Learn Dutch, with explanations in Farsi or Dari

What is different from Persian?

Typical stumbling blocks for Farsi and Dari speakers, and what is actually easy. Use the speaker to hear the Dutch examples.

1. Every vowel is written

   Dutch uses the Latin alphabet and is written from left to right. In Persian, short vowels are usually not written; in Dutch, every vowel is. That helps when you read. Tip: read new words aloud and pay attention to each vowel, because ‘pan’, ‘pen’ and ‘pin’ are three different words.

   • het boekthe book
   • Ik lees een boek.I am reading a book.
   • de pan, de penthe pan, the pen

2. Short or long: man and maan

   Dutch has more vowels than Persian. Whether a vowel is short or long often changes the meaning: ‘man’ (man) is not the same as ‘maan’ (moon), and ‘zon’ (sun) is not the same as ‘zoon’ (son). A long vowel is often written double: aa, ee, oo, uu. Tip: practise with word pairs like these and make the long vowel clearly longer.

   • de man, de maanthe man, the moon
   • de zon, de zoonthe sun, the son
   • ik ben, het beenI am, the leg

3. New sounds: uu, eu and ui

   The sounds uu, eu and ui do not exist in Persian. That is why ‘uu’ sometimes sounds like ‘oe’. Tip: say the Dutch ‘ie’ with rounded lips and you hear ‘uu’; say ‘ee’ with rounded lips and you hear ‘eu’. And ij and ei sound the same: you learn the spelling word by word.

   • de muurthe wall
   • de deurthe door
   • het huisthe house
   • de trein, het ijsthe train, the ice

4. The difference between w and v

   In Persian, v and w are written with the same letter (و). In Dutch they are two different sounds: ‘wind’ (wind) and ‘vind’ (find) are different words. Tip: for the w, your lower lip touches your upper teeth only very lightly and you hear almost no air. For the v, you do hear the air.

   • de windthe wind
   • Ik vind het leuk.I like it.
   • Wat wil je?What do you want?
   • vierfour

5. The g and ch: often easy for you

   The Dutch g and ch sound similar to the Persian sound خ (kh). Many people who learn Dutch find this sound difficult, but you already know it from your own language. Note: in ordinary Dutch words, the g does not sound like the g in English ‘go’. So ‘goed’ (good) starts with a sound like خ.

   • goedemorgengood morning
   • achteight
   • Graag gedaan.You're welcome.

6. Straat and spreken: consonants at the start

   A Persian word does not start with two consonants in a row. That is why you may say ‘estraat’ instead of ‘straat’ (street), or ‘sepreken’ instead of ‘spreken’ (to speak). Tip: hold the s for a moment (ssss) and then say the rest of the word straight away, without a vowel before it or in between.

   • de straatthe street
   • Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands.I speak a little Dutch.
   • schrijvento write
   • de schoolthe school

7. De and het

   Persian has no articles like ‘de’ and ‘het’, and no masculine or feminine words. Which article goes with a word is often something you simply have to learn. Tip: learn every new word together with ‘de’ or ‘het’: not ‘huis’, but ‘het huis’ (the house). Good news: in the plural it is always ‘de’.

   • de tafelthe table
   • het huisthe house
   • de huizenthe houses

8. The verb in second place

   In Persian, the verb usually comes at the end of the sentence. In a Dutch main clause it comes in second place (‘Morgen ga ik naar mijn werk’), but in a subordinate clause it does go at the end, just like in Persian (‘… omdat ik ziek ben’). Tip: if you start with ‘morgen’ (tomorrow) or ‘vandaag’ (today), put the verb straight after it.

   • Ik ga morgen naar mijn werk.I am going to work tomorrow.
   • Morgen ga ik naar mijn werk.Tomorrow I am going to work.
   • Ik blijf thuis, omdat ik ziek ben.I am staying at home because I am ill.

9. U and je: you know this already

   Like Persian, Dutch has a polite form (u) and an informal form (je or jij). But in the Netherlands, many people use ‘je’ quite soon, for example with colleagues. You often hear ‘u’ with older people and in formal situations. Tip: if in doubt, start with ‘u’; if the other person says ‘zeg maar je’, you can use ‘je’.

   • Hoe gaat het met u?How are you? (polite)
   • Hoe gaat het met je?How are you? (informal)
   • Zeg maar je.You can say ‘je’ to me.

10. Half negen is 8:30

    In Persian, 8:30 is ‘eight and a half’. In Dutch you say ‘half negen’, literally ‘half nine’: half an hour before nine (not 9:30, as in British English). Tip: when you hear ‘half’, think of the next hour. To be sure, write appointments down in numbers.

    • Het is half negen.It is 8:30.
    • Het is tien voor half negen.It is 8:20.
    • Het is kwart over acht.It is a quarter past eight (8:15).