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German Pronunciation

German pronunciation follows a set of fairly consistent rules. Here are some key rules, along with examples to illustrate each one:

In German, an umlaut is used to modify the pronunciation and meaning of certain words. Here’s when and why umlauts are applied:

1. To Form Plurals

Many singular nouns add an umlaut when forming the plural:

  • Mutter (mother) → Mütter (mothers).
  • Stadt (city) → Städte (cities)
  • Vogel (bird) → Vögel (birds)

2. To Create Comparatives of Adjectives

Some adjectives take an umlaut in the comparative and superlative forms:

  • kalt (cold) → kälter (colder)
  • jung (young) → jünger (younger)
  • groß (big) → größer (bigger)

3. To Change Verb Forms

Certain verbs change with an umlaut in their stem when conjugated:

  • fahren (to drive) → er fährt (he drives)
  • laufen (to run) → er läuft (he runs)
  • schlafen (to sleep) → er schläft (he sleeps)

4. To Differentiate Between Words with Different Meanings

An umlaut distinguishes between words that would otherwise be spelled the same but have different meanings:

  • schon (already) vs. schön (beautiful)
  • Ofen (oven) vs. Öfen (ovens)
  • Fall (case) vs. Fälle (cases)

5. To Adjust Pronunciation

Adding an umlaut changes the sound of the vowel to make it softer or more fronted:

  • a becomes ä: as in Mann (man) → Männer (men)
  • o becomes ö: as in Sohn (son) → Söhne (sons)
  • u becomes ü: as in Mutter (mother) → Mütter (mothers)

In Use

Ä sounds like "eh" (similar to the English "air").

  • Mädchen (MEHD-chen)"girl"
  • Äpfel (EHP-fel)"apples"
  • spät (shpaet)"late"
  • zählen (TSAY-len)"to count"
  • bäcker (BEH-ker)"baker"

Ö sounds like the "ur" in "turn," but with rounded lips.

  • Schön (shurn) – "beautiful"
  • Löffel (LUH-fel) – "spoon"
  • können (KUH-nen) – "to be able to"
  • mögen (MUR-gen) – "to like"
  • König (KER-nig) – "king"

Ü has no direct English equivalent, but is pronounced by rounding the lips while saying "ee."

  • Müde (MUE-duh) – "tired"
  • früh (froo) – "early"
  • grün (gruen) – "green"
  • Tschüss (chuess) – "bye"
  • Süden (ZUE-den) – "south"

ei sounds like "eye."

  • Mein (mine) – "my"
  • Mein (mine) – "my"
  • Zeit (tsite) – "time"
  • klein (klahyn) – "small"
  • eins (ahyns) – "one"
  • weit (vite) – "far"

ie sounds like "ee" as in "see."

  • Liebe (LEE-buh) – "love"
  • Liebe (LEE-buh) – "love"
  • sieben (ZEE-ben) – "seven"
  • Bier (beer) – "beer"
  • nie (nee) – "never"
  • viel (feel) – "much"

au sounds like "ow" as in "cow."

  • Haus (house) – "house"
  • Haus (house) – "house"
  • Baum (bowm) – "tree"
  • Maus (mouse) – "mouse"
  • Kauf (kowf) – "purchase"
  • braun (brown) – "brown"

S sounds like "z" at the start of a word, but "s" in other positions.
Example: Sonne (ZON-neh) – "sun" / Haus (house) – "house"

Z sounds like "ts" as in "cats."
Example: Zwei (tsvy) – "two"

V sounds like "f" in most words.
Example: Vater (FAH-ter) – "father"

W sounds like "v" as in "victory."
Example: Wasser (VAH-ser) – "water"

J sounds like "y" as in "yes."
Example: Jahr (yahr) – "year"

Ch can have a soft "h" sound after e, i, ä, ö, ü (like the sound in the German "ich"), or a harsher "k" sound after a, o, u.
Example: Ich (ikh) – "I" / Buch (book) – "book"

Double consonants indicate a shorter vowel before them.
Example: Mutter (MOO-ter) – "mother" (short "u" sound) vs. Mut (moot) – "courage"

In Use

Here are the examples with simpler pronunciation symbols:

"b" - as in "abbrechen" (to break off)

  • Pronunciation: ap-breh-chen
  • Meaning: break off

"ss" - as in "müssen" (must)

  • Pronunciation: mu-ssen
  • Meaning: must

"tt" - as in "bitter" (bitter)

  • Pronunciation: bi-ter
  • Meaning: bitter

"nn" - as in "essen" (to eat)

  • Pronunciation: es-sen
  • Meaning: eat

"ll" - as in "voll" (full)

  • Pronunciation: fol
  • Meaning: full

"mm" - as in "kommen" (to come)

  • Pronunciation: kom-men
  • Meaning: come

"rr" - as in "barren" (barren)

  • Pronunciation: bar-ren
  • Meaning: barren

ß represents a double "s" sound, pronounced as a soft "s."
Example: Straße (SHTRAH-suh) – "street"

Note: ß is not used in Switzerland; "ss" is used instead.

D at the end of a word is pronounced like "t."
Example: Hund (hoont) – "dog"

G at the end of a word is often pronounced like "k."
Example: Tag (tahk) – "day"

H is silent after a vowel, indicating that the vowel sound should be lengthened.
Example: Uhr (oor) – "clock"

E at the end of a word is often pronounced softly, almost like "uh."
Example: Bitte (BEE-tuh) – "please"

In loanwords, some letters retain their foreign pronunciations.
Example: Chef (shef) – "boss" (from French)

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Written by englishmelon

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OET Gaps 07

Case Notes 57.1