeb je even tijd?
heppie is only how it sounds
NotWaar is mijn zagdoek?
SayWaar is mijn zakdoek?
before d the k can sound like the g of English go, but you write k
NotDat zal wel opfallen.
SayDat zal wel opvallen.
after p the v sounds like f, but the spelling keeps v
NotSorry, ik kan vanavond nie.
SaySorry, ik kan vanavond niet.
the t often disappears in speech, never in writing
Quick check
- A colleague asks: Heppie mijn mail gelezen? Write the first two words in normal spelling.
- Your neighbour says: Heeftie zijn fiets al terug? Who is it about: jij, hij or het?
- Fix the spelling: Ik leg de sleutel ob de tafel.
- Where will you hear the least blending: a chat at a birthday party, the evening news on TV, or a quick question at the supermarket checkout?
Show the answers
- Heb je (the b sounds like p and je melts onto the verb).
- hij (heeftie is heeft hij with the h dropped).
- Ik leg de sleutel op de tafel. (the p sounds like b before de, but you write p)
- The evening news (newsreaders speak carefully, so they blend less).
Use it today
On the train or in the supermarket queue today, listen to people chatting and catch three melted chunks, such as heppie, heeftie or 'k weet 't nie. Write each one down in its normal spelling.