Learn Dutch: Zij is een vrouw.

Both words mean "she", but zij is the stressed form and ze is the unstressed form. You use zij when you want to put special emphasis on the person, as in "She is a woman (not someone else)."

Is the Dutch word "is" used the exact same way as in English?

Yes! The verb zijn (to be) is irregular in Dutch, just like in English. For hij (he) and zij (she), the correct form is is. It means and sounds almost exactly the same as the English word "is".

How should I pronounce the word "een"?

Even though it has a double 'e', the word een (meaning "a" or "an") is pronounced with a short, soft sound like "uhn" (similar to the 'a' in "about"). If you pronounce it with a long vowel sound, it becomes the Dutch number one, which is written with accents as één.

How do I pronounce the "ouw" in "vrouw"?

The ouw sound is quite similar to the "ow" in the English word "cow" or "now". You start with an open "ah" sound and smoothly glide your lips into a soft "w" sound.