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- GERMANY -
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HOW TO PRONOUNCE GERMAN VOWELS
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a
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like 'u' in
"cup", 'a' in "target" |
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e
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like 'e' in
"ten", 'a' in "bake" |
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i
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like 'i' in
"bingo" |
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o
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like 'oo' in
"door", like 'o' in "top" |
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u
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like 'ou' in
"you" |
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ä
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(Umlaut,
transcribed as 'ae') like 'e' in "ten", 'a' in
"band" |
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ö
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(Umlaut,
transcribed as 'oe') like 'i' in "Sir" |
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ü
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(Umlaut,
transcribed as 'ue') like 'y' in 'Tyrell' |
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y
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same as 'ü', but
also consonant "j" in words of foreign origin
("Yacht") |
 A vowel is shortened when followed by a
double consonant.
A vowel is lengthened by a subsequent 'h',
or by a double vowel, depending on the word. An exception is 'i', which is
lengthened by a following 'e' or 'eh'.
Examples: the h in Hahn
makes the a long; the aa in Haar is also long, the e
in Tier makes the i long. (See below for
"Diphthongs".)
HOW TO PRONOUNCE GERMAN CONSONANTS
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b
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like 'b' in
"bed" |
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c
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like 'ts' in
"bits" before 'i' and 'e'; like 'k' in "kid" else |
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d
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like 'd' in
"dog" |
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f
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like 'ph' in
"phone" |
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g
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like 'g' in
"go" (never as in "giraffe") |
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h
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like 'h' in
"help" |
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j
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like 'y' in
"yoga" |
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k
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like 'c' in
"cat" |
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l
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like 'l' in
"love" |
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m
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like 'm' in
"mother" |
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n
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like 'n' in
"nice" |
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p
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like 'p' in
"pig" |
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q
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like 'q' in
"quest" (always with "u") |
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r
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like 'r' in
"arm", like 'r' in "feather" (often like silent
"h") |
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s
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like 'z' in
"haze" |
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t
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like 't' in
"top" |
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v
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like 'f' in
"father", or like "v" in "victory" |
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w
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like 'v' in
"victory", never like 'wh' in "whisky" |
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x
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like 'cks' in
"kicks" |
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ß
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like 'ss' in
"hiss" |
Consonants are pronounced quite strongly
(except perhaps the 'r')
HOW TO PRONOUNCE GERMAN DIPHTHONGS (gliding vowels)
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au
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like 'ow' in
"how" |
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ae
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transcription for
'ä' if not available on a keyboard or in URLs |
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ah
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like 'a' in
"bar", longer than 'a' |
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äu
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like 'oy' in
"boy" |
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ei
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like 'i' in
"wine" |
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eu
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like 'oy' in
"boy" |
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eh
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long 'e' |
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ie
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like 'ee' in
"week", longer than 'i' |
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ieh
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like 'ee' in
"week", longer than 'i', fundamentally no difference to 'ie' |
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oe
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transcription for
'ö' if not available on a keyboard or in URLs |
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oh
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like 'oo' in
"door", longer than 'o' |
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ue
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transcription for
'ü' if not available on a keyboard or in URLs |
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uh
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like 'ou' in
"youth", longer than 'u' |
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'ch' after 'a', 'o' and 'u'
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like
'ch' in Scottish "loch", spoken in the throat, like 'j' in
German |
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'ch' after 'i' and 'e'
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like
'h' in "huge" |
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'ch' at the beginning of a word
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like
'ch' in "character" |
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ck
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like
'ck' in "blocking" |
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ng
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like
both 'ng' in "singing", never like 'ng' in
"finger" |
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ph
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like
'f' in "fish" |
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sch
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like
'sh' in "sheep" |
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'sp' at the beginning of a word
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like
'shp' in "fish pool" |
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ss
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like 'ss' in "hiss",
in contrast to 'ß', makes the preceding vowel shorter. Also used as
transcription for 'ß' in URLs or on foreign keyboards.
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'st' at the beginning of a word
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like
'sht' in "ashtray" |
 Free German Language Lesson Home
Pronunciation |
Basics |
Numbers |
Telling the Time |
Days of the Week / Months |
Colors
Weather |
Food / at the Restaurant |
Asking for Directions |
At the Hotel / Accommodation |
Shopping
copyright / credits
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