Keeping Long Vowels Long
In Dutch, many nouns form their plural by adding an -s. However, if a noun ends in a single open vowel (a, i, o, u, or y), simply adding an -s would trap the vowel in a closed syllable, changing its pronunciation from a long to a short vowel sound.
To keep the vowel sound long, we add an apostrophe before the s ('s).
| Why are those babies crying? | Waarom huilen die baby's? |
| The grandmas are happy, because it is spring. | De oma's zijn blij, want het is lente. |
| The taxis leave at ten o'clock. | De taxi's vertrekken om tien uur. |
| We need two red umbrellas. | Wij hebben twee rode paraplu's nodig. |
| The pianos in this store are very expensive. | De piano's in deze winkel zijn erg duur. |
You will see this plural form frequently, as many loanwords and multi-syllable words in Dutch end in a single open vowel. No matter how long the word is, the rule stays the same.
| There are many nice programs tonight. | Er zijn vanavond veel leuke programma's. |
| We understand the risks of this project. | Wij begrijpen de risico's van dit project. |
| This book has a hundred pages. | Dit boek heeft honderd pagina's. |
| The colleagues are looking at the photos. | De collega's kijken naar de foto's. |
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