F Becomes V, S Becomes Z

Level 1

In Dutch, the voiceless sounds f and s at the end of a word often become their voiced counterparts v and z when you add the plural ending -en.

How It Works

This rule is a key part of Spelling Changes in Plurals. It follows specific phonological patterns:

  • Long Vowels & Diphthongs: The shift is most common after long vowels (aa, ee, oo, uu) or diphthongs (ie, oe, ui).
    Example: brief → brieven; huis → huizen. Remember to follow Open and Closed Syllables rules (e.g., baas → bazen). Note that some common words with diphthongs like eis (eisen), kruis (kruisen), kous (kousen), and paus (pausen) are exceptions and retain the 's'.
  • Liquids (l, r) and Nasals (m, n): The shift from f to v is the standard rule after 'l' or 'r' (e.g., wolf → wolven, verf → verven), though elf (the creature) is a notable exception (elfen). For the letter 's', the shift to 'z' occurs in specific words after 'l', 'r', 'm', or 'n', such as laars → laarzen, gems → gemzen, and grens → grenzen. However, many common words in this position keep the 's', such as mens → mensen, dans → dansen, and kans → kansen.
  • Loanwords: Most loanwords follow the standard rule (e.g., motief → motieven, archief → archieven). However, specific Greek-derived suffixes like -graaf, -soof, and -troof are exceptions and keep the 'f'.
    Example: fotograaf → fotografen, filosoof → filosofen.
  • Directly after Short Vowels: If the f or s follows a short vowel directly, it almost never changes to v/z (glas → glazen is a notable exception). Instead, the consonant is doubled.
    Example: straf → straffen; bus → bussen.
  • Voiceless Clusters: If the f or s is part of a cluster of voiceless consonants (like -ts, -ps, -ks, -ft), it never changes.
    Example: fiets → fietsen, rups → rupsen, helft → helften.

Important Constraints:
This shift is only triggered by suffixes starting with a vowel (like the plural -en or adjective -e). It does not apply to the Diminutive Suffix because it starts with a consonant (e.g., brief → briefje).

Beyond Plurals:
This hardening of v/z into f/s at the end of a word is a general rule. You will also see it in Finding the Verb Stem (reizen → ik reis) and Adjective Inflection (lief → een lieve kat).

Examples (6)

  1. Ik schrijf twee brieven.

    I am writing two letters.

    Word by Word: I write two letters.

    The 'f' in 'brief' changes to 'v' in the plural 'brieven' because it follows a long vowel sound.

  2. Er staan drie huizen in de straat.

    There are three houses in the street.

    Word by Word: There stand three houses in the street.

    The 's' in 'huis' changes to 'z' in the plural 'huizen' after the diphthong 'ui'.

  3. De bazen zijn op kantoor.

    The bosses are at the office.

    Word by Word: The bosses are at office.

    In 'bazen', the 's' becomes 'z'. Note that one 'a' is also dropped to follow Open and Closed Syllables rules.

  4. Ik zie twee wolven in het bos.

    I see two wolves in the forest.

    Word by Word: I see two wolves in the forest.

    The 'f' changes to 'v' after the liquid consonant 'l'.

  5. De ganzen zwemmen in de sloot.

    The geese are swimming in the ditch.

    Word by Word: The geese swim in the ditch.

    The shift from 's' to 'z' after the nasal 'n' is rare, but it occurs in words like 'gans' (ganzen) and 'grens' (grenzen).

  6. De fotografen maken een foto.

    The photographers are taking a photo.

    Word by Word: The photographers make a photo.

    While most loanwords like 'motief' (motieven) follow the rule, specific Greek-derived suffixes like '-graaf' (fotograaf) and '-soof' (filosoof) keep the 'f'.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the change to words where f/s directly follows a short vowel.

    De straven
    De straffen

    When f or s follows a short vowel directly (like in 'straf'), the consonant is doubled to keep the vowel short, rather than changing to v or z.

  • Keeping the double vowel in the plural form.

    De baazen
    De bazen

    When 'baas' becomes 'bazen', the first syllable becomes open, so we only write one 'a' according to Open and Closed Syllables rules.

  • Assuming the 's' to 'z' shift is always guaranteed.

    De eizen
    De eisen

    While 'f' almost always changes to 'v', the 's' to 'z' shift is less consistent. Many words like 'eis' (demand) or 'kruis' (cross) keep the 's' in the plural.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

F Becomes V, S Becomes ZLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand why 'brief' becomes 'brieven', you first need to know how to form regular plurals with -en. Additionally, because this change often triggers other spelling adjustments related to vowel length, knowledge of syllable rules is essential. Understanding final devoicing helps explain the phonetic logic behind why the spelling changes from a voiceless consonant (f/s) to a voiced one (v/z).