LEARNING GERMAN
THE VOWELS:
Every vowel in German has two distinct pronunciations, which are short
and long respectively.
SHORT PRONUNCIATION is always used when there are two or more
consonants after the vowel.
LONG PRONUNCIATION is always used when there is only one consonant
after the vowel, also when there is an “H” after it (except for the “I”) and
when there is a double vowel case (except for the “U”).
The vowel “A”
It is pronounced “ah”. For example:
-
an (at)
sagen (say)
war (was)
kam (came)
in Maβen (in moderation)
kalt (cold)
kamm (comb)
in Massen (high volumes)
das Wasser (water)
die Kraft (power)
-
das Sofa (sofa)
das Mofa (small moped)
das Jahr (year)
sah (saw, past tense of see)
der Zahn (tooth)
der Hahn (rooster)
die Fahne (flag)
das Paar (pair)
das Haar (hair)
die Waage (scale)
 The diphthong “AI”: It is pronounced like “ay” (in Spanish). For
example:
 der Mai (the month May)
 der Hai (shark)
 der Kaiser (emperor)
 The diphthong “AU”: It is pronounced like the “au” sound we
emit when we get hit by something. For example:
 das Haus (house)
 die Maus (mouse)
 kauen (to chew)
 auch (also)
 auf (on)
 The diphthong “ÄU”: It is pronounced like when British fellows
call someone in a pub “oi mate” (just the “oi” sound). For
example:
- die Häuser (houses)
- die Mäuse (mice)
- der Räuber (robber)
 The variation “Ä”: It is pronounced like a long “E”. For example:
- spät (late)
- erklären (to explain)
- das Mädchen (girl)
- das Geschäft (store, shop)
The vowel “E”
It is pronounced “eh”. For example:
-
der Weg (path, way)
beten (to pray)
sehen (to see)
der See (lake)
der Meer (sea, ocean)
die Beere (berry)
-
sehr (very)
stehen (to stand)
gehen (to go)
das Wetter (weather)
besser (better)
essen (to eat)
 The diphthong “EU”: It is pronounced like the “äu”. For example:
- neu (new)
- scheu (shy)
- die Freude (joy)
 The diphthong “EI”: It is pronounced like the “ai”. For example:
- schreiben (to write)
- drei (three)
- das Bein (leg)
The vowel “I”
It is pronounced like the English “e”. For example:
-
die Pizza (pizza)
immer (always)
der Fisch (fish)
der Igel (hedgehog)
- irisch (Irish)
- der Termin (appointment)
 The diphthong “IE”: It is pronounced exactly the same as it was
just an “i”. For example:
- nie (never)
- sie (you in a formal way)
- das Bier (beer)
The vowel “O”
It is pronounced like a dead stop “o”. For example:
-
die Oper (opera)
die Rose (rose)
rot (red)
das Boot (boat)
der Zoo (zoo)
das Stroh (straw)
froh (happy)
-
die Sohle (sole)
die Post (mail)
die Wolle (wool)
der Gott (God)
 The variation “Ö”: It is pronounced like an “o” but tired, with no
energy. For example:
- hören (to hear)
- schön (beautiful)
- der Löwe (lion)
The vowel “U”
It is pronounced “uh”. For example:
- der Stuhl (chair)
- die Grube (pit)
- das Buch (book) (the “ch”
at the end counts as ONE
consonant, for that reason
it is pronounced in the
long way).
- der Hund (dog)
- der Wunsch (wish)
- die Butter (butter)
 The variation “Ü”: It is pronounced like an “uh” but tired, zero
energy. For example:
- über (over)
- drücken (to push)
- grün (green)
The case of “Y”
It has two different pronunciations:
 When “Y” is in the middle of a word: It is pronounced like
the “ü”. For example:
- typisch (typical)
- das Gymnasium (secondary school)
- der Typ (type, guy)
 When “Y” is at the beginning or at the end of a word: It is
pronounced exactly like in the English case. For example:
- das Baby (baby)
- das Yak (yak)
- die Party (party)
THE CONSONANTS:
The consonant “B”
 When it is found in the beginning or the middle of a word: It
is pronounced such as its English counterpart. For example:
- beginnen (to begin)
- der Bär (bear)
- geben (to give)
- graben (to dig)
 When it is found in the end or before an “S”: It is
pronounced like a “p”. For example:
- der Dieb (thief)
- gelb (yellow)
- lebst (live in the “du-form”)
- gibst (give in the “du-form”)
 When it is at the end of a prefix with “B”: It is pronounced as
a combination of the two cases mentioned before (first a “p”
sound, then a “b” sound). For example:
- abbiegen (to turn)
The consonant “C”
 When it is found with a consonant of an open vowel: It is
pronounced as its English counterpart. For example:
- das Café (café)
- der Clown (clown)
- die Currywurst (currywurst)
 The case of “CK”: It is pronounced exactly as in English. For
example:
- backen (to bake)
- die Flecken (spots)
- der Bock (buck, ram)
- das Gebäck (baked goods)
- gucken (to look)
- die Schnecke (snail)
 When it is followed by a front vowel: It takes the sound of
“ts” or the German “Z”. For example:
- der Circus (circus)
- circa (Circa)
- der Cent (cent)
The consonant “D”
 When it is at the front or the middle of a word: It is
pronounced as it was the English “d”. For example:
- dock (nevertheless)
- das (the)
- warden (will, become)
- wieder (again)
 When it is placed at the end of a word: It sounds like a “t”.
For example:
- der Tod (death)
- die Wand (wall)
- das Schild (sign, shield)
The consonant “F”
 When… Well, it is pronounced always the same and it sounds
like the English “f”. For example:
- der Fisch (fish)
- französisch (French)
- der Neffe (nephew)
- das Schiff (ship)
The consonant “G”
 When it is located at the front or the middle of a word: It is
pronounced exactly as in English, including the “ng”
combination. For example:
- der Gott (God)
- grillen (to grill)
- eng (tight)
- bringen (to bring)
- der Regenbogen (rainbow)
- der Finger (finger)
- die Menge (crowd)
- die Anmeldung (application)
- der Frühling (spring)
 When it is at the end of a word: It sounds like the letter “k”.
For example:
- der Tag (day)
- der Krieg (war)
- das Flugzeug (airplane)
 The combination “IG” at the end of a word or before a
consonant: It sound exactly as its English counterpart. For
example:
- der König (king)
- die Ewigkeit (eternity)
- witzig (funny)
- fünfzig (fifty)
- das Signal (signal)
 The combination “IG” before a vowel: It is pronounced as it
was in the middle of the word. For example:
- die Heilige (saints)
- der Igel (hedgehog)
 When the word has French origins: It sounds like the French
“G”. For example:
- die Garage (garage)
- orange (orange)
- der Ingenieur (engineer)
The consonant “H”
 When it is placed after a vowel: Just elongates the vowel, it
does not have a sound. For example:
- das Jahr (year)
- sehen (to see)
- gehen (to go)
 When it is used in other instances: It is pronounced the same
as it is in English. For example:
- der Held (hero)
- die Gesundheit (health)
- heute (today)
The consonant “J”
 When… Well, most of the time it is pronounced like the
English “Y”. For example:
- das Jahr (year)
- jetzt (now)
- die Jacke (jacket)
- die Majonäse (mayonnaise)
 When it is used in English words: It takes the English
pronunciation. For example:
- der Job (job)
- die Jeans (jeans)
- der Jeep (Jeep)
 When it is used in French words: It takes the French sound.
For example:
- der Journalist (journalist)
- der Jargon (jargon)
The consonant “K”
 When… It is always pronounced the same, also, the sound is
exactly as it is in English. For example:
- die Sekunde (second)
- können (can)
- klein (small)
- krank (sick)
- lecker (delicious)
The consonant “L”
 Eh… It is the same as in English, no matter what. For example:
- die Lüge (lie)
-
liegen (to lie, be located)
heilen (to heal)
der Teil (part)
wild (wild)
The consonant “M”
 Yup… Exactly the same as in English. For example:
- der Mond (moon)
- der Schimmel (mold)
- atmen (to breathe)
- das Heim (home)
The consonant “N”
 Wow… It is exactly pronounced as in English, including when
it is combined with a “g”. For example:
- lang (long)
- hängen (to hang)
- der Wein (wine)
- fahren (to drive)
- danken (to thank)
The consonant “P”
 O my god… yup, it is just exactly as in English. For example:
- Prost (cheers)
- springen (to jump)
- die Gruppe (grupe)
- kaputt (broken)
- der Tipp (tip)
The consonant “Q”
 Finally!! It is pronounced like a mix of “K” and “V” of the
English alphabet, also, it is always the same. For example:
- das Quiz (quiz)
- die Quittung (receipt)
- bequem (comfortable)
- der Quatsch (nonsense)
- der Quark (quark)
The consonant “R”
It has two different pronunciations, the consonant and the vocalic one.
 The consonant “R”: It sounds like if you were trying to clear
your throat plus adding your voice in it. For example:
- der Regen (rain)
- rot (red)
- hören (to hear)
- der Herr (gentleman)
- dürr (scrawny)
- die Rosen (roses)
 The vocalic “R”: It sound more like an “IA”. For example:
- der Bruder (brother)
- die Mutter (mother)
- die Schwester (sister)
- das Tor (goal)
- mehr (more)
- des Chor (choir)
- das Bier (beer)
- der Herd (stove)
- das Pferd (horse)
The consonant “S”
 When it is at the beginning or the middle of a word: It
sounds like the English “Z”. For example:
- singen (to sing)
- sitzen (to sit)
- reisen (to travel)
- leise (quiet)
 When it is doubled or at the end of a word: It takes the
sound of the English “S”. For example:
- das Gleis (track, platform)
- das Glas (glass)
- das Schloss (castle)
- wissen (to know “facts”)
 The eszett “β”: It is like two “S” shove together, it makes the
sound of an “s”. It is used after a long vowel or diphthong. For
example:
-
der Fuβ (foot)
flieβen (to flow)
die Straβe (street)
beiβen (to bite)
The consonant “T”
 When… A “T” is always a “T”, just have the regular “T” sound.
For example:
- der Tag (day)
- der Teil (part)
- tragen (to carry)
- raten (to advise)
- das Auto (car)
- gut (good)
- rot (red)
The consonant “V”
 When it is used in German words: It is pronounced like an
“F”, unless it is placed at the end of a word. For example:
- viel (much)
- der Vogel (bird)
- das Volk (people)
- der Vater (father)
- das Veilchen (the flower named “Violet”)
 When it is used in foreign words: It is pronounced as the
English “V”. For example:
- die Vase (vase)
- das Klavier ( piano)
- das Verb (verb)
- privat (private)
- die Universität (university)
The consonant “W”
 When… It is pretty always pronounced the same, just as the
English “V”. For example:
- die Welt (world)
- die Wolke (cloud)
- verschwinden (to disappear)
- vorwärts (forwards)
 Sometimes, it is used in English words (very rare): It sound
just like the English “W”. For example:
- wow (wow)
- die Show (show)
The consonant “X”
 Wow… It is always pronounced the same. It sounds like a
combination of “K” and “S”. For example:
- die Hexe (witch)
- das Taxi (taxi)
- die Flex (angle grinder)
The consonant “Z”:
 It… is just the same for all cases. Its sound is a combination of
-
“T” and “S”. For example:
das Zimmer (room)
zwischen (between)
der Zug (train)
das Ziel (goal)
das Salz (salt)
das Netz (net)
plötzlich (suddenly)
THE CONSONANT COMBINATIONS:
The combination “CH”
 When it is after E, Ä, I, EI, IE, EU, ÄU, Ö or after a consonant:
It is pronounced as the first sound of the name “Hugh”. For
example:
- der Becher (mug)
- leicht (simple, easy)
- echt (real)
- riechen (to smell)
- die Fächer (subjects)
- der Grieche (Greek)
- mächtig (poweful)
- euch (you)
- ich (I)
- feucht (moist)
- nicht (not)
- die Bräuche
- gleich (immediately)
(customs, rituals)
- die Bäuche (bellies)
- solche (such)
- der Köcher (quiver)
- die Milch (milk)
- die Löcher (holes)
 When it is placed after A, O, U and AU: Try to say “O”, then
let it die until just a gasp of air gets out of your throat, that
sound is how you pronounce “CH” in these cases. For
example:
- nach (after)
- die Rache (revenge)
- die Woche (week)
- hoch (high)
- der Kuchen (cake)
- der Spruch (quote, saying)
- der Rauch (smoke)
- auch (also)
 The variation “CHS”: It sounds like an “K” plus “S”. For
example:
- sechs (six)
- das Sachsen (saxon)
- wacksen (to grow)
- die Achsel (armpit)
The combination “GN”
 Well… you just have to pronounce each consonant. For
example:
- die Gnade (grace)
- der Gnom (gnome)
The combination “NK”
 It is just… a “NK” sound, nothing special. For example:
- sinken (to sink)
- trinken (to drink)
- denken (to think)
- danken (to thank)
- der Enkel (grandson)
- der Onkel (uncle)
The combination “KN”
 Eh… just as in the “GN” case, you have to pronounce each
word. For example:
- das Knie (knee)
- die Kneipe (bar, pub)
- der Knopf (button)
The combination “PF”
 It is… well, just pronounce it like if you were trying to spell
the German “F” with a burst of air. For example:
- das Pferd (horse)
- der Pfeil (arrow)
- das Pfingsten (Pentacost)
- der Pfirsich (peach)
- der Tropfen (drop of water)
- der Kopf (head)
The combination “PH”
 Always… always has the same pronunciation, which is the
same as in its English counterpart. For example:
- der Graph (graph)
- die Phrase (phrase)
- die Physik (physics)
The combination “SCH”
 When… it is always the same pronunciation. It sounds exactly
as the English “SH”. For example:
- die Schnecke (snail)
- der Schnee (snow)
- das Schlaf (sheep)
- der Fisch (fish)
- tschechisches Streichholzschächtelchen (little Czech
matchbox)
 The variation “TSCH”: It sounds like the English “CH”. For
example:
- klatschen (to clap)
- das Deutsch (German)
- der Lutscher (lollipop)
- die Peitsche (whip)
The combination “ST” and “SP”
 When it is placed at the beginning of a word: It takes the
exact same “SCH” sound plus the “T” or “P” respectively. For
example:
- spielen (to play)
- der Spaβ (fun)
- spät (lake)
- der Spinat (spinach)
- die Stimme (voice)
- steigen (to climb)
- der Stoff (stuff, material)
- der Stock (floor, storey)
- die Straβe (street)
 When it is located in the middle or the end of a word: They
are pronounced exactly as their English counterparts. For
example:
- die Wespe (wasp)
- die Knospe (the flower named “Bud”)
- beste (best)
- der Dienst (service)
- der Durst (thirst)
- erste (first)
- die Faust (fist)
The combination “TH”
 It always… pronounced like just a “T”: For example:
- das Theater (theater)
- die Theorie (theory)
- die Ethik (ethics)
- die Mathe (math)
- die Apotheke (pharmacy)