Aussprache für Englisch- und Urdusprechende (pronunciation for English and Urdu speakers)
How to read the Roman and Urdu guides, and the German sounds you already know from English and Urdu.
15 minutes · A free lesson from Start here · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
Every German word and sentence in this course comes with two reading aids. The Roman line spells the sound the way an English speaker would read it; the Urdu line writes it in Urdu letters. Both are close guides, not exact ones. Listen to the audio, copy the voice, and use the guide to remember what you heard. You can show both guides, one of them, or neither, in the lesson settings.
Sounds Urdu speakers already have
- ch after a, o, u and au is the Urdu خ: Buch (book), auch (also), machen (to do, to make).
Buch Say bookh بُوخ Means: book auch Say owkh آؤخ Means: also, too machen Say makhuhn ماخَن Means: (to) do, (to) make - The German r is made at the back of the mouth, softly, close to Urdu غ, not a rolled ر. At the end of a word it fades to a short "uh": Vater (father) sounds like "faa-tuh".
Vater Say faater فاتر Means: father - Long and short vowels matter, as آ and a short zabar do in Urdu. Miete (rent) has a long i; Mitte (middle) has a short one. A double consonant after a vowel makes it short.
Miete Say meetuh میتَ Means: rent Mitte Say mituh مِتَ Means: middle, centre
Sounds English speakers already have
- sch is the English "sh": Schule (school).
Schule Say shooluh شُولَ Means: school - At the start of a word, sp and st sound like "shp" and "sht": sprechen (to speak), Straße (street).
sprechen Say shprehkhuhn شپرےخَن Means: (to) speak Straße Say shtraasuh شتراسَ Means: street, road - w is the English v, v is usually f, z is ts, and j is the y of "yes": Wasser (water), Zeit (time), ja (yes).
Wasser Say vaser واسر Means: water Zeit Say tsait تسائت Means: time ja Say yaa یا Means: yes - eu and äu sound like the "oy" of "boy": heute (today).
heute Say hoytuh ہوئتَ Means: today
Vowels and one soft sound to practise
- ü: say "ee" and round your lips, as for a kiss: müde (tired).
müde Say mueduh میُدَ Means: tired - ö: say "eh" and round your lips: schön (beautiful).
schön Say shoen شوےن Means: beautiful, nice - ch after e, i, ä, ö and ü, and after l, n and r, is a soft hiss with the tongue high, like the start of the English word "huge": ich (I), Milch (milk). It is not the خ of Buch.
ich Say ikh (soft ch) اِخ (نرم آواز) Means: I Milch Say milkh مِلخ Means: milk Buch Say bookh بُوخ Means: book
Letters that change at the end of a word
- b, d and g at the end of a word sound like p, t and k: Hund (dog) sounds like "hunt", and Tag (day) like "taak".
Hund Say hunt ہُنت Means: dog Tag Say taak تاک Means: day - The ending -ig usually sounds like "ich": richtig (right, correct). In the south you will also hear "-ik".
richtig Say rikhtikh رِختِخ Means: right, correct - An h after a vowel is not said. It only makes the vowel long: gehen (to go, to walk).
gehen Say gehuhn گےَن Means: (to) go, (to) walk
Listen and repeat
Say it out loud (30 seconds): Lies laut: Heute spreche ich ein bisschen Deutsch. Mein Vater trinkt Tee mit Milch.Say: lees lowt. hoytuh shprehkhuh ikh ain biskhuhn doych. main faater trinkt teh mit milkh.لیس لاؤت. ہوئتَ شپرےخَ اِخ آئن بِسخَن دوئچ. مائن فاتر ترِنکت تے مِت مِلخ.Means: Read aloud: Today I speak a little German. My father drinks tea with milk.
A model answer
Heute spreche ich ein bisschen Deutsch. Mein Vater trinkt Tee mit Milch.Say: hoytuh shprehkhuh ikh ain biskhuhn doych. main faater trinkt teh mit milkh.ہوئتَ شپرےخَ اِخ آئن بِسخَن دوئچ. مائن فاتر ترِنکت تے مِت مِلخ.Means: Today I speak a little German. My father drinks tea with milk.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: Which German sound is the Urdu خ?
- ch in “Buch”
- sch in “Schule”
- z in “Zeit”
Show the answer
A: ch in “Buch” — After a, o, u and au, ch is the Urdu خ. After e and i it is the soft ch of “ich”.
Quick check: How does “Hund” end?
- With a d sound
- With a t sound: “hunt”
- With no sound at all
Show the answer
B: With a t sound: “hunt” — b, d and g at the end of a word sound like p, t and k.
Quick check: How does “st” sound at the start of “Straße”?
- Like the English “st”
- Like “ts”
- Like “sht”
Show the answer
C: Like “sht” — At the start of a word, st is “sht” and sp is “shp”.
Quick check: What does the h in “gehen” do?
- It is said like the English h
- It sounds like Urdu خ
- It is not said; it makes the e long
Show the answer
C: It is not said; it makes the e long — An h after a vowel is silent and only makes the vowel long.