Your Final German Pronunciation Information (With Audio)

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The long-lasting sound of German pronunciation can establish somebody as a German-speaking particular person even to those that don’t converse the language. The excellent news is that, as an English speaker, you may study to grasp the pronunciation of the German alphabet with little effort. 

The German lexicon makes use of all 26 letters from the English alphabet that you simply already know and love, and easily provides on 4 new letters. If you wish to study German and sound extra like a local, evaluation this German pronunciation information for the ideas and methods you have to sound authentically German.

Overview of the German alphabet

The German alphabet serves because the constructing blocks for correct German pronunciation. It consists of 30 letters in complete, most of that are the identical letters “A” by way of “Z” that you realize within the English alphabet, however some are pronounced in another way than these with which you’re acquainted. That accounts for 26 of the 30 letters, however what concerning the remaining 4 “new” German letters?

The 4 letters that the German language provides on to our alphabet is Ä, Ö, Ü, and ẞ. The primary three letters, which look much like English vowels, have an accent mark, generally generally known as a diacritical mark, known as an “umlaut” to point out that they’re mentioned aloud in another way than their umlaut-less counterparts. The ultimate letter that appears like a capital “B” is known as Eszett, and is far simpler to pronounce than it appears.

How German phrase pronunciation differs from English

The primary distinction in tips on how to pronounce German phrases vs. English is that you simply’ll have to get used to saying nearly each letter in a German phrase. 

In English, there are sometimes “silent” letters which can be solely used to change the sound one other letter makes, just like the silent “e” on the finish of “alone.” You wouldn’t pronounce the phrase as “a-lohn-uh” in English by saying the “e” sound, however in German pronunciation, you’ll! Whereas some letters do mix to make new sounds in German, they’re at all times side-by-side. This pronunciation distinction is especially useful to recollect when studying German aloud.

Announcing German vowels like a local

The commonest sounds are vowels, and also you’ll have to grasp German vowel pronunciation. Simply as in English, the German vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. There are additionally umlauted vowels, however you’ll study extra about them upon getting these major ones down pat. 

You’ll discover that every one vowels have a brief sound and an extended sound related to them, so pay shut consideration to those variations. Right here’s tips on how to pronounce the primary vowels you’ll generally use:

A/a

Each the quick A and lengthy A are similar-sounding to the “ah” in “father,” however the quick A is held for much less time than the lengthy A sound

• Quick A examples: aber
  (however), Dachshund (basset hound)
• Lengthy A instance: ja
  (sure)

E/e

Quick E is pronounced just like the E in “set” or “mattress,” whereas the lengthy E sounds just like the “a” in “laid,” however longer and extra punctuated.

• Quick E instance: esst
  (eats)
• Lengthy E instance: Efeu
  (ivy)

I/i

For a brief I sound, think about the “I” sound in “kitten.” The longer “ee” sound in “want” represents the lengthy I noise.

• Quick I instance: Brille
  (eyeglasses)
• Lengthy I examples: Juli
  (July), Lidl (Lidl, the superstore chain)

O/o

Quick O sounds just like the “o” in “lot,” and the longer O sound in “snow” with extra rounded lips.

• Quick O examples: ob
  (whether or not), Volkswagen (Volkswagen, the automobile model)
• Lengthy O instance: rot
  (crimson)

U/u

In German, a brief U sound is just like the “oo” in “foot,” and the lengthy U is the extra pronounced “oo” in “cool.”

• Quick U instance: und
  (and)
• Lengthy U instance: Hut
  (hat)

Get the dangle of umlauts in German pronunciation

Time for the ultimate vowels in German pronunciation: umlauts. These umlauts are accent marks that seem as the 2 little dots you see above the letters Ä, Ö, and Ü. Helpfully, they allow you to, because the reader, know to pronounce the letters in another way than their umlaut-less counterparts.

They’re known as A umlaut, O umlaut, and U umlaut, respectively. You’ll additionally see them in lowercase kind as ä, ö, and ü, however fortunately their pronunciation doesn’t actually change based mostly on their higher vs. lowercase kinds. 

As a result of these don’t have direct equivalents in English, new learners might discover it tougher to recollect tips on how to pronounce the O umlaut in German. Nevertheless, it might change into clearer with examples and observe. Right here’s a useful information with examples to grasp this trickier a part of German pronunciation:

Ä/ä

As the best umlaut to study, the quick and lengthy Ä sounds mimic the quick and lengthy “E” sound in German.

• Quick Ä instance: Ärger
  (annoyance)
• Lengthy Ä instance: Zähne
  (tooth)

Ö/ö

Pronounce this letter by forming an “o” along with your lips and saying the sound much like the “e” in “her.”

• Quick Ö instance: öffnen
  (to open)
• Lengthy Ö instance: größer
  (bigger/larger)

Ü/ü

Begin by forming your mouth as in the event you’re planning to say the “oo” sound like in “meals.” Then, whereas maintaining your lips rounded, transfer your tongue ahead and upward, virtually such as you’re aiming for the “ee” sound in “cheese.”

• Quick Ü instance: süß
  (candy)
• Lengthy Ü instance: über
  (over)

How you can pronounce German diphthongs

Typically the German language will place two or extra vowels subsequent to one another with a view to make a brand new sound. You’ll know these vowel combos as diphthongs, and so they’re as commonplace in German pronunciation as they’re in English. 

As an alternative of making an attempt to sound every vowel out, you’ll acknowledge the grouping as a diphthong and pronounce the vowels as one new sound. Listed below are the diphthongs you’ll come throughout as you good your German pronunciation:

Eszett (ß): The sharp, double ‘s’ sound

Your closing “new” German letter to study is Eszett. It’s written as ß and is pronounced in German like a pointy “s” sound as in “snap.” Some German dialects select to put in writing the Eszett sound as “ss” as an alternative, which is suitable, however doesn’t talk the distinction between the sharper “s” sound and the much less sharp double “s” sound, as in wasser (water), that you simply’ll hear.

Hearken to the three examples beneath to get a really feel for the way Eszett sounds when spoken by a local German:

• äußern
  (to specific)
• größer
  (bigger/larger)
• süß
  (candy)

Consonants that sound related in English and German

Merely put, a consonant is a letter within the alphabet that isn’t a vowel. Fortunately, most consonants in German pronunciation sound identical to they do in English, limiting the time you have to spend memorizing them and making German straightforward to study! 

Did you discover the unusual identify German has given to the letter “Y?” This letter is spelled Ypsilon in German, pronounced like “oop-sih-lon.” It is a borrowing from the Greek identify for the letter “U.”

Consonants that sound completely different in German

Whereas fewer in quantity, there are some letters in German pronunciation which have a special sound to them compared with their English equivalents. These consonants seem usually in every day German dialog, so getting used to their variations is a crucial ability to study as you construct in direction of full German fluency.

C/c

First, let’s cowl the particular case of the letter C. Besides in consonant groupings like ch and sch and phrases borrowed from different languages, the letter C doesn’t seem within the German lexicon, and due to this fact doesn’t have its personal pronunciation. In phrases borrowed from different languages, C follows the foundations of that language’s pronunciation. Sometimes, that is both a “okay” sound as in “preserve” or an “s” sound just like the “c” in “cent.”

• Instance of a phrase borrowed from one other language with C: Celsius
  (Celsius)

Under are the remaining eight consonants with a special sound from their English counterparts:

J/j

Pronounced just like the English “y” in “you.”

• Instance phrase: jung
  (younger)

L/l

Just like the “l” within the English phrase “much less,” however with a curled tip of the tongue and a lowered again finish of the tongue.

• Instance phrase: laufen
  (to run)

Q/q

Since this letter is at all times adopted by “u,” you’ll pronounce the QU as “kwuh.”

• Instance phrase: Qualle
  (jellyfish)

R/r

Relying on the dialect, the R sounds just like the “r” in “run” and is both very gentle or rolled as a deep trill.

• Instance phrases: der
  (the, masculine), treiben
  (to drive, hustle)

S/s

Pronounced just like the English letter “z” as in “zoo” when initially or center of a phrase. On the finish of a phrase, S appears like an English “s” as in “solar.”

V/v

Mentioned the identical because the letter “f” in “fox.”

• Instance phrase: Vater
  (father)

W/w

This letter sounds just like the letter “v” in English, as in “very.”

• Instance phrase: Wasser
  (water)

Z/z

Pronounced just like the “ts” on the finish of “hats.”

• Instance phrase: Hochzeit
  (marriage ceremony/marriage)

Consonant combos you may study collectively

Just like how one can put two vowels collectively in a diphthong to create a brand new sound, it’s also possible to put two or extra consonants side-by-side to make a brand new sound. These groupings of consonants are generally known as consonant clusters.

For instance, many new German language lovers battle with how ch is pronounced in German, in order that they don’t know tips on how to pronounce ich (I) in German. So far as German pronunciation goes, ch isn’t the “chuh” noise as in “cheese” like we all know it to be in English. As an alternative, think about it like a cat’s hiss, however extra guttural and comprised of the again of your throat:

Listed below are all of the frequent consonant clusters you’ll have the enjoyment of saying whereas talking German:

Suggestions to enhance your German accent

In order for you your German to sound extra genuine, don’t copy the cartoonish German villain from previous World Struggle II films. Regardless of what some humorous  on-line movies would have you ever imagine, the German language may be very lovely when not over-emphasized for comedic impact.

To enhance your German accent, attempt following the following pointers as you observe talking German:

• Soften your “r” sounds. Exterior of some Southern German and Austrian dialects, most Germans don’t roll their “r’s.”
• Communicate slower. Germans have a slower cadence to their speech than different languages.
• Don’t overpronounce softer and short-sound vowels. Take note of lengthy vs. quick vowel sounds and don’t glide longer vowel sounds a lot.

Enhance your German pronunciation with Rosetta Stone

Studying German for work, journey, or to attach along with your Oma (grandma) on a deeper stage? The way you converse the language, your German pronunciation, issues simply as a lot as appropriate grammar and phrase alternative. With Rosetta Stone stay classes, you may hear a local German talking the language on related cultural matters. This helps offer you an thought of how Germans actually sound each day and in regular dialog.