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German

German sounds

Umlauts, ch, ei and ie — and letters that sound different.

12 minutes · A free lesson from Start here · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase

German spelling is regular: once you know the rules, you can pronounce almost any word you read.

Listen and repeat

BärSay: behrبےرMeans: bearä sounds like the e in 'bed'Der Bär ist groß.Say: dehr behr ist grohs.دےر بےر اِست گروس.Means: The bear is big.
schönSay: shoenشوےنMeans: beautiful, niceö: say 'e', then round your lipsDas Wetter ist schön.Say: das vehter ist shoen.داس وےتر اِست شوےن.Means: The weather is nice.
müdeSay: mueduhمیُدَMeans: tiredü: say 'ee', then round your lipsIch bin müde.Say: ikh bin mueduh.اِخ بِن میُدَ.Means: I am tired.
ichSay: ikh (soft ch)اِخ (نرم آواز)Means: Ich after e, i, ä, ö, ü is softIch heiße Sara.Say: ikh high-suh sah-rahاِخ ہائسَہ ساراMeans: My name is Sara.
BuchSay: bookhبُوخMeans: bookch after a, o, u is from the back of the throatDas Buch ist gut.Say: das bookh ist goot.داس بُوخ اِست گُوت.Means: The book is good.
meinSay: mainمائنMeans: myei sounds like English 'my'Das ist mein Bruder.Say: das ist main brooder.داس اِست مائن برُودر.Means: This is my brother.
LiebeSay: leebuhلیبَMeans: love; Dear (to a woman, in a letter)ie sounds like English 'ee'Liebe Grüße!Say: leebuh gruesuh!لیبَ گریُسَ!Means: Best wishes!
WasserSay: vaserواسرMeans: waterw sounds like English vEin Glas Wasser, bitte.Say: ain glaas vaser, bituh.آئن گلاس واسر, بِتَ.Means: A glass of water, please.
VaterSay: faaterفاترMeans: fatherv usually sounds like English fMein Vater arbeitet.Say: main faater arbaituht.مائن فاتر اربائتَت.Means: My father works.
ZeitSay: tsaitتسائتMeans: timez sounds like tsIch habe keine Zeit.Say: ikh haabuh kainuh tsait.اِخ ہابَ کائنَ تسائت.Means: I have no time.

Lesson quiz

Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.

Quick check: How does “ei” in “mein” sound?

  1. Like the “ee” in “see”
  2. Like the “ay” in “day”
  3. Like the English word “my”
Show the answer

C: Like the English word “my” — ei sounds like “my”. ie is the one that sounds like “ee”: Liebe.

Quick check: How does “w” in “Wasser” sound?

  1. Like English v
  2. Like English w
  3. Like English f
Show the answer

A: Like English v — German w is said like English v: Wasser sounds like “vasser”. German v usually sounds like f: Vater.

Quick check: How does “z” in “Zeit” sound?

  1. Like English z
  2. Like ts
  3. Like s
Show the answer

B: Like ts — German z is ts: Zeit sounds like “tsait”.

Quick check: How can you type ü without a German keyboard?

  1. ue
  2. u
  3. uu
Show the answer

A: ue — Write ae, oe and ue for ä, ö and ü, and ss for ß. The answers in this course accept both.

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