Dutch Spelling Basics

Dutch Spelling Basics

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In Dutch grammar, some basic spelling rules are applied to the plurals of nouns, conjugations of verbs, and inflections of adjectives. By learning and applying these simple rules, you can avoid beginner’s mistakes.

Single and Double Letter Long Vowels

The long vowels /aa/, /ee/, /oo/, and /uu/ are written with two letters in a closed syllable and with a single letter in an open syllable.
  • Open syllable: a syllable that ends in a vowel, e.g. de, ei, moe, mooi.
  • Closed syllable: a syllable that ends in a consonant, e.g. bal, kop, baan, boek.

Application to the Plurals of Nouns

Singular Plural
naam (name) namen (names)
keel (throat) kelen (throats)
oor (ear) oren (ears)
uur (hour) uren (hours)

Application to the Inflection of Adjectives

Adjective Inflection
laag (low) lage bloeddruk (low blood pressure)
geel (yellow) de gele mantel (the yellow coat)
groot (big) de grote prijs (the big prize)
duur (expensive) dure wijn (expensive wine)
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Application to the Conjugation of Verbs

First Person Singular First Person Plural
ik haal (I fetch) we halen (we fetch)
ik heet (I am called) we heten (we are called)
ik woon (I live) we wonen (we live)
ik huur (I rent) we huren (we rent)

Exception: u before w

The long vowel /uu/ is written with a single letter before the consonant w, even in a closed syllable.

Example: Plurals of Nouns

Singular Plural
schaduw (shadow) schaduwen (shadows)

Example: Conjugation of Verbs

First Person Singular First Person Plural
ik huw we huwen
ik duw we duwen
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Doubling the Consonant at the End of a Closed Syllable

A consonant is doubled after a short vowel, if the consonant is followed by an unstressed syllable. This rule applies to the consonants b, d, f, g, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, z, and c (pronounced as /k/) and to the short vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/.
  • Closed syllable: a syllable that ends in a consonant, e.g. bal, kop, baan, boek.

Application to the plurals of nouns

Singular Plural
nek (neck) nekken (necks)
lip (lip) lippen (lips)
adres (address) adressen (addresses)

Application to the Inflection of Adjectives

Adjective Inflection
stil (quiet) stille motoren (quiet engines)
fris (fresh) frisse salade (fresh salad)

Application to the Conjugation of Verbs

First Person Singular First Person Plural
ik stap (I step) we stappen (we step)
ik gok (I gamble) we gokken (we gamble)
ik vat (I grasp) we vatten (we grasp)
ik gom (I erase) we gommen (we erase)
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Exceptions

Some consonants in plurals of nouns, inflections of adjectives, and conjugations of verbs that end in an unstressed –el, -es, -et, -ig, -ik, -il, -it, -em.

Example: the Plural of a Noun

Singular Plural
de appel ( apple ) appelen

Example: Inflection of Adjectives

Adjective Inflection
edel edele metalen

Example: Conjugation of Verbs

Indicative – Aantonende wijs

Present

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige tijd [o t t]
ik wandel
jij wandelt
hij wandelt
wij wandelen
jullie wandelen
zij wandelen

Present Perfect

Voltooid tegenwoordige tijd [v t t]
ik heb gewandeld
jij hebt gewandeld
hij heeft gewandeld
wij hebben gewandeld
jullie hebben gewandeld
zij hebben gewandeld

Past

Onvoltooid verleden tijd [o v t]
ik wandelde
jij wandelde
hij wandelde
wij wandelden
jullie wandelden
zij wandelden

Past Perfect

Voltooid verleden tijd [v v t]
ik had gewandeld
jij had gewandeld
hij had gewandeld
wij hadden gewandeld
jullie hadden gewandeld
zij hadden gewandeld

Future

Onvoltooid tegenwoordige toekomende tijd [o t t t]
ik zal wandelen
jij zult wandelen
hij zal wandelen
wij zullen wandelen
jullie zullen wandelen
zij zullen wandelen

Future Perfect

Voltooid tegenwoordige toekomende tijd [v t t t]
ik zal gewandeld hebben
jij zult gewandeld hebben
hij zal gewandeld hebben
wij zullen gewandeld hebben
jullie zullen gewandeld hebben
zij zullen gewandeld hebben

Double consonants are not written at the end of a word.

This rule is applied to the third singular form of some verbs in simple present.
Infinitive First Person Singular Third Person Singular
vatten ik vat hij vat (not vatt)
heten ik heet hij heet (not heett)
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V or z is not written at the end of a syllable.

V is replaced with f. Z is replaced with s.

Application to the Plurals of Nouns

Singular Plural
neus (nose) neuzen (noses)
initiatief (initiative) initiatieven (initiatives)

Application to the Inflection of Adjectives

Adjective Inflection
grijs (gray) een grijze auto (a gray car)
positief (positive) positieve eigenschappen (positive qualities)

Application to the Conjugation of Verbs

First Person Singular First Person Plural
ik leef (I live) we leven (we live)
ik verlies (I lose) we verliezen (we lose)

Conclusion

These are the most basic, must-know spelling rules of the Dutch grammar. Neither these rules, nor the exceptions mentioned in the article are exhaustive. Nevertheless, they are a good starting point for the serious Dutch language learner. You can practice the applications of these rules with 500+ free exercises in our quizzes.    

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