A Guide to German Pronunciation Welcome to the new location of this online guide to German pronunciation, which I originally developed with support from the University of Exeter.. The guide forms part of my Ab Initio German Course and is aimed therefore at beginners and intermediate learners of German rather than advanced students of phonetics. The sounds of German are explained with reference to the letters tthat hat students encounter in German words, and although key German phonemes are explained, a knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet is not a prerequsite for reading this guide. Anyone interested in German phonetics should click here for my PowerPoint letter on the phonemes of German or here for the page on German phonetics on my German Dialects linklist. This pronunciation guide is subdivided into sections on German consonants, German vowels and pronunciation exercises. Clicking on the links in the tables below will take you to pages in which the sounds associated with each lett letter er of the German alphabet are explained, accompanied by sound files to help you practise forming the sounds. Visitors who were familiar with the previous incarnation of this site will note that over a hundred new sound files have now been added to this updated ated version and that the number of pages on German consonants has been doubled. The voices that you will hear on this site are those of my colleagues Uta Grimm, Markus Spitz and Barbara Arnold. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their thei support on this project and for their generosity with their time. As the older version of the site at Exeter has now been removed, please amend your bookmarks for this site to the new URL: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/pronounce/
The letters of the German alphabet Like English, the German alphabet has 26 letters. The names for each letter are in many cases slightly different to their English equivalents or are pronounced in a different way. These letters and their names are listed in the table below. Click on the sound icon to the right of each letter to hear it being spoken by a native speaker. The letters of the German alphabet ah
beh
tseh
deh
eh
eff
geh
hah
eeh
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yot
kah
ell
emm
enn
oh
peh
kuh
err
ess
teh
uh
fau
weh
iks
üppsilon
tsett
German umlauts and the eszett
The German alphabet song To help you remember the letters of the German alphabet, there is a handy rhyme which is sung to the same tune as its English equivalent, although it has to be modified slightly to rhyme in German. Click either here or on the sound icon on left to listen to this song being sung by a native speaker. The text of the song is given in the box below: Sounds 2: The German alphabet song a, b, c, d, e, f, g h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p q, r, s, t, u, v, w q, r, s, t, u, v, w x, y, z - juchhe! Das ist das ganze ABC! (a, b, c, d, e, f, g h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p q, r, s, t, u, v, w q, r, s, t, u, v, w x, y, z - hooray! This is the whole ABC!) 2
Alternative version of the song If you wish to practise this as a group in class, click either here or on the sound icon on the left for a slower version of the same alphabet song. This version of the rhyme stops after each line to give you time to repeat it before mo moving ving on to the next line. And below are a number of further exercises to help you master the German alphabet and German pronunciation in general.
Alphabet and Pronunciation Exercises German man alphabet and pronunciation exercises Alphabet exercises Spelling your name
Listen to some German names being spelled and see if you can write them down.
German abbreviations Read out some German abbreviations and then hear how they should sound. MFG - mit Watch a video for a German rap video made up freundlichen Grüßen of abbrevations and then sing along to the instrumental! Pronunciation exercises Anglicized German words
How to pronounce German words that have made their way into the English language.
Similar words in English and German
These words in this exercise may look familiar to us, but are spoken very differently in German.
Anglicized German names
How should the names of these famous people from the German-speaking speaking countries actually be pronounced?
German names for cities
How do native German speakers refer to the following towns and cities?
German tonguetwisters
Listen to and then try to repeat a collection of German tongue-twisters.
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German Consonants Index of the German consonant pages The letter 'b'
The letters 'ch'
'chs' at the start of words
'chs' and 'ck' sounds
The letter 'd'
'd' + another consonant
The letter 'f'
The letter 'g'
'gn' and 'ng' sounds
Loan words containing 'g'
The letter 'h'
The letter 'j'
The letter 'k'
'k' + another consonant
The letter 'l'
The letter 'm'
'm' + another consonant
The letter 'n'
'ng' and 'nk' sounds
The letter 'p'
'p' + another consonant
The 'pf' sound
The letter 'q'
The consonantal 'r'
'r' + another consonant
The vocalic 'r'
The letter 's'
The 'sch' sound
'sp' and 'st' sounds
The letter 't'
't' + another consonant
The letter 'v'
The letter 'w'
The letter 'y'
The letter 'z'
German Vowels Index of the German vowel pages Long vowels
Short vowels
Long and short 'a'
Long and short 'ä'
'au', 'äu' and 'eu'
Long and short 'e'
Unstressed '-e' e' and ''-er'
'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay'
Long and short 'i'
The letters 'ie'
Long and short 'o'
Long and short 'ö'
Long and short 'u'
Long and short 'ü'
The letter 'y'
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Pronunciation Exercises
The German Consonant 'b' When the German consonant 'b' appears either at the start or in the middle of a word, it is pronounced in a similar way to its English equival equivalent. ent. In both languages, the sound is a bilabial plosive, i.e. in order to make the 'b' sound, both lips must be placed together. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce a number of German rman words beginning with the letter 'b'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'b' in initial position Baum (tree)
Bank (bank)
Berg (mountain)
Bier (beer)
Boot (boat)
Buch (book)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce a number of German words in which the letter 'b' appears in the middle. The words themselves are supplied pplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 2: 'b' in medial position Liebe (love)
Baby (baby)
Robben (seals)
glauben (to believe)
But when the German consonant 'b' appears at the end of a word it is pronounced as a /p/. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce a number of German words in which the letter 'b' appears at the end of a word, and note how the sound has changed. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
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Sounds 3: 'b' in final position Lob (praise)
taub (deaf)
gab (gave)
Kalb (calf)
This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /b/ and /p/ phonemes are both bilabial plosives and only differ in that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /b/,, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /p/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: • • •
Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Bein (= leg) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Pein (= agony).. Note that there is no vibration in your vocal cords this time.
To help you distinguish between the /b/ and /p/ sounds that the letter 'b' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'b' will be pronounced /b/ as it appears in the middle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'b' appears at the end of a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /p/. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear these pairs of words which you can read in the box below: Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /b/ and /p/ lieben (to love)
lieb (kind)
rauben (to rob)
Raub (robbery)
Diebe (thieves)
Dieb (thief)
Diebstahl (theft)
gelb (yellow)
How to pronounce German 'ch'
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The German Consonant 'ch' Thee consonant sounds represented graphically by the German letters 'ch' often cause English native speakers major problems. This is firstly because the sounds do not occur naturally in the English language and secondly because the articulation of the letters 'ch' varies considerably in sound depending on their position in the word and the sound which precedes 'ch'. 'ch' Many speakers of English mistakenly articulate the sound as a /k/ phoneme, and thus mispronounce the German word 'doch' as if it were 'dock', and 'ich' as if it were 'ick'. This temptation must be resisted. 1. 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au' When the letters 'ch' follow the German 'back' vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au',, the sound produced corresponds to the 'ch' heard when Scots talk about 'Lo 'Loch Ness'. ss'. It is articulated therefore with the back of the tongue close to or touching the soft palate. If this is not a sound with which you are familiar: •
make a 'h' sound, remembering to let the air flow freely. While you are making this sound, reduce the gap between the roof of your mouth and the back of your tongue until friction becomes audible.
Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say ten German words containing this form of the sound written as 'ch'. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au' ach (oh!)
Bach (stream)
Krach (noise)
Loch (hole)
Tochter (daughter)
mochte (liked)
Buch (book)
Tuch (cloth)
Bauch (stomach)
Rauch (smoke)
2. 'ch' after the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or after a consonant When the letters 'ch' follow the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', 'ö' or a consonant, a different sound is required that is articulated much further forward in the mouth. It resembles the 'h' sound made at the start of English words such as 'huge', 'humour' or 'humane', but the German sound needs ds to be articulated more vigorously and with the sound drawn out. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear ten German words which contain this
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version of the German letters 'ch' 'ch'.. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds nds 2: 'ch' after a front vowel or consonant Blech (tin)
Stich (sting)
Bäche (streams)
möchte (would like)
Bücher (books)
euch (you (informal))
Bräuche (customs)
Dolch (dagger)
Mönch (monk)
Storch (stork)
Next, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the front 'ch' sound appears in medial position. Note that the diminutive '-chen' is always pronounced in this way regardless of whether it follows a front or back vowel: Sounds 3: Front 'ch' in medial position Hähnchen (chicken)
fechten (to fence)
Becher (cup, tub)
stechen (to sting)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say seven German words in which the front 'ch' sound appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation. Sounds 4: Front 'ch' in final position ich (I)
dich (you (informal))
mich (me)
euch (you (informal))
Milch (milk)
weich (soft)
reich (rich)
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Note that the consonant sound in an -ig suffix is also pronounced as a front "ch". Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six '-ig' words which you can read in the box below: Sounds 5: The "-ig" suffix richtig (correct)
Honig (honey)
lustig (funny)
traurig (sad)
eilig (hurried)
fertig (finished)
Differentiating between back and front 'ch' In phonetics, the two 'ch' sounds are represented by different phonemes. • •
The phoneme /x/ is used to represent the sound made when 'ch' follows the back vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au'. The phoneme /ç/ is used to represent the sound made when 'ch' follows the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or if it follows a consonant.
To practise differentiating between front and back 'ch' sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five pairs of words in which the sounds occur. In each pair, the back 'ch' of the singular becomes a front 'ch' in the plural, requiring the letters to be articulated in a very different way: Sounds nds 6: Differentiating between front and back 'ch' sounds Brauch (custom)
Bräuche (customs)
Strauch (bush)
Sträucher (bushes)
Buch (book)
Bücher (books)
Loch (hole)
Löcher (holes)
Tuch (cloth)
Tücher (cloths)
How to pronounce the German sound 'ch' at the start of words 9
German 'ch' at the start of words When the letters 'ch' appear ppear at the start of a word, then the sound that is usually produced is the /ç/ phoneme, i.e. the sound that is made when 'ch' follows a front vowel. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German words starting with the letters 'ch'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 1: 'ch' in initial position Chemie (chemistry)
China (China)
chinesisch (Chinese)
Chirurg (surgeon)
In South Germany and Austria however, this initial 'ch' sound can be pronounced as a /k/ phoneme and this articulation is viewed as an acceptable variant to the standard pronunciation. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the same 'ch' words in the box above, but this time pronounced as one might expect to hear them in Bavaria.
Imported words beginning with 'ch' A number of words beginning in 'ch' that have been imported from French require the 'ch' sound to be articulated in the manner that we would be accustomed to hear in France. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear seven such words. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: 'ch' in initial position in French loan words Chef (boss)
Chance (chance)
Champagner (champagne)
Chauffeur (chauffeur)
Charme (charm)
Chaussee (avenue)
Chauvinist (chauvinist)
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To complicate matters further, other words with 'ch' in initial position have been imported from English and retain the pronunciation that you would expect to hear in English. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four such German imports all of which begin with an English 'ch' sound: Sou Sounds 3: English 'ch' in initial position chartern (to charter)
checken (to check)
Chat (chat)
Cheeseburger (cheeseburger)
How to pronounce the German sounds 'chs' and 'ck'
The German 'chs' sound The German letters 'chs' are pronounced 'ks' in a similar manner to the English words 'vixen' and 'oxen'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words containing the letters 'chs' - including the German word for the number six itself. The he words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 1: The German 'chs' sound sechs (six)
Sachsen (Saxony)
Wachs (wax)
wachsen (to grow)
Büchse (tin)
Achsel (shoulder)
The German letters 'ck' The German letters 'ck' are pronounced in the same way as the letter 'k'. The vowel preceding 'ck' is always short and stressed. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four words containing the letters 'ck'.. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: The German 'ck' sound Scheck (cheque)
Stück (piece) 11
Glück (happiness)
Stock (stick)
Differentiating between the German 'ch' sounds and 'ck' is a perennial problem for native English speakers. To practise the distinction, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to five pairs of words. The first word in each pair contains a 'ch' sound, while the second contains a 'ck' sound. Sounds nds 3: Differentiating between 'ch' and 'ck' Bach (stream)
Backpulver (baking powder)
Mechthild (girl's name)
meckern (to complain)
Buch (book)
Buckel (hunchback)
roch (smelled)
Rock (skirt)
Ernst Bloch (philosopher)
Schreibblock (writing pad)
Next, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to the following two words which both contain a 'ch' and a 'ck' sound, and try to distinguish between tween them. Sou Sounds 4: 'ch' and 'ck' in the same word glücklich (happy)
schrecklich (dreadful)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the following German tongue-twister twister which contains both 'ch' and 'ck' sounds. Then see how you cope with saying it yourself! Sou Sounds 5: A 'ch' and 'ck' tongue-twister Mechthild hthild und Eckhard machen schrecklich Krach. (Mechthild and Eckhard are making a dreadful din.)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'd'
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The German Consonant 'd' When the German consonant 'd' appears either at the start or in the middle of a word, it is pronounced in a similar way to its English equivalent. In both languages, the sound soun is an alveolar plosive, which means that it is made with the blade of the tongue pressing against the alveolar ridge. The alveolar ridge is the part of the roof of the mouth directly above the teeth. Simultaneously, both sides of the tongue press against the hard palate and form a closure. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words all beginning with the letter 'd'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'd' in initial position danke (thank you)
deutsch (German)
doch (yes (after negative) negative))
dunkel (dark)
dieser (this)
Dusche (shower)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'd' appears in the middle. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 2: 'd' in medial position Mode (fashion)
Laden (shop)
Lieder (songs)
Feder (feather)
wieder (again)
Bruder (brother)
But when the German consonant 'd' appears at the end of a word it is pronounced as a /t/. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'd' appears at the end of a word, and note how the sound has changed. The words themselves es are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 3: 'd' in final position 13
Lied (song)
Bad (bath)
Rad (wheel)
Tod (death)
This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /d/ and /t/ phonemes are both alveolar plosives and only differ in that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /d/,, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /t/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: • • •
Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Dorf (= village) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Torf (= peat). Note that there is no vibration n in your vocal cords this time.
To help you distinguish between the /d/ and /t/ sounds that the letter 'b' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'd' will be pronounced /d/ as it appears in the middle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'd' appears at the end off a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /t/. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear these pairs of words which you can read in the box below: Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /d/ and /t/ Hunde (dogs)
Hund (dog)
wenden (to turn)
Wand (wall)
leider (unfortunately) ortunately)
Leid (suffering)
landen (to land)
Land (land)
baden (to bathe)
Bad (bath)
How to pronounce German 'd' + another consonant
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The German consonant 'd' + another consonant The German consonant /d/ retains its sound at the start or in the middle of a word when it is usedd in combination with other consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four words where the letter 'd' forms part of a consonant cluster that appears ap at the start of a word. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'd' + consonant in initial position drei (three)
draußen (outside)
Drama (drama)
drehen (to turn)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in the middle of which the letter 'd' appears as part of a consonant cluster. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sou Sounds 2: 'd' + consonant in medial position Kinder (children)
wandern (to wander)
Bilder (pictures)
niedrig (low)
Note that the German consonant cluster '-dt' is also pronounced as a /t/ phoneme. It occurs most frequently in the word Stadt and its compounds. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce the words below: Sounds 3: The consonant cluster 'dt' Stadt (city)
Städte (cities)
Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear how the word Mädchen should be spoken. The consonant cluster in the middle of this word can cause difficulties for nonnon native speakers.
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which
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the letter 'd' appears as part of a consonant cluster at the end of a word. As before, whenever the German consonant 'd' appears at the end of a word, it is pronounced as a /t/ phoneme. Sou Sounds 4: Consonant + 'd' in final position Deutschland tschland (Germany)
Kind (child)
Geld (money)
Bild (picture)
Herd (cooker)
Bord (board)
How to pronounce German 'f'
The German Consonant 'f' The German consonant 'f' should cause relatively few difficulties for native English speakers. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fri 'fricative' cative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible. The /f/ phoneme is thus formed in the same manner and the same place as the German /v/. The difference is thatt you use your vocal cords to make the /v/ sound, but not when you articulate /f/. To feel the difference between the two consonants, place your hands over your ears and repeat the German words fein and Wein (which begins with the /v/ phoneme, despite its spelling). When you say fein,, the only thing that should hear is the airstream passing out through your mouth. But when you say Wein Wein,, you should be able to feel your entire head vibrate. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words all beginning with the letter 'f'. The words themselves aree given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'f' in initial position Familie (family)
Fahrrad (bicycle)
Fernseher (television set)
fünf (five)
Fuß (foot)
Fehler (mistake)
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words in which the letter 'f' appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 2: 'f' in medial position Seife (soap)
Telefon (telephone)
hoffen (to hope)
kaufen (to buy)
Prüfung (examination)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in i which the letter 'f' appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: 'f' in final position Einkauf (purchase)
Schlaf (sleep)
doof (stupid)
tief (deep)
The German 'ph' sound As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that they are now spelled with an 'f'.. You would now write Telefon, for example, rather than Telephon, and Fotografie rather than Photographie Photographie.. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole acceptable spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the correct pronunciation of four words with the /ph/ spelling: Sounds 4: The German 'ph' sound Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'g' 17
The German Consonant 'g' The German consonant 'g' is most often pronounced in the same way as the initial letter of the English word 'gone'. The /g/ phoneme is a velar plosive, which means that it is articulated in the soft palate or velum towards the back of the vocal tract. The closure is thus formed further back in the oral passage than with other consonants. The vocal cords vibrate as the consonant is articulated, which makes /g/ a 'voiced' sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words all beginning with the letter 'g'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'g' in initial position gestern (yesterday)
gut (good)
ganz (quite)
Gold (gold)
geben (to give)
Gier (greed)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'g' appears in the middle. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 2: 'g' in medial position Vogel (bird)
Fliege (fly)
sagen (to say)
Lage (situation)
Auge (eye)
zeigen (to show)
But when the German consonant 'g' appears at the end of a word it hardens to a /k/ phoneme. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words in which the letter 'g' appears at the end of a word, and note how th thee sound has changed. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
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Sounds 3: 'g' in final position klug (intelligent)
Sieg (victory)
Katalog (catalogue)
Zug (train)
Krieg (war)
This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /g/ and /k/ phonemes are both velar plosives, the difference being that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /g/, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /k/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: • • •
Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Gabel (= fork) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Kabel (= cable).. Note that there is no vibration in your vocal cords this time.
To help you distinguish between the /g/ and /k/ sounds that the letter 'g' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'g' will be pronounced /g/ as it appears in the middle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'g' appears at the end of a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /k/. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear these pairs of words which you can read in the box below: Sou Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /g/ and /k/ bürgen (to vouch for)
Burg (castle)
Jürgen (Jürgen)
Jörg (Jörg)
tagen (to meet (of government) government))
Tag (day)
fliegen (to fly)
Flug (flight)
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The '-ig' ending When 'g' forms part of an -ig suffix it is pronounced as -ich using the /ç/ phoneme discussed elsewhere on this site site. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six '-ig' words listed in the box below: Sounds 5: The "-ig" suffix richtig (correct)
Honig (honey)
lustig (funny)
traurig (sad)
eilig (hurried)
fertig (finished)
In other parts of Germany however, you may hear the consonant in an -ig suffix pronounced in a way that is closer to the /-ig/ phoneme. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to the words in the box above pronounced in this way.
How to pronounce German 'gn' and 'ng'
The German 'g' in consonant clusters Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'g' appears as the first letter in a consonant cluster at the beginning of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'g' + consonant in initial position Glas (glass)
gleich (same, equal)
Glück (happiness)
grau (grey)
groß (big)
grün (green)
Note in particular that the initial 'g' in a 'gn-' consonant cluster is pronounced even when this occurs at the start of a word. This is also true of the 'kn-' cluster. Listen to the following words by either clicking here or on the sound icon on the left and contrast the initial sound with how this would be pronounced in English: 20
Sounds 2: 'gn' and 'kn' in initial position Gnom (gnome)
Gnade (mercy)
Knie (knee)
Knecht (vassal)
Kneipe (pub)
Knopf (button)
The consonant sound 'ng' The '-ng' consonant combination is pronounced in a manner that is similar to its English equivalent in words such as 'thing' and 'bring'. Although it is not represented by a single letter of the alphabet, '-ng' constitutes a distinct consonant, and it is described as a velar nasal. nasal This means that it is formed in the soft palate (velum) towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tonguee pressed against the velum. It is described as 'nasal' because the sound is expelled through the nasal cavity and not the oral tract. This sound can cause difficulties for native English speakers because, although English also has the 'ng' consonant, there re are two varieties of this in English. There is a noticeable difference in the way that the words 'finger' and 'ringer' are pronounced in English. If you say them to yourself, you will notice that these two words do not quite rhyme. There is an extra 'g' sound in 'finger' (and words such as 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger') that is not articulated in 'ringer' (and words such as 'singer' and 'longing'). Only one form of the '-ng' consonant sound exists in German however. It does not have the extra /g/ phoneme neme that we find in 'finger', 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger', which means that care needs to be taken with the pronunciation of their German equivalents "Finger", "jünger", "länger" and "Hunger". It is when the '-ng' consonant sound appears in the middle of a word that English speakers need to pay the most attention. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words in which the 'ng' sounds appears in the middle of a word, and compare it to how you might articulate the word in English. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English tran translation: Sounds 3: 'ng' in medial position Hunger (hunger)
abhängig (dependent)
singen (to sing)
Finger (finger)
Menge (amount) 21
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the sound '-ng' occurs in final position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 4: 'ng' in final position lang (long)
Wohnung (apartment)
Meldung (announcement)
Ring (ring)
Frühling (spring)
streng (severe)
How to pronounce German 'g' in loan words
The German consonant 'g' in French loan words The 'g' consonant retains its ooriginal riginal pronunciation in a number of words that have been imported from other languages. This is particularly true of loan words taken from French. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear seven German words in which the letters '-age' appear. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 1: Imported '-age' words Garage (garage)
Reportage (report)
Etage (floor of building)
Passage (passage)
Blamage (embarrassment)
Rage (rage)
Engagement (commitment)
This sound is also maintained in a number of words of French origin that contain the letters 'gi-'.. Listen to the following imported 'gi-' words by either clicking here or on the sound icon on the left.
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Sounds 2: Imported '-gi' words Regie (direction (film) (film))
Regisseur (director)
Regime (regime)
It is not always easy to distinguish between words that begin with 'Ge-'', but which have deceptively different pronunciations. Note the different ways in which the first syllable of the following words is articulated by clicking either here or on the sound icon on the left. The first word in each pair retains its initial French consonant sound after being imported into German, whereas the second word in each pair starts with a /g/ phoneme. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: Imported 'ge-' words Genie (genius)
genial (inspired)
Gelee (jelly)
Gel (gel)
Genre (genre)
Gen (gene)
The consonant sound 'g' in English loan words A further group of German words have been imported from English and thus retain the English pronunciation of the 'g' consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three such words: Sounds 4: Loan words with English 'g' sounds Manager (manager)
Management (management)
Teenager (teenager)
How to pronounce German 'h'
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The German 'h' sound When the German letter 'h' appears at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced in a manner thatt corresponds to the initial sound in the English words 'house',, 'hall' or 'history'. In English as in German, a slight narrowing of the speech organs takes place in the glottis, causing friction to the airstream. The German 'h' sound is therefore called a glottal fricative. Unlike in many English dialects however, this 'h' sound can never be 'dropped' - i.e. omitted - at the start or middle of words. The 'h' sound is never used in final position in German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six words featuring the 'h' sound. Pay close attention to the final two words in which 'h' is used in medial position. Sounds 1: The 'h' glottal fricative Haus (house)
hier (here)
Heim (home)
Haupt (head)
Bahnhof (station)
Hochhaus (block of flats)
But the letter 'h' is not pronounced at all if it used merely to indicate that the preceding vowel is a long one. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four words in which the letter 'h' is not articulated. Note in particular the length of the vowel that it follows. Sounds nds 2: Words in which 'h' is not pronounced stehen (to stand)
gehen (to go)
fahren (to travel)
Lehrer (teacher)
The consonant cluster 'th' is always pronounced as the phoneme /t/.. This is true regardless of whether 'th' appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Click either here or on the sound icon onn the left to hear a native speaker pronounce German words which contain 'th'. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 3: The 'th' consonant cluster Theater (theatre)
Thema (theme)
Theorie (theory)
sympathisch (pleasant)
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Apotheke (chemist's)
Mathematik (mathematics)
Methode (method)
Athlet (athlete)
Psychopath (psychopath)
As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that they are now spelled with an 'f'.. You would now write Telefon,, for example, rather than Telephon, and Fotografie rather than Photographie Photographie. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole acceptable spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the correct pronunciation of four words with the /ph/ spelling: Sounds 4: The German 'ph' consonant cluster Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics) How to pronounce German 'j'
The German Consonant 'j' The German consonant 'j' is almost always pronounced in the same manner as the English 'y' sound that in words such as 'yes', 'yellow' or 'yard'. It is formed when the middle of the tongue makes contact with the hard palate and it is a 'voiced' sound i.e. you can feel you vocal cords vibrate when the sound is aarticulated. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words which all start with the letter 'j'. Sounds 1: Words starting with the letters 'j' ja (yes)
jung (young)
jetzt (now)
jeder (each)
Jubel (jubilation)
Jugend (youth)
Jacke (jacket)
Jahr (year)
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two words which contain the German letter 'j' in medial position. The spelling of the German word Majonäse was Germanified as part of the recent spelling reforms in the German German-speaking speaking countries. Sounds nds 2: Imported words with 'j' in medial position Majonäse onäse (mayonnaise)
Boje (buoy)
The proximity of German 'j' to English 'y' can be seen by the fact that many words imported from English that originally began with a 'y' are spelled in German with an initial 'j'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six such imported German words which alll start with the German letter 'j' in German. Sou Sounds 3: Imported words starting with 'j' Jacht (yacht)
Joghurt (yoghurt)
Jo-Jo (yo-yo)
jodeln (to yodel)
Jod (iodine)
Jota (iota)
There is an ever-growing growing number of exceptions to this rule however. The influx of English terms beginning with the letter 'j' into the German language has been accompanied by the retention of the English 'j' sound in spoken German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words which start with the letter 'j' articulated as it would be in English. Sounds 4: Words starting with an 'English' letter 'j' Job (job)
Jazz (jazz)
Jet (jet)
Jeep (jeep)
Jeans (jeans)
Jumper (jumper)
Jackpot (jackpot)
joggen (to jog)
To complicate matters yet further, a further set of words beginning in 'j' have been imported from French and thus require the 'j' sound to be articulated in the manner that we would be accustomed to hear in France. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear 26
four such words. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 5: Words starting with a 'French' letter 'j' Journalist (male journalist)
Journal (journal)
Journalistin rnalistin (female journalist)
Jalousie (blind)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'k' The German Consonant 'k' The German consonant 'k' is most often pronounced in the same way as the final letter of the English word 'cook'. The /k/ phoneme is a velar plosive, which means that it is articulated in the soft palate or velum towards the back of the vocal tract. The closure is thus formed further back in the oral passage than with other consonants. Unlike the phoneme /g/,, the vocal cords do not vibrate as the consonant is articulated, which makes /k/ a 'voiceless' consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words all beginning ng with the letter 'k'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'k' in initial position kalt (cold)
Kaffee (coffee)
Kino (common)
kommen (to come)
Kuchen (cake)
kein (not a, none)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'k' appears as the first letter in a consonant cluster at the beginning of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'k' + consonant in initial position klein (small)
klasse! (great!)
krank (ill)
Krieg (war)
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Next, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'k' appears in medial position. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: 'k' in medial position Theke (bar; counter)
Paket (packet)
Socke (sock)
lecker (tasty)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce four German words in which the letter 'k' appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied pplied in the box below along with an English translation. Note how the letters 'k' and 'g' are pronounced in the same way, i.e. as the phoneme /k/, when they appear at the end of a word. Sounds 3: 'k' in final position Streik (strike)
Kuckuck (cuckoo)
Rock (skirt; rock music)
Glück (happiness)
How to pronounce German 'k' in consonant clusters The German sound 'k' in consonant clusters Click either here or on the sound icon on the lef leftt to hear four German words in which the letter 'k' appears as the first letter in a consonant cluster at the beginning of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'k' + consonant in initial position klein (small)
klasse! (great!)
krank (ill)
Krieg (war)
When 'k' appears as the second element in an initial consonant cluster, it retains its /k/ phoneme. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'k' appears after 's' 's'.
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Sou Sounds 2: The 'sk' sound in initial position Skandal (scandal)
Sklave (slave)
Skelett (skeleton)
Skulptur (sculpture)
But be careful of the pronunciation of the German word Ski!! It is pronounced as "Schi", an alternate version of the word, and often catches out learners of German. Click either here or on the sound und icon on the left to hear how the word should be spoken. Sounds 3: How to pronounce 'Ski' Ski fahren (to ski)
ich fahre Ski (I am skiing)
The consonant cluster 'nk' In the consonant cluster written as "-nk",, the sound produced is a combination of the velar nasal "ng" heard at the end of English words such as 'thing' and bring', followed by the phoneme /k/.. This is less complicated than it sounds, equating to how we pronounce English words such as 'thin-king. king. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which this sound comb combination ination appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 4: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position sinken (to sink)
trinken (to drink)
Enkel (grandchild)
Onkel (uncle)
Now click here to listen to a similar set of '-nk' words spoken by a different native German speaker. In each case, the sound produced is the same as in the table above: Sounds nds 5: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position trinken (to drink)
danken (to thank)
denken (to think)
Frankreich (France)
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This consonant cluster is also heard when 'nk' appears as the end of a word, either on its own or followed by a further consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letters 'nk' appear in final position in German lexical items. Sou Sounds 6: The sound 'nk' in final position Punkt (point)
winkt (waves)
sinkt (sinks)
trinkt (drinks)
To distinguish between the German 'nk' and 'ng' sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three pairs of words in which the different sounds occur: Sounds 7: Distinguishing between 'ng' and 'nk' sounds singen (to sing)
sinken (to sink)
Engel (angel)
Enkel (grandchild)
Finger (finger)
Finken (finches)
How to pronounce German 'l'
The German Consonant 'l' The pronunciation of the German consonant 'l' often proves difficult for language learners whose first language is English. This is because th thee English consonant system contains two 'l' sounds: • •
1) the so-called clear 'l' or front 'l' which is found at the beginning of words (i.e. 'lamp', 'land', 'like') 2) the dark 'l' or back 'l' which is found only at the end of words or syllables (i.e. 'rattle', 'tackle', 'will').
German, on the other hand, uses the clear 'l' sound in all positions. It can prove difficult therefore for English speakers to resist the temptation to articulate dark 'l' consonants at the end of German words or syllables whe where a clear 'l' sound should be employed. You should therefore practise the formation of the German clear 'l' (front 'l') sound. It is a lateral consonant, which means air escapes laterally in its production, because the sides of the tongue 30
stay down while the blade of the tongue makes contact with the alveolar ridge of the mouth. To feel the movement of air for yourself, trying forming a clear 'l' but then breathe in quickly - you will feel a stream of cold air moving along both sides of the tongue and palate. pal Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear ten German w words ords containing the German clear 'l'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sou Sounds 1: The German clear or front 'l' alleine (alone)
hell (bright)
wild (wild)
Fräulein (young lady)
Polen (Poland)
Teil (part)
Unheil (disaster)
Schal (shawl)
Leute (people)
lallen (to babble)
As it is the end of words where native English speakers are most tempted to use a dark 'l', click either here or on the sound icon on the left to practise the following German words, all of which ich contain a final consonant which must be pronounced as a clear 'l'. 'l' The words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: 'l' in final position viel (much)
Ventil (valve; outlet)
Stil (style)
Nil (Nile)
Kiel (Kiel)
subtil (subtle)
The clear 'l' is also used in final '-el' syllables. Make sure that you do not unconsciously raise the back of your tongue when articulating these sounds, as we do for example in English 'cattle', 'subtle' or 'scuttle'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words which all end in a clear '-el'. Sou Sounds 3: German '-el' in final position Schlüssel
Mittel 31
(key)
(means)
Apfel (apple)
Wandel (change)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce four German words ending in '-eln'.. These too need to be articulated with a clear 'l' (front 'l') ass opposed to a dark 'l'. Sounds 4: German '-eln' in final position wandeln (to change)
sammeln (to collect)
angeln (to fish)
Kartoffeln (potatoes)
How to pronounce German 'm'
The German Consonant 'm' The German 'm' is a nasal consonant, which means that when it is made, the airsream escapes through the nose and not the mouth. To prove this to yourself, try making an extended 'mmmmm' sound and then squeezing your nose with your fingers. The air can no longer longe escape and the sound cannot be articulated. Note too that your vocal cords vibrate when the consonant is formed, which means that /m/ is a 'voiced/ sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words that begin with the letter 'm'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with th an English translation: Sounds 1: 'm' in initial position Mann (man)
Maus (mouse)
Musik (music)
mehr (more)
Minute (minute)
modern (modern)
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'm' appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: 'm' in medial position kommen (to come)
Name (name)
Sommer (summer)
Bäume (trees)
Zimmer (room)
Riemen (strap)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in i which the letter 'm' appears at the end of a word. As before, the words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: 'd' in final position Lamm (lamb)
Dom (cathedral)
Baum (tree)
Reichtum (wealth)
How to pronounce German 'm' + another consonant
The German 'm' sound in consonant clusters The German 'm' sound is also used in consonant clusters and retains its bilbial nasal sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German words that begin with consonant clusters that contain the letter 'm'.. The words themselves themse are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'm' + another consonant in initial position Schmuck (jewellery)
schmal (narrow)
Schmerz (pain)
Smaragd (emerald)
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'm' appears in a consonant cluster in medial position. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds nds 2: Clusters with 'm' in medial position Lampe (lamp)
Tempel (temple)
Ampel (traffic fic light)
Rampe (ramp)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to three German words in which the letter 'm' appears in a final consonant cluster. As before, the words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: 'm' in final position Amt (office)
Hemd (shirt)
plump (clumsy)
How to pronounce the German 'n' consonant
The German Consonant 'n' The German 'n' is a nasal consonant, which means that it is articulated with air escaping through the nose and not the vocal tract. It is articulated in a different position in the mouth to /m/ however, with the tip or blade of the tongue pressed firmly against the alveoli or tooth-ridge, tooth which is the part of the mouth immediately behind the top teeth. This combination of manner and place of aticulation means that the German /n/ is called an alveolar nasal.. Note too that your vocal cords vibrate when the consonant is formed, which means that /m/ is a 'voiced/ sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say eight German words that begin with the letter 'n'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'n' in initial position Nacht (night)
Nase (nose)
Nebel
neu 34
(fog)
(new)
nicht (not)
niemand (no-one)
noch (still)
Nummer (number)
The German 'n' sound is also used in consonant clusters in which it retains its alveolar nasal sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German words that begin with the 'schn' consonant cluster. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: The 'schn' cluster in initial position Schnee (snow)
schnell (quick)
Schneider (tailor)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'n' appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: 'n' in medial position Tunnel (tunnel)
genug (enough)
Linie (line)
Miene (expression)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'n' appears at the end of a word. As before, the words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 4: 'n' in final position schön (beautiful)
essen (to eat)
braun (brown)
sein (his; to be)
How to pronounce German 'ng' + 'nk' 35
The German Consonant Clusters 'ng' and 'nk' The '-ng' consonant combination is pronounced in a manner that is similar to its English equivalent in words such as 'thing' and 'bring'. Although it is not represented by a single letter of the alphabet, '-ng' constitutes a distinct consonant, and it is described as a velar nasal. nasal This means that it is formed in the soft palate (velum) towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue pressed against the velum. It is described as 'nasal' because the sound is expelled through rough the nasal cavity and not the oral tract. This sound can cause difficulties for native English speakers because, although English also has the 'ng' consonant, there are two varieties of this in English. There is a noticeable difference in the way thatt the words 'finger' and 'ringer' are pronounced in English. If you say them to yourself, you will notice that these two words do not quite rhyme. There is an extra 'g' sound in 'finger' (and words such as 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger') that is not arti articulated culated in 'ringer' (and words such as 'singer' and 'longing'). Only one form of the '-ng' consonant sound exists in German however. It does not have the extra /g/ phoneme that we find in 'finger', 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger', which means that care needs n to be taken with the pronunciation of their German equivalents "Finger", "jünger", "länger" and "Hunger". It is when the '-ng' consonant sound appears in the middle of a word that English speakers need to pay the most attention. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words in which the 'ng' sounds appearss in the middle of a word, and compare it to how you might articulate the word in English. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'ng' in medial position Hunger (hunger)
abhängig (dependent)
singen (to sing)
Finger (finger)
Menge (amount)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the sound '-ng' occurs in final position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with ith their English translation:
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Sounds 2: 'ng' in final position lang (long)
Wohnung (apartment)
Meldung (announcement)
Ring (ring)
Frühling (spring)
streng (severe)
The consonant cluster 'nk' In the consonant cluster written as "-nk",, the sound produced is a combination of the velar nasal "ng" heard at the end of English words such as 'thing' and bring', followed by the phoneme /k/.. This is less complicated than it sounds, equating to how we pronounce English words such as 'thin-king. king. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which this sound combination appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds nds 3: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position sinken (to sink)
trinken (to drink)
Enkel (grandchild)
Onkel (uncle)
Now click here to listen to a similar set of '-nk' words spoken by a different differen speaker: Sounds nds 4: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position trinken (to drink)
danken (to thank)
denken (to think)
Frankreich (France)
This consonant cluster is also heard when 'nk' appears as the end of a word, either on its own or followed by a further consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letters 'nk' appear in final position in German lexical items.
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Sounds 5: The sound 'nk' in final position Punkt (point)
winkt (waves)
sinkt (sinks)
trinkt (drinks)
To distinguish between the German 'nk' and 'ng' sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three pairs of words in which the different sounds occur: Sounds nds 6: Distinguishing between 'ng' and 'nk' sounds singen (to sing)
sinken (to sink)
Engel (angel)
Enkel (grandchild)
Finger (finger)
Finken (finches)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'p' The German Consonant 'p' The German consonant 'p' is pronounced in a similar manner to its English equivalent, regardless of whether it appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. In both languages, the sound is a bilabial plosive, i.e. in order to make the 'p' sound, und, both lips must be placed together. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. The vocal cords do not vibrate when this sound is made, which means that it is a 'voiceless' consonan consonant. G Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words beginning with the letter 'p'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'p' in initial position Park (park)
Pause (pause)
Pullover (pullover)
Post (post office)
Person (person)
Punkt (point)
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce six German words in which the letter 'p' appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 2: 'p' in medial position Papier (paper)
Puppe (doll)
Lippe (lip)
Gruppe (group)
Papagei (parrot)
kaputt (broken)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker recite four fo German words in which the letter 'p' appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation. Note how the letters 'p' and 'b' are both pronounced in the same way, i.e. as the phoneme /p/, when they appear at the end of a word. Sounds 3: 'p' in final position Tipp (tip)
Galopp (gallop)
Mopp (mop)
stopp! (stop!)
How to pronounce German 'p' with other consonants
The German consonant 'p' + another consonant The German consonant 'p' retains its sound when used in combination ination with other consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker recite four words in which the letter 'p' appears in a consonant cluster luster at the beginning. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'p' + consonant in initial position Platz (room, space)
plötzlich (suddenly)
prima (fantastic)
Problem (problem)
39
Attention should be paid however to the German consonant clusters 'psy', 'psy' 'pn' and 'pt'. In all of the clusters, the 'p' sound is spoken at the beginning of the word in German, whereas it is silent in similar English constructions. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six words that begin with the consonant clusters 'psy-', 'pn-' and 'pt-'.. Note in particular the way in wh which the letter 'y' is pronounced in 'psy' clusters: Sounds nds 2: Consonant clusters 'psy', 'pn' and 'pt' Psychologie (psychology)
psychisch (psychic)
Psychothriller (psychothriller)
Psychiatrie (psychiatry)
pneumatisch umatisch (psychothriller)
Pterodaktylus (pterodactyl)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce three German words in the middle of which the letter 'p' appears as part of a consonant cluster. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 3: 'p' + consonant in medial position Lampe (lamp)
Tempel (temple)
Waspe (wasp)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'p' appears as part of a consonant cluster at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation. Sou Sounds 4: 'p' + consonant in final position Haupt (head)
klappt (functions)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Schlips (tie)
The German 'ph' sound As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that tha they are now spelled with an 'f'.. You would now write Telefon,, for example, rather than Telephon, 40
and Fotografie rather than Photographie Photographie.. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole accepta acceptable ble spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the correct pronunciat pronunciation of four words with the /ph/ spelling: Sounds 5: The German 'ph' consonant cluster Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics)
How to pronounce the German 'pf' sound
The German 'pf' sound Although the German 'pf' sound is written as two letters, it should be articulated as one single sound. It is called an affricate, which means that is made up of an quick explosion at the start of the sound's articulation - the 'p' stage -,, immediately followed by a slow fricative closure - the 'f' stage. is sound is far more common in German than it is in English, where we normally hear it This only in compound nouns such as stepfather at the point where one syllable ends and another begins. In German however, it is quite possible to find this sound at the start, star middle and end of words. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight words featuring the 'pf' sound in a variety of positions. Sounds 1: The 'pf' affricate sound Pfund (pound)
Pfennig (pfennig)
Pferd (horse)
Pfingsten (Whitsun)
Pfeil (arrow)
Pfirsich (peach)
Kopf (head)
Tropfen (drop)
Care should be taken in distinguishing the 'pf' sound from the German /f/ phoneme. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three pairs of words which display the difference in pronunciation of these two sounds: 41
Sounds 2: Distinguishing between 'pf' and 'f' Pfund (pound)
Fund (discovery)
Pfand (deposit)
Fand (found)
Pflug (plough)
Flug (flight)
Finally, try to distinguish between the 'pf' and 'f' sounds within the same word by listening to the following four German words which contain both sounds. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce these words, which are supplied suppl in the box below. Sounds 3: 'pf' and 'f' sounds in the same word Pfeffer (pepper)
Pfiff (whistle)
Pfeife (pipe)
Pfaffe (cleric)
How to pronounce German 'q'
The German Consonant 'q' As in English, the German consonant 'q' is always followed by the letter 'u' when it is written. It is pronounced however in a very different manner. It should be spoken as a 'kv' sound, which is only familiar to us from words ds such as 'kvetch', which is itself a loan word from Yiddish. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce six German words beginning with the letter 'q'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 'q' in initial position Quittung (receipt)
Quelle (source)
quer (diagonally)
Qualität (quality)
Quiz (quiz)
quietschen (to squeak)
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In a small number of words imported from French, such as Boutique,, the letter 'q' is spoken as a /k/ phoneme if the letter occurs in medial and final position. But these words are very much the exceptions. The 'kv' sound is found in medial position in most other imported words - e.g. in the German word Aquarium. How to pronounce the German consonant 'r'
The German Consonant 'r' The German consonant 'r' is one of the most difficult sounds to master. Not only will you hear a vast range of variants in the German German-speaking speaking country depending on region, context co and style, but all of the German 'r' sounds differ from their English equivalents. As it is beyond the scope of this guide to examine all of the regional variants, we shall instead concentrate on two forms: • •
1) the vocalic 'r' which is used in unstressed prefixes and suffixes and after long vowels 2) the consonantal 'r' which is used in all other positions.
The consonantal 'r' The German consonantal 'r' is described as a 'roll' or 'trill', by which we mean that the speech organs strike ke each other several times in quick succession in the articulation of this sound. In northern and central Germany, this sound is made towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue raised towards the uvula in order to create a narrow passage. pas When the airstream moves through this passage, the friction thus created causes the tongue to touch the uvula either once (uvular flap)) or several times ((uvular roll). The 'r' sound thus created has a rasping throat-clearing clearing quality which can be equa equated ted to a less extreme version of the sound produced when gargling. The sound called the 'uvular fricative' is similar to the uvular sounds outlined above, but this time there is no contact with the uvula when the back of the tonge is raised and nor does the t uvula vibrate as it would if you were gargling. The best way to reproduce this sound is to form an 'ach' sound, remembering to articulate it right at the back of the mouth. If you gradually start to vibrate the vocal cords while forming this sound, then the uvular fricative 'r' emerges. Although originally used in informal contexts, this variant of consonantal 'r' is slowly emerging as the most common pronunciation of the sound in Germany. In South Germany and Austria, on the other hand, the 'r' sound is formed much further forward in the mouth. With the alveolar roll or apical roll,, the tongue touches the alveolar ridge quickly and repeatedly. Which variant of the German consonantal 'r' you adopt will depend either on your teacher or on the region of the German-speaking speaking world that you visit or live in. While it is probably advisable for beginners to adopt an uvular 'r',, as it less easy to confuse this sound with English 'r', the most important thing is to be consistent and not mix and match different ttypes ypes of consonantal 'r'. 43
But enough of the theory! Click either here or on the sound icon con on the left to hear eight German words containing the German consonantal 'r' in initial position. The words are listed in the box below along with their English translation. How would you describe the 'r' sound used by the German speaker? Sounds 1: German consonantal 'r' in initial position rot (red)
Rad (wheel)
rechts (on the right)
Regen (rain)
Reise (journey)
richtig (correct)
Rauch (smoke)
ruhig (quiet)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to the following consonantal 'r' sounds, all six of which appear in the medial position immediately before a vowel. The words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: Consonantal 'r' in medial position stören (to disturb)
hören (to hear)
geboren (born)
Lehrerin (teacher)
gerade (straight)
Forum (forum)
Finally, click either here or on the sound icon to listen to the consonantal 'r' in final position. It is used here instead of vocalic 'r' because the preceding vowel is short. Sounds 3: Consonantal 'r' in final position Herr (gentleman)
dürr (thin)
Narr (fool)
Geschirr (cutlery)
How to pronounce German 'r' with other consonants
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The German Consonant 'r' with other consonants It can prove difficult for students of German to remember to articulate the consonantal 'r' correctly when it appears in a cluster with other consonants. It is all too tempting to overconcentrate on the first sound in the cluster and to slip back into pronouncing the 'r' as an English 'r'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words appearing in initial clusters. The words are listed in the box below along with their English translation. Sounds 1: German consonantal 'r' in initial clusters schreiben (to write)
sprechen (to speak)
Strom (electricity)
Straße (street)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to the following consonantal 'r' sounds, all four of which appear in initial 'dr-' clusters. The words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: Consonantal 'r' in an initial 'dr-' cluster drei (three)
draußen (outside)
Drama (drama)
drehen (to turn)
Next, click either here or on the sound icon to listen to the consonantal 'r' in clusters in both medial and final position in German words. Consonantal 'r' is used here instead of vocalic 'r' because the preceding vowel is short. Sounds 3: Consonantal 'r' in a medial and final position cluster hart (hard)
warten (to wait)
Firma (company)
Wirt (landlord)
Berg (mountain)
kurz (short)
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How to pronounce German vocalic 'r'
German vocalic 'r' so-called called because it is pronounced as a vowel, not a consonant. The German vocalic 'r' is so Sometimes referred to as a 'dark schwa', vocalic 'r' is articulated with the tongue slightly lower and further back in the vowel area than the 'schwa' soun sound d heard at the end of such German words as 'Liebe', 'Katze' and 'Ratte'. Vocalic 'r' can only be used in certain specific situations which are outlined below. Its most common usage is in unstressed ""-er" syllables at the end of German words. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words ending in a vocalic 'r'. 'r' The words are listed in the box below along with their English translation. Sounds 1: Vocalic 'r' in final position Bruder (brother)
Schwester (sister)
Mutter (mother)
Vater (father)
The vocalic 'r' is also used in the final position in a word when the 'r' follows a long vowel. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to the following six words, all of which end with a vocalic 'r' after a long vowel. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 2: Vocalic 'r' after a long vowel Tor (gate; goal)
Uhr (clock)
mehr (more)
vier (four)
Bier (beer)
Chor (chorus)
Vocalic 'r' is also heard when the letter 'r' follows a long vowel but precedes another consonant. Click here or on the sound icon to listen to the following four words in which vocalic 'r' occurs before a following consonant.
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Sounds 3: Vocalic 'r' after long vowel + before another consonant Pferd (horse)
Herd (cooker)
spürte (felt)
führte (led)
You will also hear vocalic 'r' in the unstressed German prefixes er-, ver-, ver zer- and her-. Click here or on the sound icon to listen to the vocalic 'r' in four words containing these prefixes. Sounds 4: Vocalic 'r' in unstressed prefixes erlauben (to allow)
vergessen (to forget)
zerstören (to destroy)
hereinkommen (to come in)
Distinguishing between vocalic 'r' and consonantal 'r' In the following pairs of words, the first word contains a vocalic 'r' in final position. The second word in each pair however contains a consonantal 'r'.. Click either here or on the sound icon to note the distinction between the sounds that are made in each pair of words. Sounds 5: Vocalic 'r' or consonantal 'r'? jünger (younger)
die jüngere (the younger one)
Meer (sea)
Meere (seas)
clever (clever)
der clevere (the clever one)
Finally, click here or on the sound icon to listen to these words in which vocalic 'r' and consonantal 'r' occur within the same word. Note in particular how adding an '-in' suffix can change the articulation of what was previously a vocalic 'r' sound.
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Sounds 6: Vocalic and consonantal 'r' within the same word Frankfurter (Frankfurter sausage)
Bruder (brother)
Lehrer (male teacher)
Lehrerin (female teacher)
Reporter (male reporter)
Reporterin (female reporter)
How to pronounce the German consonant 's'
The German Consonant 's' When it comes before a vowel, the German consonant 's' is pronounced like English 'z' in words such as 'zinc' or 'zoo', although the German sound is not as st strongly rongly voiced. Native English speakers often therefore experiences difficulties in distinguishing between the letters 's' and 'z',, particularly when they occur at the start of a word. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words which display the distinction between the two German sounds. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 1: The German letters 's' and 'z' in initial position Seile (ropes)
Zeile (line)
sang (sang)
Zange (pliers)
Sumpf (morass)
zum (to the)
sinken (to sink)
Zink (zinc)
But when the letter 's' appears at the end of a word, it is always articulated in the same way as English 's' in words such as 'sink' or 'sue'. This means that German 's' at the end of a word must be distinguished from the /z/ sound made at the end of English words such as 'homes', 'towns' or 'roads'. To practise the difference in pronunciation required when the German Germ letter 's' appears at the middle and the end of a word, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four pairs of German words con containing taining the letter 's' in medial and final position. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:
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Sounds 2: 's' in medial and final position Reise (journey)
Reis (rice)
Preise (prices)
Preis (price)
Gläser (glasses)
Glas (glass)
Lose (lots)
Los (lot)
The letters 'ss' and 'ß' A double 's' (written 'ss' or 'ß')) is always pronounced as an unvoiced English 's' in words such as 'seal' or 'self'. This sound is written 'ss' when the preceding vowel in a word is short. It is written 'ß': •
after a long vowel e.g. 'Fuß' 'Fuß', 'Maß', 'Spaß' • after a diphthong e.g. 'weiß', 'heiß', 'heißt' To practise the sound written as 'ss' or 'ß', click either here or on the sound icon on the left. The six words spoken are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 3: The letters 'ss' and 'ß' Schloss (castle)
wissen (to know)
weiß (white)
dreißig (thirty)
Strauß (ostrich)
größer (bigger)
To distinguish between the different sounds articulated when a single 's' and a double 'ss/ß' appear in the middle of a word, click either here or on the sound icon on the left. In the first word of each of the three pairs, the 's' is articulated as a /z/ phoneme. In the second word in each pair, an /s/ phoneme is required. Sounds 4: 's' and 'ss/ß' in medial position weisen (to point)
weißen (to whitewash)
reisen (to travel)
reißen (to tug) 49
Gleise (train tracks)
gleißen (to glimmer)
How to pronounce the German 'sch' sound
The German consonants: 'sch' The German sound written 'sch' is similar to English 'sh' in words such as 'show' or 'short'. In the articulation of the German sound however, the lips are rounded much more and may even protrude a little as the sound is formed. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four words containing the letter 'sch' in initial and final position. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: The German 'sch' sound Scheck (cheque)
Schlaf (sleep)
komisch (funny)
Fisch (fish)
The German 'sch' sound retains its pronunciation when it is used in combination with other consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German erman words that begin with the 'schn' consonant cluster. The words themselves are given in the box below along with their English translation: Sou Sounds 2: The 'schn' cluster in initial position Schnee (snow)
schnell (quick)
Schneider (tailor)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Attention should be paid to words that start with the German consonant cluster 'tsch', as both the initial 't' and the 'sch' need to be articulated. Click either here or on the sound icon on the he left to hear four words beginning with 'tsch'. Sou Sounds 3: The consonant cluster 'tsch' tschüs! (goodbye!)
tschechisch (Czech)
Tscheche
Tschechin 50
(Czech (male) (male))
(Czech (female))
How to pronounce the German consonant sounds 'sp' and 'st'
The German consonants 'sp' and 'st' When they occur at the beginning of a word, the German consonant combinations 'sp' and 'st' are pronounced 'schp--' and 'scht-' respectively. To practise these sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left. The eight words that you will hear are supplied suppl in the box below along with an English translation: Sou Sounds 1: 'sp' and 'st' at the start of a word Straße (street)
Stein (stone)
Stadt (town; city)
Stoff (material)
Sport (sport)
Speisekarte (menu)
Spiel (sport)
Sparkasse (savings bank)
But when 'sp' and 'st' occur in the middle or at the end of a word, then these consonant combinations are pronounced as they would be in English. This means that 'sp' is pronounced as it would be in the English word 'lisp' and 'st' is pronounced as it would woul be in the English word 'lost'.. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six words in which 'sp' and 'st' appear in either medial or final positi position. Sounds 2: 'sp' and 'st' in medial and final position Wespe (wasp)
Knospe (bud)
Donnerstag (Thursday)
Gast (guest)
Liste (list)
Husten (cough)
An exception to the above rule occurs when words beginning with 'sp' and 'st' are used as the final element in a compound noun. Although these sounds are positioned in the middle of the compound noun, the consonant combinations are still pronounced as they would be at the 51
start of a word, i.e. as 'schp-' and 'scht-'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four compound nouns containing 'sp' and 'st' in medial position. Sounds 3: 'sp' and 'st' within compound nouns Hauptstadt (capital city)
Hauptstraße (high street)
Ballspiel (ball game)
Profisport (professional sport)
How to pronounce the German consonant 't'
The German Consonant 't' The German consonant 't' is pronounced in a similar manner to its English equivalent, although slightly less air is released in its articulation. In both languages, the sound is an alveolar plosive, which means that it is made with the blade of the tongue pr pressing essing against the alveolar ridge. The alveolar ridge is the part of the roof of the mouth directly above the teeth. Simultaneously, both sides of the tongue press against the hard palate and form a closure. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through gh the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. The vocal cords do not vibrate when this sound is made, which means that it is a 'voiceless' consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words beginning with the letter 't'.. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English En translation: Sounds 1: 't' in initial position Tag (day)
tausend (thousand)
Telefon (telephone)
Tier (animal)
Tomate (tomato)
Tür (door)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker recite six German words in which the letter 't' appears in the middle. The words themselves are supplied in the he box below along with an English translation:
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Sounds 2: 't' in medial position Auto (car)
Wetter (weather)
Butter (butter)
Pate (godfather)
Miete (rent)
Leute (people)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say four German words in which the letter 't' appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation. Note how the letters 't' and 'd' are pronounced in the same way, i.e. as the phoneme /t/, when they appear at the end of a word. Sounds 3: 't' in final position gut (good)
rot (red)
tot (dead)
tut (does)
How to pronounce German 't' with other consonants
The German consonant 't' + another consonant The German consonant 't' retains its sound when used in combination with other consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four words in which the letter 't' forms part of a consonant cluster at the start of a word. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 1: 't' + consonant in initial position trinken (to drink)
trotz (despite)
trocken (dry)
treu (loyal)
Attention should be paid to words that start with the German consonant cluster 'tsch', as the initial 't' of the consonant cluster needs to be pronounced. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four words beginning with 'tsch'.
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Sounds 2: The consonant cluster 'tsch' tschüs! (goodbye!)
tschechisch (Czech)
Tscheche (Czech (male) (male))
Tschechin (Czech (female))
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 't' forms the final element of a consonant cluster which appears at the end of each word. Sounds 3: Consonant + 't' in final position bunt (colourful)
Welt (world)
kalt (cold)
fast (almost)
hart (hard)
Sport (sport)
The consonant cluster 'th' is always pronounced as the phoneme /t/.. This is true regardless of whether 'th' appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker pronounce German words which contain 'th'. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds 4: The 'th' consonant cluster Theater (theatre)
Thema (theme)
Theorie (theory)
sympathisch (pleasant)
Apotheke (chemist's)
Mathematik (mathematics)
Methode (method)
Athlet (athlete)
Psychopath (psychopath)
The German consonant cluster '-tz' is also pronounced in the same way as English 'ts'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words which contain the letters '-tz' in medial and final position.
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Sou Sounds 5: Words containing the letters 'tz' Dutzend (dozen)
Netz (net)
hetzen (to rush)
plötzlich (suddenly)
How to pronounce German 'v'
The German Consonant 'v' In most instances the German consonant 'v' is pronounced in the same way as the letter 'f' in the English words 'fish' and 'face'. Although remembering to do so often requires a little practice, the articulation of the sound itself is quite straightforward. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fricative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words which all begin with the letter 'v' - but whose initial sound is actually pronounced as an /f/. Sounds nds 1: The German letter 'v' in initial position viel (much)
vier (four)
Viertel (quarter)
von (from)
Vogel (bird)
Vater (father)
Volk (people)
verlieren (to lose)
It is therefore necessary to distinguish very clearly between: • •
The letter 'v' which is actually pronounced as an /f/ phoneme. The phoneme /v/ which represents the sound made by the German letter 'w' (in words such as 'Wein', 'weiß' etc.) In some German wordss however, the letter 'v' is pronounced as the phoneme /v/. /v/ These words include a number of items that are used very frequently in German. Click either here 55
or on the sound icon on the left to hear six words where the German letter 'v' is spoken in the same manner as the English letter 'v': Sou Sounds 2: The letter 'v' as phoneme /v/ Klavier (piano)
Vase (vase)
November (November)
Universität (university)
privat (private)
Verb (verb)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'w'
The German Consonant 'w' The German consonant 'w' is pronounced like an English 'v' in the words 'very' and 'video'. The sound is also represented in phonetics by the phoneme 'v'. Although this may take some getting used to, the articulation of the sound itself is one with which English speakers are familiar. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fricative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible. The /v/ phoneme, the sound that is made when you say the German letter 'w',, is thus formed in the same manner and the same place as the German /f/ phoneme. The difference is that you use your vocal cords to make the /v/ sound, but not when you articulate /f/.. To feel the difference between the two consonants, place your hands over your ears and repeat the German words fein and Wein (which begins with the /v/ phoneme, despite its spelling). When you say fein, the only thing that should hear is the airstream passing out thro through ugh your mouth. But when you say Wein, you should be able to feel your entire head vibrate. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words which all contain the letter 'w'.. Note how the sounds are all pronounced in the same manner as the English letter 'v'. Sounds 1: The German letter 'w' Wagen (car)
Wein (wine)
Wasser (water)
Winter (winter) 56
wunderbar derbar (wonderful)
erwarten (to expect)
Words that contain both the German letter 'w' and the German 'v' can initially cause beginners some problems, as we need to make two mental adjustments from the sounds that we are accustomed to making when we see these letters written in English. Click either ei here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words which contain both of these letters in different orders. Practise saying them until you feel comfo comfortable rtable with the articulation of the consonants. Sounds 2: Words containing the letters 'w' and 'v' Volkswagen (Volkswagen)
wie viel (how much)
verschwinden schwinden (to disappear)
vorwärts (forwards)
Wiedevereinigung (reunification)
Note also that the letter 'w' is also pronounced as a /v/ sound when it appears in a cluster with other consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'w' is preceded by either 'sch-' or 'z-'.. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: Consonant + the German letter 'w' Schweiz (Switzerland)
Schweden (Sweden)
zwei (two)
zwar (actually, in fact)
Note that the German letter 'w' is pronounced when it appears in 'wr-' consonant clusters. In the following examples, contrast in particular the difference in articulation between the German word Wrack and its English equivalent wreck, and wringen and its English equivalent wring. Click here to listen to these two words. Sounds nds 4: The German 'wr-' consonant cluster Wrack (wreck)
wringen (to wring)
How to pronounce the German letter 'y' 57
The German Letter 'y' The German letter 'y' can be pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on its position in a word or syllable. If it is used as a vowel, it sounds like the German long or short vowel 'ü'.. The fact that this letter often appears in words in whose English equivalent it would be pronounced as an 'i' makes the German 'y' a sound that it can be very easy to mispronounce. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German rman words which all contain 'y' in medial position. How would their equivalents be pronounced in English? Sounds 1: Words containing the letter 'y' in medial position typisch (typical)
Physik (physics)
Pyramide (pyramid)
Gymnasium (grammar school)
Rhythmus (rhythm)
Hymne (hymn)
If 'y' stands at the beginning or end of a word, then it is pronounced in the same way as it would be in English. The word in which it appears is very probably an import from English in the first place. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three words which end with the German letter 'y' and one word that starts with this letter. Sounds 2: Words with 'y' in initial and final position Hobby (hobby)
Yoga (yoga)
Party (party)
Handy (mobile phone)
How to pronounce the German consonant 'z'
The German Consonant 'z' The German consonant 'z' is pronounced in the same manner as the English 'ts' sound that is found at the end of words such as 'cats', 'lots' oorr 'sits'. The temptation to pronounce the sound like an English letter 'z' must be resisted - the German 'z' is only ever pronounced as an English letter 'z' in a few imported words such as 'das Quiz'.
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A further difficulty for English speakers is that a llarge arge number of German words begin with the letter 'z' and thus require an initial /ts/ sound. We are unused to starting words with such a sound in English, as the only word that begins in such a way is the 'tsetse fly'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say eight German words which all contain in the German letter 'z'.. Note how the sounds are all pronounced in the same manner as the English letters 'ts', regardless of where the letter 'z' appears in the word. Sounds 1: The German letter 'z' zwei (two)
zwölf (twelve)
Zug (train)
Zimmer (room)
Ziel (destination)
Zelt (tent)
Herz (heart)
Salz (salt)
The German consonant cluster '-tz' is also pronounced in the same way as English 'ts'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words which wh contain the letters '-tz' in medial and final position. Sounds 2: Words containing the letters 'tz' Dutzend (dozen)
Netz (net)
hetzen (to rush)
plötzlich (suddenly)
Learners of German often have difficulties in distinguishing between the letter 'z' and 's', particularly when they occur at the start of a word. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words which display the distinction between the two German sounds. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation: Sounds 3: The German letters 'z' and 's' in initial position Seile (ropes)
Zeile (line)
sang
Zange 59
(sang)
(pliers)
Sumpf (morass)
zum (to the)
sinken (to sink)
Zink (zinc)
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German long vowels The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of ccourse ourse be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds. 1. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a single consonant. consonant Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end with a single consonant nsonant and thus have a long vowel sound. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation: Sounds nds 1: Long vowel before a single consonant Bad (bath)
Rad (wheel)
rot (red)
gut (good)
2. A German vowel is usually long if it is written in a word as a double letter. letter Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing the letters 'aa', 'ee' and 'oo'. Sounds 2: Long German 'doubled' vowels Meer (sea)
Paar (pair)
Boot
Saat 60
(boat)
(seed)
3. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a silent 'h'.. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing a long vowel + 'h' in either medial or final position. Sounds 3: Long vowels before a silent 'h' Lehrer (teacher)
Fahrer (driver)
roh (raw)
Kuh (cow)
4. The German letters 'ie' usually represent a long German 'i' sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words whose 'ie' letters represent a long vowel sound. (N.B. the articulation of 'ie' is of course different if it appears in an unstressed syllable at the end of a word.) Sounds 4: Long 'ie' vowel sounds vier (four)
Spiel (game)
Lied (song)
schier (sheer)
5. An unstressed vowel at the end of a word is generally long, unless this vowel is an '-e' sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end in vowels other than '-e': Sounds 5: Long vowel sounds at the end of a word Lotto (lottery)
Vati (daddy)
Sofa (sofa)
Mofa (moped)
Short German vowels
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German short vowels The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of course be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds.
1. A German vowel is usually short if it is followed by two or more consonants. consonants Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end in a double consonant and thus have a preceding short vowel sound. The words themselves are given in the t box below along with an English translation: Sounds nds 1: Short vowels before a double consonant rasch (hasty)
Bett (bed)
bunt (colourful)
Nuss (nut)
2. A German vowel is usually short if it precedes the consonant combination 'ck'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing the letters 'ck' in the middle or at the end. Sounds ounds 2: Short German vowels before 'ck' lecker (tasty)
Socken (socks)
Lücke (hole)
Wrack (wreck)
This is not always the case however. If the root form of a word contains a long vowel, then the vowel in the inflected form remains long, even if the vowel is followed by two consonants in this inflected form. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two pairs German words that bear out this rule. Both the infinitiv infinitivee 'haben' and the uninflected adjective'groß' have a long vowel, and thus so do their inflected forms. Sounds nds 3: Long vowels from a long uninflected stem haben (to have)
gehabt (had)
groß (big)
größte (biggest) 62
Long and short German 'a' vowels
German vowels: long and short 'a' The long German 'a' vowel The long German /a:/ vowel - which can be written 'a', 'aa' or 'ah' - is a central and open vowel which is formed with the tip of the tongue touching the lower front teeth. This means that the tongue is much lower thann in the pronunciation of the other German vowels. It equates to the 'a' vowel sound in the English words 'bar' and 'calm'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this long 'a' vowel: Sounds 1: The long 'a' vowel klar (clear)
Glas (glass)
Jahr (year)
Bahn (railway)
Haar (hair)
Aal (eel)
The short German 'a' vowel The short /a/ vowel - which is only spelled 'a' - is a much more clipped vowel. It is a little like a shorter version of the 'a' vowel in the English word 'man'.. This vowel can even tend towards the vowel sound heard in the English word 'but',, albeit pronounced in a more open way. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four German words containing this short vowel sound. Sounds 2: The short German 'a' vowel Mann (man)
Hand (hand)
Bank (bank)
Sack (sack)
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Distinguishing between long and short 'a' vowels To practise the difference between the long and short 'a' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long /a:/ phoneme, whereas the second contains a short /a/ sound. Sounds nds 3: Distinguishing between long and short 'a' Staat (state)
Stadt (city)
kam (came)
Kamm (comb)
Frage (question)
Flagge (flag)
Kahn (barge)
kann (can)
Long and short German 'ä' vowels
German vowels: long and sh short 'ä' The short German 'ä' vowel The short German 'ä' sound - which can only be written 'ä' - is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'ä' vowel: Sounds 1: The short German 'ä' vowel Männer (men)
Hände (hands)
Bänke (benches)
hätte (would have)
The long German 'ä' vowel The long German 'ä' vowel - which can be written 'ä', 'äh',, but never 'ää' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. It is best to start with the short German 'ä' vowel outlined above and gradually lengthen it. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this long 'ä' vowel:
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Sounds 2: The long German 'ä' vowel Mädchen (girl)
wählen (to vote)
kläglich (pitiful)
Währung (currency)
The most common mistake made by English English-speakers speakers in articulating this long vowel sound is to produce a slight diphthongisation, i.e. to glide off into an 'aee' sound heard in English words such as 'day' or 'played'.. This temptation must be resisted - German vowels do not glide off into a different vowel sound. Try instead to keep the tongue in the same position throughout a long 'ä' vowel sound.
The German dip diphthongs 'au' and 'eu' ('äu')
The German diphthong 'au' The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. Although there is a similarity with the way that some English speakers would say the vowel sounds in the words 'clown' and 'brown', the German diphthong must have a back starting starting-point in German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this dipht diphthong. Sounds 1: The German diphthong 'au' braun (brown)
Zaun (fence)
auch (also)
Haus (house)
laut (loud)
Traum (dream)
The German diphthong 'äu' or 'eu' The German 'eu' diphthong - which can be written as 'eu' and 'äu',, and also as 'oi' or 'oy' in imported loan words - can be equated to the /oi/ sound made in the English Englis words 'toiling' and 'boiling'. The difference however is that the German diphthong requires the lips to be rounded throughout articulation. Click either here or on the he sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing this diphthong. 65
Sounds 2: The German diphthong 'eu' or 'äu' Fräulein (Miss)
Räuber (robbers)
Häuser (houses)
Bräuche (customs)
treu (loyal)
Freude (joy)
scheu (shy)
neu (new)
Differentiating between 'au' and 'äu/eu' To practise the distinction between the German 'au' and 'eu/äu' diphthongs, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four ppairs airs of German words. The first word in each pair is the singular of a German noun that contains the German 'au' diphthong. The second word in each pair is the plural of the same noun and contains an 'äu' diphthong. Sounds 3: Differentiating between 'au' and 'eu/äu' Traum (dream)
Träume (dreams)
Baum (tree)
Bäume (trees)
Maus (mouse)
Mäuse (mice)
Haut (skin)
Häute (skins)
German long and short 'e'
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German vowels: long and short 'e' The short German 'e' vowel The short German 'e' sound is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'.. It represents the same sound therefore as the short German 'ä'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'e' vowel: Sounds 1: The short German 'e' vowel wenn (if, when)
fett (fat)
Dreck (dirt)
echt (genuine)
Fell (fur)
Nest (nest)
The long German /e:/ vowel The long German /e:/ vowel - which can be written 'e', 'eh' or 'ee' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. To pronounce it, you must en ensure sure that your tongue remains tense and in the same high position in your mouth throughout articulation - the sound must not glide off into an 'i' at the end as it can do in English words such as 'day'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this long 'e' vowel: Sounds 2: The long German 'e' vowel sehr (very)
mehr (more)
Meer (sea)
Teer (tar)
Beet (bed)
Gel (gel)
Distinguishing between long and short German 'e' vowels To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'e' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'e' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'e' vowel.
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Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long and short German 'e' vowels Heer (army)
Herr (gentleman)
Hehl (secret)
hell (bright)
Beet (flower-bed) bed)
Bett (bed)
Unstressed German '-e' and '-er'
Unstressed '-e' vowels The unstressed 'e' sound is the most common vowel sound in Ge German, rman, appearing very frequently in final position in words such as 'eine' and 'viele'.. Also known as a 'schwa', this sound should cause few problems for English speakers, as it equates to the final 'a' sound in the English word 'sofa'.. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two German words ending in this unstressed 'e' vowel: Sounds 1: The unstressed 'e' vowel Majonäse (mayonnaise)
Boje (buoy)
Care should be taken to distinguish between an unstressed German '-e' and an unstressed German '-er'.. Although ostensibly quite similar, the tongue should be retracted more quickly in German '-er' sounds than it is in an unstressed '-e'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to practise differentiating between the German words 'bitte' and 'bitter': 'bitter' Sounds nds 2: Distinguishing between '-e' and '-er' bitte (please)
bitter (bitter)
German unstressed '-er' Sometimes referred to as a 'dark schwa', the German unstressed '-er' or vocalic 'r' is articulated with the tongue slightly lower and further back in the vowel area than the 'schwa' sound heard at the end of such German words as 'Liebe', 'Katze' and 'Ratte'. ' 68
The most common usage of vocalic 'r' is in unstressed "-er" syllables at the end of German words. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four G German erman words ending in a vocalic 'r'.. The words are listed in the box below along with their English translation. Sounds 3: Vocalic 'r' in final position Bruder (brother)
Schwester (sister)
Mutter (mother)
Vater (father)
You will also hear vocalic 'r' in the unstressed German prefixes of verbs and nouns that start with er-, ver-, zer- and her-. Click here or on the sound icon to listen to the vocalic 'r' in four words containing these prefixes. Sounds 4: Vocalic 'r' in unstressed prefixes erlauben (to allow)
vergessen (to forget)
zerstören (to destroy)
hereinkommen (to come in)
The German diphthong 'ei' ('ai', 'ey', 'ay')
German diphthong: 'ei', 'ey' 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay' The German 'ei' diphthong - which can be written 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' or 'ay' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides into an 'i' sound. Its closest equivalent in English is the vowel sound in the English word 'light'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing this diphthong. Note in particular the different ways in which this sound can be spelled. Sounds 1: 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay' Main (River Main)
Saite (string)
Bayern (Bavaria)
Karl May (German author)
Teil (part)
breit (wide)
Meyer (German surname)
Speyer (German town) 69
Note that, unlike in English, the pronunciation of the German letters 'ei' remains consistent - it is always pronounced as the diphthong outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing the letters 'ei'. Sounds 2: The consistency of the German letters 'ei' frei (free)
Rhein (Rhine)
heil (unhurt)
dreist (sly)
Kreis (circle)
weit (far)
The pronunciation of the letters 'ie' also remains consistent in German. To practise the distinction between these two sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains an 'ei' sound, whereas the second contains 'ie'. Sounds 3: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie' Wein (wine)
Wien (Vienna)
Fleiß (hard work)
fließt (flows)
leider (unfortunately)
Lieder (songs)
steil (steep)
Stiel (stick)
Long and short German 'i' vowels
The German short 'i' vowel The short German 'i' soundd is similar to the vowel articulated in the English words 'bit' and 'lip'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel at the start of a word:
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Sou Sounds 1: Short German 'i' in initial position ich (I)
Interesse (interest)
Irland (Ireland)
Insekt (insect)
immer (always)
illegal (illegal)
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel in the middle of a word. Note that this sound can only be written as an 'i'. Sou Sounds 2: Short German 'i' in medial position bitte (please)
Mitte (middle)
Tisch (table)
Fisch (fish)
Winter (winter)
sitzen (to sit)
The German long /i:/ vowel The long German /i:/ vowel - which can be written 'i', 'ih', 'ie' or 'ieh' - sounds a little like the vowel articulated in the English words 'bee' and 'team'. The German sound however is more open, with the lips widely spread, and the tongue should be further forward during articulation. You should also ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same position in your mouth throughout articulation - English sounds can tend to glide off into a diphthong. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear fiv fivee German words containing this long /i:/ vowel at the start of a word: Sou Sounds 3: Long German 'i' in initial position ihnen (to them)
ihr (her)
irisch (Irish)
Iris (iris)
Igel (hedgehog) hog) 71
Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three German words in which the long /i:/ vowel appears in medial position. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation. Sounds 4: Long German vowel 'i' in medial position Krise (crisis)
politisch (political)
Linie (line)
When long /i:/ appears in an unstressed syllable in a word, then the same sound is made but with a reduced length. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three reduced length long /i:/ vowel sounds. Sounds 5: Reduced length German long 'i' sounds Idee (idea)
ideal (ideal)
Mikrofon (microphone)
When 'i' occurs before a vowel, it does not constitute a separate syllable, but is instead pronounced very short. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two German words in which the 'i' vowel appears before another vowel. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation. Sounds 6: German 'i' before another vowel Station (station)
finanziell (financial)
How to pronounce German 'ie'
German vowel sounds: 'ie' The German sound that is written as 'ie' is not a diphthong, but is simply a long German /i:/ sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear ar four German words 72
where the letters 'ie' represent a long /i:/ sound. Sou Sounds 1: German 'ie' as long /i:/ vowel Bier (beer)
viel (much)
Stier (bll)
Frieden (peace)
Unlike in English, where the pronunciation of the letters 'ie' and 'ei' can vary, the sounds represented by these spellings remain consistent in German. To practise the distinction between these two sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word ord in each pair contains an 'ei' sound, whereas the second contains 'ie'. Sou Sounds 2: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie' Wein (wine)
Wien (Vienna)
Fleiß (hard work)
fließt (flows)
leider (unfortunately) tunately)
Lieder (songs)
steil (steep)
Stiel (stick)
German 'ie' at the end of a word When the letters 'ie' appear at the end of a word, they can be pronounced in two different ways. If the final syllable is stressed,, then the letters are pronounced as the long /i:/ vowel outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words with a stressed final syllable containing 'ie': Sounds 3: German 'ie' in a stressed final syllable Biographie (biography)
Symphonie (symphony)
Akademie (academy)
Philosophie (philosophy)
But when 'ie' appears in an unstressed syllable at the end of a word, then the letters are 73
pronounced as two separate vowel sounds. Click either here or on the sound nd icon on the left to hear four German words with an unstressed final syllable containing 'ie': Sounds 4: German 'ie' in an unstressed final syllable Familie (family)
Petersilie (parsley)
Folie (film, foil)
Materie (matter)
Long and short German 'o' vowels
German vowels: long and short 'o' The short German 'o' vowel The short German 'o' sound - which can only be written 'o' - is similar to the 'o' vowel in the English words 'not' and 'lot'.. The German sound is shorter and more close however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'o' vowel: Sounds 1: The short German 'o' vowel Sonne (sun)
von (from, of)
Gott (god)
Dorf (village)
The long German 'o' vowel The long German 'o' vowel - which can be written 'o', 'oh', 'oo', and 'eau' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel 'o' in the English words 'so' and 'go'. In German however, this sound must not be allowed to glide off into a 'u' sound, which English speakers ofen find themselves doing. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this lon long 'o' vowel. Note in particular the difference in vowel articulation that occurs in those German words below that have a similar form in English. Sounds 2: The long German 'o' vowel Rose (rose)
froh (happy)
Boot
groß 74
(boat)
(big)
so (so)
rot (red)
Distinguishing between long and short German 'o' vowels To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'o' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'o' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'o' vowel. Sounds nds 3: Distinguishing between long & short German 'o' vowels wo (where)
Wonne (bliss)
Rose (rose)
Ross (horse)
Wohl (health)
Wolle (wool)
Sohle (sole of shoe)
Soll (debt)
German long and short 'ö' vowels
German vowels: long and short 'ö' The German long 'ö' and short 'ö' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language. The long German 'ö' vowel To form a long German 'ö' vowel - which can be written 'ö', 'öh' or 'eu' (in imported French words only) - first articulate a long German 'e' sound in a word such as 'Sehne' hne' (= tendon). As you say it, gradually purse your ur lips and the word that emerges is 'Söhne' (= sons). sons) If you try the same procedure with the German word 'H 'Hefe' (= yeast),, then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'Höfe' (= courtyards) courtyards). Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'ö' vowel:
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Sounds 1: The long German 'ö' vowel Flöte (flute)
blöd (stupid)
böse (evil)
stöhnen (to groan)
Löhne (wages)
Kröte (turtle)
The short German 'ö' vowel The short German 'ö' sound - which can only be written 'ö' and never features at the end of a word - is best described as a shorter, tenser and much more open version of the sound outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'ö' vowel: Sounds 2: The short German 'ö' vowel Hölle (hell)
Stöcke (sticks)
Löffel (spoon)
Öffnung (opening)
Distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels To practise distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear seven pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a 'o' vowel, whereas the second contains a 'ö' vowel. Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels Krone (crown)
krönen (to crown)
groß (big)
größer (bigger)
Koller (anger)
Köln (Cologne)
schon (already)
schön (beautiful)
offen (open)
öffnen (to open)
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Flotte (fleet)
Flöte (flute)
Telefon (telephone)
Fön (hairdryer)
German long and short 'u' vowels
German vowels: long and short 'u' The short German 'u' vowel The short German 'u' sound - which can only be written 'u' - is similar to the 'u' vowel in the English words 'push' and 'foot'.. The German sound is shorter however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'o' vowel: Sounds 1: The short German 'u' vowel Hund (dog)
Butter (butter)
Wunsch (wish)
Pult (desk)
The long German 'u' vowel The long German /u:/ vowel - which can be written 'u' or 'uh' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel sound in the English words 'hoot' and 'boot' but the lips are much more rounded in German and the sound must not be allowed to glide off into a diphthong. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'u' vowel. Sounds 2: The long German 'u' vowel Tuch (cloth)
Grube (ditch)
Uwe (boy's name)
Ute (girl's name)
Stuhl (chair)
Uhr (clock) 77
Distinguishing between long and short German 'u' vowels To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'u' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hhear ear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'u' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'u' vowel. Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long & short German 'u' vowels Buch (book)
Busch (bush)
Huhn (chicken)
Hund (dog)
Pfuhl (pond)
Pfund (pound)
Ufer (riverbank)
unten (below)
German long and short 'ü' vowels
German vowels: long and short 'ü' The German long 'ü' and short 'ü' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language. The long German 'ü' vowel To form a long German 'ü' vowel - which can be written 'ü', 'üh' and sometimes 'y' - first articulate a long German 'ie' sound in a word such as 'T 'Tier' (= animal).. As you say it, gradually purse your lips and the word that eemerges is 'Tür' (= door).. If you try the same procedure with the German word 'Kiel' (= North German town) town),, then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'kühl' (= cool).. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'ü' vowel: Sounds 1: The long German 'ü' vowel früh (early)
Tür (door)
grün (green)
über (above)
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Bühne (stage)
Lüge (lie)
The short German 'ü' vowel The short German 'ü' sound - which can be written 'ü' and sometimes 'y' - is best described as a shorter version of the sound outlined above, but with slightly less lip lip-rounding. rounding. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear si six German words containing this short 'ü' vowel: Sounds 2: The short German 'ü' vowel Stück (piece)
Münze (coin)
Brücke (bridge)
Perücke (wig)
dünn (thin)
glücklich (happy)
Distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels To practise distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear nine pairs of G German erman words. The first word in each pair contains a 'u' vowel, whereas the second contains a 'ü' vowel. Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels jung (young)
jünger (younger)
gut (good)
Güte (goodness)
Schule (school)
Schüler (schoolboy)
Kuh (cow)
Kühe (cows)
Stuhl (chair)
Stühle (chairs)
Busch (bush)
Büsche (bushes)
Kuss (kiss)
Küsse (kisses)
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drucken (to print)
drücken (to press)
Bruch (break)
Brüche (breaks)
The German letter 'y'
The German Letter 'y' The German letter 'y' can be pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on its position in a word or syllable. If it is used as a vowel, it sounds like the German long or short vowel 'ü'.. The fact that this letter often appears in words in whose English equivalent it would be pronounced as an 'i' makes the German 'y' a sound that it can be very easy to mispronounce. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words which all contain 'y' in medial position. How would their equivalents be pronounced in English? Engli Sounds 1: Words containing the letter 'y' in medial position typisch (typical)
Physik (physics)
Pyramide (pyramid)
Gymnasium (grammar school)
Rhythmus (rhythm)
Hymne (hymn)
If 'y' stands at the beginning or end of a word, then it is pronounced in the same way as it would be in English. The word in which it appears is very probably an import from English in the first place. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three words which end with the German letter 'y' and one word that starts with this letter. Sounds 2: Words with 'y' in initial and final position Hobby (hobby)
Yoga (yoga)
Party (party)
Handy (mobile phone)
Go to the index of this pronunciation guide
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Pronunciation: Anglicized German words Below are 24 words that have entered the English language from German. In most cases, the pronunciation of these words has become anglicized, so we need to "unlearn" the English pronunciation of each term if we wish to say them correctl correctly y in German. Read each word to yourself in the way that a German would pronounce it and then click on the sound icon next to each word to listen to it being spoken a German native speaker. How many of these words are you familiar with and what do they mean mean?? Look up any of the words on the list that are new to you and make a list of other German loan words that have been imported into English. Exercise: German loan words 1. Fahrenheit 2. Zeppelin 3. Strudel 4. Frankfurter 5. Dachshund 6. Schadenfreude 7. Ersatz 8. Kindergarten 9. Hamburger 10. Gesundheit 11. Leitmotiv 12. Wanderlust 13. Weltanschauung 14. Rucksack
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15. Hinterland 16. Poltergeist 17. Rottweiler 18. Glockenspiel 19. Doppelgänger 20. Schmalz 21. Gestalt 22. Pilsner 23. Angst 24. Bunsen
Pronunciation: Similar words in English and German Thee words in the table below have similar forms in German and English. They are pronounced however in a very different way in both languages. Read each word to yourself in the way that a German would pronounce it and then click on the sound icon next to each word to listen to it being spoken a native German speaker. Which words in the list also have a different meaning in German and English? Similar words in English and German 1. die Chance 2. das Theater 3. die Symphonie 4. das Quiz
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5. der Athlet 6. die Zone 7. das Gel 8. die Butter 9. wild 10. der Strand (= the beach) 11. der Christ (= the Christian) 12. die Note 13. der Zoo 14. England 15. Volkswagen 16. Mercedes 17. Porsche 18. der Winter 19. das Bad (= the bath) 20. Berlin 21. das Handy (= the mobile phone) 22. die Taste (= the key; the button) 23. China 24. das Boot (= the boat)
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Pronunciation: Anglicized German names The following 16 people have become well well-known in the English-speaking speaking world for their political, cultural or social achievements. In many cas cases es however, we do not say their names in the same way that they would be pronounced in Germany. Read each word to yourself in the way that a German would pronounce it and then click on the sound icon next to each word to listen to it being spoken a German native speaker. How many of these people have you not heard of? Look up any of the names on the list with which you are unfamiliar and find out what they are famous for. Exercise: Anglicized German names 1. Jürgen Klinsmann 2. Steffi Graf 3. Berti Vogts 4. Gerhard Schröder 5. Jörg Haider 6. Arnold Schwarzenegger 7. Rudi Völler 8. Friedrich Schiller 9. Ludwig van Beethoven 10. Hermann Hesse 11. Sigmund Freud 12. Friedrich Nietzsche 13. Marlene Dietrich 14. Dietmar Hamann
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15. Martin Luther 16. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Pronunciation: German towns and cities Here are the names of 24 well--known towns and cities from the German-speaking speaking countries. Read each wordd to yourself in the way that a German would pronounce it and then click on the sound icon next to each word to listen to it being spoken a German native speaker. Look up any of the places on the list with which how you are unfamiliar and note any towns or cities whose name is written differently in German than it is in English. Exercise: German towns and cities 1. Berlin 2. Hannover 3. Düsseldorf 4. Wien 5. Zürich 6. Salzburg 7. Basel 8. London 9. München 10. Stuttgart 11. Braunschweig 12. Frankfurt
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13. Graz 14. Bregenz 15. Luzern 16. Dresden 17. Leipzig 18. Magdeburg 19. Dortmund 20. Saarbrücken
German tongue-twisters Even en for native speakers, German tongue tongue-twisters twisters are by no means easy. Listen to the following Zungenbrecher (= tongue-twisters) twisters) by clicking on the sound icon next to each sentence and then try to say them yourself. How fast can you manage them without makin making g a mistake? German tongue-twisters 1. In Ulm, um Ulm und um Ulm herum. ("In Ulm, around Ulm and round about Ulm.") 2. Bürsten mit harten Borsten bürsten besonders sauber. ("Brushes with hard bristles brush particularly cle clean.") 3. Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische. ("The Fischer's son Fritz is fishing for fresh fish.") 4. Kluge kleine Katzen kratzen keine Krokodile. ("Clever little cats don't scratch crocodiles.") 5. Zwischen zwei Zweigen zwitschern zwei Schwalben. ("Two swallows twitter between two branches.") 6. Weil lustige Leute laufend lache lachen, n, lachen lustige Leute auch beim Laufen. ("Because humorous people laugh all the time, humorous people laugh even when they run.") 7. Echte Dichter dichten leichter bei Licht. ("Real poets find it easier to compose in daylight.")
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8. Jedes Jahr im Juli essen Jana und Julia Johannisbeeren. ("Every year in July Jana and Julia eat blackcurrants.") 9. Schneiders Schere schneidet scharf - scharf schneidet Schneiders S Schere. ("Schneider's scissors cut sharply - sharply is how Schneider's scissors cut.") 10. Wer will weiße Wäsche waschen? ("Who wants to wash white washing?") 11. Esel essen Nesseln nicht, Nesseln essen Esel nicht. ("Donkeys don't eat nettles, nettles don't eat donkeys.") 12. Der Koch roch auch noch in der Nacht nach Knoblauch. ("Even in the night, the cook smelled of garlic.") 13. Man trinkt Wein in Wien. ("People drink wine in Vienna.") 14. Müller Lümmer frühstückt schüsselweise grünes Gemüse. ("Lümmer th thee miller eats green vegetables by the bowlful for breakfast.") 15. Der dicke Dieter trägt den dünnen Dieter über den dicken Dreck. ("Fat Dieter carries thin Dieter across the thick mud.")
Anyone who wants to find more German tongue tongue-twisters twisters should visit the following sites: • • •
Click here to watch three Germans attempt to repeat the tongue tongue-twister. twister. "Schneiders Schere schneidet scharf, scharf schneidet Schneiders Schere." Click here to visit Michael Reck Reck's 's extensive "International Collection of Tongue Twisters". Some are these Zungenbrecher are in standard German, others are in dialect. Click here to see Oliver Horvath Horvath's list of German tongue-twisters.
Alphabet exercise: Spelling your name Listen to the audio clips of people spelling their name by clicking on the real audio icons. Write down the name that they are spelling out. Then place your cursor over the word "Antwort" and a box will pop up revealing the answer. (("Die Antwort" is the German word for "answer".) "answer"
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Audio: Wie heiße ich? 1.
Ich heiße...
Antwort
2.
Mein Name ist...
Antwort
3.
Sie heißt...
Antwort
4.
Ich heiße...
Antwort
5.
Mein Name ist...
Antwort
6.
Sie heißt...
Antwort
7.
Er heißt...
Antwort
8.
Mein Name ist...
Antwort
9.
Ich heiße...
Antwort
10.
Sie heißt...
Antwort
11.
Er heißt...
Antwort
12.
Mein Name ist...
Antwort
13.
Ich heiße...
Antwort
14.
Er heißt...
Antwort
15.
Mein Name ist...
Antwort
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Exercise: German Abbreviations To practise the different letters of the German alphabet, look at the following well-known well German abbreviations and imagine how you would say them. Then click on the sound icon next to each name to listen to a native speaker saying them. How many of these abbreviations ab have you heard of? Look up any abbreviations with which you are unfamiliar. German abbreviations 1. VW (= "V Volkswagen") 2. BMW (= "B Bayerische Motorenwerke") 3. HSV (= "H Hamburger SV") 4. SPD (= "S Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands") 5. BRD (= "B Bundesrepublik Deutschland") 6. ÖVP (= "Ö Österreichische Volkspartei") 7. BASF (= "B Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik") 8. CDU (= "C Christlich-demokratische Union") 9. ISBN (= "Internationale nternationale Standardbuchnummer") 10. USA (= "U United States of America") 11. EKG (= "E Elektrokardiogramm") 12. FDJ (= "F Freie Deutsche Jugend") 13. TV (= "T Television") 14. LKW (= "L Lastkraftwagen") 15. QED (= "Q Quod erat demonstrandum") 16. Aktenzeichen XYZ (= "German TV programme similar to BBC's Crimewatch") 89
German abbreviations: MfG "MfG", a hit single in 1999 for the German rap group "Die Fantastischen Vier" ("The Fantastic Four") or just Fanta 4, is one of the best best-known known German rap records. It is a collection of acronyms set to music, and provides a wry commentary on the extent to which modern German culture is dominated by abbreviations - not least because of its many bulky compound nouns. Click here or on the sound icon on the left of this paragraph to watch the promotional video for the track, which is hosted osted on the website of Fanta 4 band member Smudo. Smudo The lyrics for the song appear below. Once you are confident that you can sing all the abbreviations accurately and in time with the music, click here for an instrumental version of the track that Smudo has put on his site for you to rap over. MfG: the lyrics (Spoken intro) "Nun, da sich dder er Vorhang der Nacht von der Bühne hebt, kann das Spiel beginnen, das uns vom Drama einer Kultur berichtet..." (Translation) "And now, as the curtain of night rises from the stage, our play can begin, which tells of the drama of an entire culture..."
MfG - mit freundlichen Grüßen First verse ARD, ZDF, und C&A BRD, DDR und USA BSE, HIV und DRK GbR, GmbH - ihr könnt mich mal THX, VHS und FSK RAF, LSD und FKK DVU, AKW und KKK RHP, USW, LMAA PLZ, UPS und DPD BMX, BPM und XTC EMI, CBS und BMG ADAC, DLRG - ojemine 90
EKZ, RTL und DFB ABS, TÜV und BMW KMH, ICE und Eschede PVC, FCKW - is' nich' OK Refrain MfG - mit freundlichen Grüßen Die Welt liegt uns zu Füßen Denn wir stehen drauf Wir gehen drauf Für ein Leben voller Schall und Rauch Bevor wir fallen, fallen wir lieber auf Second verse HNO, EKG und AOK LBS, WKD und IHK UKW, NDW und Hubert Kah BTM, BKA, hahaha LTU, TNT und IRA N-TV, THW und DPA H+M, BSB und FDH SOS, 110 - tatütata SED, FDJ und KaDeWe FAZ, BWL und FDP EDV, IBM und WWW HSV, VfB, oleole ABC, DAF und OMD TM3, A+O und AEG TUI, UVA und UVB THC in OCB is was ich dreh Refrain MfG - mit freundlichen Grüßen Die Welt liegt uns zu Füßen Denn wir stehen drauf 91
Wir gehen drauf Für ein Leben voller Schall und Rauch Bevor wir fallen, fallen wir lieber auf
But what do all the abbreviations mean? Some of them are obvious to see, but others are of German origin and require a little explanation. Visit the next page for an explanation of what all the acronyms mean.
MfG - what do all the abbreviations mean?
MfG - an explanation of the German abbreviations Below low is a list of the abbreviations used in the "MfG" rap, which have been provided in the order that they appear in the song. After you have tried to work them out, click on the abbreviations on the left of the page to surf to an appropriate website. Click here or on the sound icon on the left of this paragraph to watch the promotional video for the track, which is hosted on the website of Fanta 4 band member Smudo. The lyrics for the song appear below. Once you are confident that you can sing all the abbreviations accurately and in time with the music, click here for an instrumental version of the track that Smudo has put on his site for you to rap over.
First verse ARD - Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Öffentlich Öffentlich-Rechtlichen Rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten Deutschlands (Germany's first public broadcasting network) ZDF - Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Germany's second television channel) hannel) C&A - Clemens & August (The clothes store C&A, in full Clemens & August) 92
BRD - Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik (The former German Democratic Republic (GDR)) USA - United States of America (Or in German: Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika) BSE - Bovine Spongiforme Encephalopathie (Mad cow disease) HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) DRK - Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (The German Red Cross) GbR - Gesellschaft des Bürgerlichen Rechts (Form of private company under German law) GmbH - Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (A limited company) Ihr könnt mich mal - Ihr könnt mich mal (You can go to hell!) THX - Tomlinson Holman's Experiments (Quality standard for cinema sound) VHS - Video Home Systems (Video tape standard) FSK - Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle
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(Voluntary self-regulation of the German film industry. Also the name of a German band.) RAF - Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Fraction (German left-wing terror organisation)) LSD – Lysergsäurediethylamid (The hallucinogenic drug LSD) FKK – Freikörperkultur (Naturism) DVU - Deutsche Volksunion (Extreme right-wing German political party) AKW – Atomkraftwerk (Nuclear power station) KKK - Ku Klux Klan (Ku Klux Klan) RHP - Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt (Frankfurt rap project) USW - Und so weiter (Et cetera, etc.) LMAA - Leck mich am Arsch (You can kiss my...!) PLZ – Postleitzahl (Postcode. Germany's postcodes have five figures.) UPS - United Parcels Services (Parcel delivery company) DPD - Deutscher Paketdienst 94
(Another parcel delivery company. As of 1. January 2008 DPD as been renamed "Dynamic Parcel Distribution") BMX - Bicycle Motocross (BMX bicycles) BPM - Beats per minute (All DJs need to know the speed of a record) XTC – Ecstasy (Designer amphetamine drug) EMI - Electrical and Music Industries (The music publishers behind the "Fantastischen Vier") CBS - Columbia Broadcasting System (Record label behind the "Fantatischen Vier") BMG - Bertelsmann Music Group (German-based record company) ADAC - Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (German equivalent of the RAC or AA) DLRG - Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (German Lifesavers Society) Ojemine - Oh Jesus domine! (Oh our Lord Jesus!) EKZ –Einkaufszentrum (Shopping centre) RTL - Radio Television Luxemburg
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(German broadcasting company) DFB - Deutscher Fussball-Bund (German Football Association) ABS – Antiblockiersystem (Anti-lock braking system) TÜV - Technischer Überwachungs-Verein (German organisations that test product safety. Best known for regulating the MOT system for cars.) BMW - Bayerische Motorenwerke (The motor manfuacturers BMW) KMH - Kilometer pro Stunde (Km/h) (Kilometres per hour) ICE - InterCity Express (Flagship train of the German railway company "Deutsche Bahn") Eschede – Eschede (Town in Lower Saxony in Germany where an ICE train crashed in June 1998) PVC - Polyvinyl-Chlorid (The man-made material polyvinylchloride) FCKW – Fluorchlorkohlenwasserstoffe (Fluorohydrocarbons (= cause of greenhouse gas)) Is' nich' OK - Is(t) nich(t) OK (...is not OK)
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Refrain and song title MfG - Mit freundlichen Grüßen ("With best wishes". This is the standard way of closing a German business letter.) Second verse HNO - Hals Nasen Ohren (Throat, nose and ears (= area of medicine). Also the name of a Swiss rap group! In English, it's the other way round - ear, nose and throat) EKG – Elektrokardiogramm (Electrocardiogram) AOK - Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (German health insurance company) LBS – Landesbausparkasse (German building society) WKD – Wirtschaftskontrolldienst (Police department in Baden-Württemberg which monitored food provision and food hygiene. The department was dissolved in January 2005.) IHK - Industrie- und Handelskammer (German Chambers of Commerce) UKW – Ultrakurzwelle (VHF, the radio frequency range from 30 to 300 Mhz. Also the name of a music group from the Neue Deutsche Welle (see below)) NDW - Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave. Pop movement of the 1980's) 97
Hubert Kah - Hubert Kah (Popstar of the German New Wave) BTM – Betäubungsmittel (Anaesthetics) BKA – Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office based in Wiesbaden) Hahaha - Ha ha ha (The universal sound of laughter.) LTU - Lufttransport-Unternehmen GmbH (International airline) TNT – Trinitrotoluol (Trinitrotoluene. High explosives) IRA - Irish Republican Army (Irish paramilitary organisation) N-TV - N-TV (24-hour German news channel) THW - Technisches Hilfswerk (Federal Agency for Technical Relief) DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (German news agency) H&M - Hennes & Mauritz (German clothing chain) BSB - Backstreet Boys (American boy-band) 98
FDH - Friss die Hälfte ("Eat half of it". An unscientific means of losing weight) SOS - Save our souls ("Help" in morse code) 110 - The telephone number 110 (Emergency telephone number in Germany) tatütata – tatütata (Dingalingaling! This is the warning siren sound made by fire-engines, ambulances etc.) SED - Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (The ruling political party in the former GDR) FDJ - Freie Deutsche Jugend ("Free German Youth" - GDR youth organisation) KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens (Europe's biggest department store, situated in Berlin) FAZ - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (German daily newspaper based in Frankfurt) BWL – Betriebswirtschaftslehre (Business management studies) FDP - Freie Demokratische Partei (German liberal party) EDP - Elektronische Datenverarbeitung (Electronic data processing) IBM - International Business Machines
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(Computer manufacturers) WWW - World Wide Web (The internet) HSV - Hamburger SV (North German football club) VfB - VfB Stuttgart (The German football league champions in 2006/07. VfB stands for Verein für Bewegungsspiele) Oleole – Oleole ("Olé! Olé!". A football terrace chant) ABC – ABC (1980s British pop group fronted by Martin Fry.) DAF - Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (Düsseldorf pop group. The name translates as "German-American friendship".) OMD - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (A 1980s electropop group who enjoyed great popularity in Germany) TM3 - TM3 (A German TV station that was targeted at women. It changed its name in 2001 to 9Live.) A&O - A&O (Supermarket chain from the 1970's.) AEG - Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (also:"Aus Erfahrung gut") (Manufacturers of household appliances) TUI - Touristik Union International (German travel company)
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UVA – UVA (Ultraviolet light rays in the range 400-320nm) UVB – UVB (Ultraviolet light rays in the range 320-290nm) THC – Tetrahydrocannabinol (The active substance found in hemp, and used for cannabis and hashish) OCB - Odet Cascadec Bolloré (Manufacturer of cigarette papers made of hemp) Is' was ich dreh' - Is(t) was ich dreh(e) (THC in OCB)... is the cigarette that I roll)
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