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 British English word ‘see’. Start saying the British 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 British English sound ‘ee’).

Now you should be able to pronounce the sound ie.

Practise the following words:

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

Practise the following sentences:

1. Jaap sliep.
2. Piet vaart.

Pronounce: ie