If you are new to the Netherlands like I am, you will notice that the though the dutch script is the same as English, the pronunciation seems very different. I am not an expert in Dutch but I have observed a few things during my stay here that makes it easy for me to guess the correct pronunciation. Below is a very simple 5 min starting guide to dutch pronunciations:
"ij" or 'j' as 'y'
The first thing one probably notices about dutch spellings is the extensive use of 'ij' (E.g. Sloterdijk). This is usually treated as a long 'y'. So Sloterdijk should be read as if it is Sloterdyk. Other occurrences of 'j' are also treated like a 'y'. For example ja is ya (yes), jaar is yaar (year) etc.
'v' as 'f'
'v' is usually pronounced as a soft 'f'. E.g. van is fan (from) etc.
'g' as a vocalised 'kh' (ख़)
This is the most tricky one. The alphabet 'g' is mostly pronounced as a vocalised 'kh' or ख़. This is similar to how it is used in a lot of Urdu/Persian words in India like ख़ान or ख़ुदा. If you can get this right, your dutch will sound very authentic. E.g. Geen is pronounced as ख़ीन (meaning no, not).
't' and 'd' as त and द
English pronunciation of 't' is mostly ट and 'd' is ड, but for dutch words 't' should be pronounced as त and 'd' as द. So Sloterdijk is स्लो-तर-दा-इक and not स्लो-टर-डा-इक.
'z' as 's'
'z' is mostly pronounced as स and not ज़ . Zelf is pronounced self (meaning self).
Putting it all together
Putting it all together, I feel like dutch pronunciations are more closer to Hindi than they are to English. If you want to read them right, you can almost assume that someone has written Hindi and try to pronounce it likewise. So Amsterdam, instead of being pronounced एम्स्टर्डम, is actually pronounced आम-स्तर-दाम or Technology is तेक-नो-लो-ख़ी.
As I said, I am not an expert in Dutch, and this is just my observation. If there is something I have missed, please let me know in the comments.
Hope this helps.
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