CONSONANTS
The plosives are p b t d k (g):
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| p | pak | pAk | |
| b | bak | bAk | |
| t | tak | tAk | |
| d | dak | dAk | |
| k | kap | kAp | |
| g | goal | go:l | only foreign/loanwords |
The fricatives are f v s z x (G) h:
| f | fel | fEl | |
| v | vel | vEl | |
| s | sein | sEin | |
| z | zijn | zEin | |
| x | toch | tOx | |
| G | goed | Gut (also: xut) | |
| h | hand | hAnt | |
| Z | bagage | bAga:Z(@) | |
| S | show | So:u |
The sonorants (nasals, liquids and glides) are m n N l r w j:
| m | met | mEt | |
| n | net | nEt | |
| N | bang | bAN | |
| l | land | lAnt | |
| r | rand | rAnt | |
| w | wit | wIt | |
| j | ja | ja: |
VOWELS
The Dutch vowels fall into two classes, ``checked'' (not occurring in
a stressed syllable without a following consonant) and ``free''.
The checked vowels are I E A O Y @:
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| I | pit | pIt | |
| E | pet | pEt | |
| A | pat | pAt | |
| O | pot | pOt | |
| Y | put | pYt | |
| @ | gemakkelijk | G@"mAk@l@k |
The free vowels comprise four monophthongs i y u a:, three ``potential
diphthongs'' e: 2: o:, and three ``essential diphthongs'' Ei 9y
Au, exemplified as follows:
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| i | vier | vir | |
| y | vuur | vyr | |
| u | voer | vur | |
| a: | naam | na:m | |
| e: | veer | ve:r | |
| 2: | deur | d2:r | |
| o: | voor | vo:r | |
| Ei | fijn | fEin | |
| 9y | huis | h9ys | |
| Au | goud | xAut |
There are also six vowel sequences which are sometimes described as
diphthongs:
| a:i | draai | "dra:i | |
| o:i | mooi | "mo:i | |
| ui | roeiboot | "ruibo:t | |
| iu | nieuw | "niu | |
| yu | duw | "dyu | |
| e:u | sneeuw | "sne:u |
Several marginal vowel phonemes are only found in loanwords:
| SYMBOL | WORD | TRANSCRIPTION | |
| E: | crème | krE:m | |
| 9: | freule | fr9:l@ | |
| O: | roze | rO:z@ |