The pattern
At the end of a word, Dutch usually writes f or s, not v or z. When an ending that starts with a vowel follows, many words switch to v or z.
- Plurals with -en: de brief, de brieven; de prijs, de prijzen.
- Adjectives (describing words) with -e: lief, lieve; boos, boze.
- Verbs: wij geven, ik geef; wij lezen, ik lees.
- Endings that start with a consonant keep f and s: hij leest, het huisje, het briefje.
- After a short vowel, you usually double the letter instead: de bus, de bussen; de les, de lessen.
- Some words never switch: de mens, de mensen; de fotograaf, de fotografen.
Examples
| Ik woon in een klein huis, maar de huizen hier zijn duur. | I live in a small house, but the houses here are expensive. |
| Fatima heeft twee brieven van de gemeente gekregen. | Fatima has received two letters from the municipality. |
| Er lopen veel duiven op het perron. | Lots of pigeons are walking around on the platform. |
| In de supermarkt zijn de prijzen weer gestegen. | At the supermarket, prices have gone up again. |
| Ik lees de krant en de kinderen lezen een strip. | I read the paper and the children read a comic. |
| Joris geeft Lotte een lieve kaart voor haar verjaardag. | Joris gives Lotte a sweet card for her birthday. |
| Ahmed verhuist volgende week en zijn buren verhuizen ook. | Ahmed is moving next week and his neighbours are moving too. |
| Bas en Yara huren een huisje aan zee. | Bas and Yara are renting a little house by the sea. |
| Op de bruiloft waren twee fotografen. | There were two photographers at the wedding. |
Why it works this way
Put two fingers on your throat and say a long f, then a long v. The v buzzes. So does z, while s doesn't. Sounds with this buzz are called voiced.
At the end of a word, Dutch switches the buzz off, just like with d and t. The difference is spelling: hond keeps its d on paper, but pairs like huis and huizen show the change in their letters, even when your ear barely hears it. Only a few borrowed words, like de quiz, end in z.
In words that switch, an ending that starts with a vowel brings the buzz back. That's why huizen and lieve have it, but huisje and leest don't. Long vowels follow the open syllable rule at the same time: de roos, de rozen.
English does this too, in wolf and wolves or leaf and leaves, but only in a handful of words.
The singular (the form for one) won't tell you whether a word switches: de prijs gives de prijzen, while de mens gives de mensen. So listen to the plural. In the north and west of the Netherlands, v often sounds close to f and z close to s, so the difference can be small. Southern and Flemish speakers buzz more clearly. If your ear can't decide, check the plural once and learn the pair: de brief, de brieven.
Remember: v and z are shy. They hardly ever stand at the end of a word, but in many words they come back out as soon as a vowel ending gives them something to lean on.
Watch out
Foutde huisen
Goedde huizen
the s turns into z before -en
Fouttwee briefen
Goedtwee brieven
f becomes v; German speakers often keep the f
FoutLiefe Sanne,
GoedLieve Sanne,
the -e brings back the v, on every birthday card
FoutIk reiz graag.
GoedIk reis graag.
the ik-form of reizen ends in s
Foutde fotograven
Goedde fotografen
some words keep their f, so check the plural
Quick check
- Fill in the plural of brief: Ik heb twee ... gestuurd.
- Choose: De (huisen / huizen) in Utrecht zijn duur.
- Fix the sentence: Wij lesen elke avond.
- Fill in the right form of verhuizen: Sanne ... in juni naar Rotterdam.
Toon de antwoorden
- brieven (f becomes v before -en)
- huizen (s becomes z before -en)
- Wij lezen elke avond. (with wij the verb ends in -en, and the z comes back)
- verhuist (-t is a consonant, so the s stays)
Use it today
Pick five nouns ending in f or s from your post, your street or your supermarket receipt, and look up their plurals. Say each pair out loud with two fingers on your throat, like de brief, de brieven, and feel where the buzz comes back.