Language/Dutch/Grammar/Accent-Marks-and-Stress

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Dutch Grammar → Alphabet and Pronunciation → Accent Marks and Stress

Hello and welcome to the Dutch Grammar course! In this lesson, we will be focusing on accent marks and stress in Dutch pronunciation. As a Dutch language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that using accent marks and stress in the right way can significantly enhance your Dutch pronunciation skills. Let's dive right in!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Inclusive Case in Dutch & Reflexive and Possessive Pronouns.

Accent Marks

Dutch uses accent marks to indicate that the vowel should be pronounced differently than it would be without the accent. There are two accent marks used in Dutch: the acute accent (´) and the diaeresis (¨).

The acute accent is used only on the letter e. It indicates that the e should be pronounced like the vowel è. For example:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
méte	/ˈmeː.tə/	measure

The diaeresis is used on the letters ë, ï, and ü. It indicates that the vowel should be pronounced separately from the preceding vowel.

For example:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
knijpfruit	/knɛip.frœit/	squeezy fruit
Saïd	/sa:.id/	Said

It's important to note that accent marks can change the meaning of a word. For example, één (one) is different from een (a/an). Make sure to pay attention to accent marks when learning Dutch vocabulary!

Stress

Stress is another important aspect of Dutch pronunciation. In Dutch, stress always falls on the first syllable of a word.

For example:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
appël	/a.ˈpɛl/	apple
tuincentrum	/ˈtœy̯n.ˌsɛn.trʏm/	garden centre

However, there are some exceptions to this rule, mainly in loan words from other languages. In these cases, the stress may fall on a different syllable than the first.

For example:

Dutch	Pronunciation	English
drama	/ˈdra.ma/	drama
potato	/pə.ˈtei.tou/	potato

If you're not sure where the stress falls in a particular Dutch word, it's always a good idea to look it up in a reliable Dutch dictionary.

Further Resources

For more information on Dutch pronunciation, I recommend checking out the following sources:

• Dutch Phonology

Table of Contents - Dutch Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Vowels and Consonants
• Accent Marks and Stress

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Nouns and Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural and Diminutives

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Verbs and Conjugation

• Present Tense and Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs
• Modal Verbs

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
• Order of Adjectives and Adverbs

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Prepositions and Pronouns

• Prepositions of Place and Time
• Reflexive and Possessive Pronouns

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Family

• Family Members
• Family Life and Relationships

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Food and Drinks

• Food and Ingredients
• Drinks and Beverages

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Travel

• Means of Transport
• Travel Destinations

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Work and Jobs

• Professions and Occupations
• Job Applications and Interviews

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The Netherlands

• Geography and Landmarks
• History and Traditions

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Dutch Customs

• Greetings and Etiquette
• Holidays and Celebrations

Other Lessons

• Inclusive Case in Dutch
• Present Continuous in Dutch
• Genitive Case in Dutch
• Cardinal Numbers in Dutch
• How to use “to speak” in Dutch
• Definite Articles in Dutch
• 0 to A1 Course
• Plural
• Nouns
• How to use “there to be” in Dutch

Sources

• Stress on syllables - The Dutch Grammar Forum
• stress mark in Dutch - Cambridge Dictionary
• Dutch orthography - Wikipedia

◀️ Vowels and Consonants — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Gender and Articles ▶️