Exercise 2: spelling 'ie' (sometimes 'i')

This sound is used in words like niet (not), dier (animal) and kiezen (choose).

Pronunciation:

This sound closely resembles the ‘ee’ in the American English word ‘see’. Start saying the American English sound ‘ee’. Now raise your tongue a little bit and pull your cheeks far apart, as if you grin. You should really strain your facial muscles. Furthermore, the sides of your tongue touch your upper teeth. It is a relatively short sound (shorter than the American English sound ‘ee’).

Now you should be able to pronounce the sound ie.

Practice the following words:

1. ziek
2. villa
3. vieren
4. liepen

Practice the following sentences:

1. Jaap sliep.
2. Piet vaart.

Pronounce: ie