Theoretical phonetics of the German language includes a theory that describes the acoustic characteristics of the sounds of German speech, the fundamental features of the classification of consonant and vowel sounds, as well as their articulatory features. An important component of the theoretical phonetics of the German language is also the theory of syllables, according to which the syllables of German words are divided into open, closed and conditionally closed, which has a corresponding impact on the length of vowels and the pronunciation of their constituent consonant sounds. Another section of the theoretical phonetics of the German language is the coverage of the issue of intonation of German sentences, stress, melody and pause placement in a separate sentence, depending on its type (sentences can be narrative, interrogative and motivating), the pace and rhythm of pronouncing complete speech utterances.
In the German language, there are very specific rules for reading various letters and letter combinations that are unique to the German language and have no analogues in other foreign languages. For any person who wants to master German speech with correct, well-pronounced pronunciation, it is very useful and even simply necessary to become familiar with the theoretical foundations of the phonetics of the German language.
rules for reading individual German letters and letter combinations
| Letters/letter combinations | Corresponding sounds | Examples of German words with translation |
| iih | der Kalief [ kali:f ] – kalifihre [ i:rә ] – yours, hers das Sieb [zi:p] – sieve, sieve, colander verliehen [fәrli:әn] – provided, granted, awarded |
|
| i | frisch [fri∫] - fresh | |
| ääh | die Gäre [gε:rә] – aging, maturity, ripening, fermentation die Mähne [mε:nә] – hair, mane, long hair | |
| eä | fressen [frεsәn] - to eat, often in relation to animals or about a person (rudely) der Fussgänger [fusgεŋәα] - pedestrian | |
| eeh | clever [ kle:vәα ] – crafty, smart, gifted, efficientgehen [ ge:әn ] – walk, go das Meer [me:α] - sea |
|
| e | pfeifen [pfaefәn] – whistle, whistle | |
| aah | bemalen [ bәma:lәn ] – to paint, color mahnen [ ma:nәn ] – to warn, demand, warn der Saal [za:l] – hall, front room (hall) |
|
| uuh | die Stube [∫tu:bә] – room, room die Ruhe [ru:ә] – calm, rest, peace | |
| ooh | die Dose [do:zә] – jar, tin, boxder Lohn [lo:n] – salary, salary das Moos [mo:s] – moss, swamp |
|
| ö | wölbig [wœlbiç] – vaulted, convex | |
| oh | die Röhre [rø:rә] – trumpet, pipesder Löwe [lø:vә] – lion Goethe [gø:tә] - Goethe |
|
| huh | das Rühren [ ry:rәn ] – mixing, mixing trübe [ try:bә ] – cloudy die Lyrik [ly:rik] - lyrics |
|
| yü | das Cyprin [tsYpri:n] – cyprin (mineral)fünfzig [fYnftsiç] – fifty | |
| au | der Traum [traom] – dream | |
| äueu | das Heulen [hoelәn] – roar, howlbräunen [broenәn] – sunbathe, brown | |
| aiei | das Leinen [laenәn] – linen fabricder Mai [mae] – May (month) | |
| bpp | zippen [zipәn] – archive, pack into an archivedas Laub [laop] – crown, foliage | |
| bbb | der Baum [baom] – woodknabbern [knabәαn] – gnaw, devour | |
| fff | die Form [foαm] – form die Raffung [rafuŋ] – drapery, gathering, frill der Vetter [fεtәα] – relative, cousin der Philosoph [ filozo:f ] – philosopher, thinker |
|
| сh | die Sache [zaxә] – thinghorchen [hoαçәn] – listen, eavesdrop | |
| sch | das Schicksaal [∫ikza:l] - fate | |
| sp | spucken [∫pukәn] – to spit, to spit | |
| st | die Stange [∫taŋә] – stick, pole, rod, shaft, perch | |
| dtth | die Städte [∫tεtә ] - cities die Theorie [theori: ] - theory | |
| sss | brassen [brasәn] to raise the rudder Reis [raes] – rice der Imbiß [imbis] – buffet, appetizer |
|
| xks | das Taxi [thaksi] – taxidie Lachse [laksә] – salmon links [liŋks] - left, left, left |
|
| kck | der Kater [kha:tәα] – kotder Wecker [vεkәα] – alarm clock | |
| qu | die Quote [kvotә] - share, contribution, share | |
| ng | hängen [hεŋәn] – to hang, to hang | |
| nk | der Link [liŋk] – hyperlink | |
| r | die Richtung [riçtuŋ] – direction, orientation, course | |
| r | die Gläser [ glε:zәα ] – glasses, glasses, glasses | |
| h | hauchen [haoxәn] - exhale air easily, breathe quietly | |
| l | der Leser [ le:zәα ] - reader | |
| gj | das Genie [ʒeni:] – brilliant person, genius | |
| n | die Niere [ni:rә] – kidney (human organ) | |
| m | das Muster [ mustәα ] – sample, example, model | |
| vw | bewegen [bәve:gәn] - set in motion, move, transportdie Venus [ve:nus] - Venus | |
| yj | der VW “Jetta” [jeta] – Volkswagen “Jetta” (model name) |
Theoretical phonetics of the German language:
acoustic characteristics of German speech sounds
All consonant sounds of German speech can be arranged in one row, at the beginning of which there will be sounds with minimal sound (least sonorous), and at the end - with maximum sound (most sonorous). Such a series would look something like this:
Speaking about the consonant sounds of German speech, it is necessary to especially note that, firstly, German consonants are always hard - the concept of “softness of a consonant” is not familiar to German phonetics, there are no German vowels that can soften a consonant sound; secondly, all voiced consonants are somewhat more muffled and significantly less tense compared to the consonant sounds of Russian speech, and the pronunciation of voiceless fricative sounds is accompanied by a noticeably longer duration of their sound; stop voiceless consonants are pronounced with aspiration characteristic of the German language if they are located at the beginning of a word/syllable. For example:
- tippen [ t hipә n] – type on a typewriter, type text on the keyboard;die Kü ste [ k hystә ] – coast;pennen — [ phenә n ] - to sleep, to doze, to take a nap.
All vowel sounds of German speech can be arranged in a similar row, starting from the vocalized “r” and ending with high vowel sounds. A feature of German vowel sounds is, in particular, that rounded (labialized) vowel sounds are less sonorous, while unrounded vowels, on the contrary, sound brighter and more sonorous.
When considering the vowel sounds of German speech, it is necessary to remember that in cases where they are at the beginning of a syllable/word, their pronunciation is necessarily accompanied by a so-called hard attack, which prevents them from merging with previous sounds and makes speech somewhat clearer and abrupt compared to speech Russian. For example:
- bearbeiten [ be` arbeiten] – process;geerbt [ ge` erbt] – inherited;der Arbeitsamt [` arbaets` amt] - labor exchange;das Abendessen [` abә nt` esә n] - dinner.
Syllable is the minimum single part of a word, necessarily containing one simple vowel sound or diphthong, since the latter is indivisible and represents a single whole. The long vowel sounds of German always define a German open syllable boundary that lies immediately behind them. In contrast, short vowel sounds never form such a boundary between syllables, since they are always in the center of the corresponding closed syllable. Conventionally closed syllables turn into open ones when the word form changes.
Theoretical phonetics of the German language:
syllable types
Accent helps to recognize individual words of German speech. The syllables that make up words can be stressed, standing out using various phonetic means, or unstressed, grouped around intonationally emphasized stressed syllables. Stressed syllables can be emphasized dynamically, that is, they can be more tense compared to unstressed ones. Their selection can also be tonic in nature, when a syllable is highlighted by raising the vocal tone. And, finally, a syllable can be emphasized due to the duration of its sound, determined by the length of the vowel sound in a word (usually some emphasis of a syllable in this way occurs due to a long vowel). For German speech, the combination of tonic and dynamic stress is characteristic and occupies a dominant position, while in our native language the main role is played by the duration of the sound of the stressed syllable.
Intonation helps make human speech meaningful and understandable to the interlocutor. With the help of logical intonation, emphasis is placed in a sentence on the words that are most significant for conveying a certain thought; logical pauses also help the interlocutor to correctly understand and perceive the main idea of what was said. The intonation design of German sentences depends on the purpose of the statement, that is, on what kind of sentence it is: interrogative, declarative or motivating. In addition to logical intonation, there is also emotional, expressive intonation, which is usually implemented within the framework of exclamatory sentences.
In an interrogative sentence, if the question is relevant to the entire statement as a whole, the intonation rises sharply when approaching the end of the sentence, for example:
- Habt ihr euch heute gut erholt? — Did you have a good rest today?
The question can be asked not according to the classical scheme, that is, without changing the word order characteristic of this type of interrogative sentences. In such a situation, it is precisely and exclusively the appropriate intonation that makes it easy to understand that the interlocutor is being asked a certain question, for example:
- Ihr habt euch heute gut entspannt? — Did you relax (rest) well today?
If an interrogative sentence serves to ask a question about one specific word, then the intonation towards the end of the sentence decreases in exactly the same way as happens in an ordinary declarative sentence, for example:
- Wir haben uns heute in einem schönen Park erholt .¯ - Wo habt ihr euch heute erholt?¯ — Today we rested in a wonderful park. – Where did you relax today?
Incentive sentences, even with a pronounced commanding or prohibitive nature, are also characterized by a decrease in vocal tone towards the end of the utterance, for example:
- Macht bitte diese Übung so schnell wie möglich!¯ - Please do this exercise as quickly as possible!
- Ihr dürft dieses Zimmer nicht betreten!¯ -You are not allowed to enter this room!
One of the most important trends in the German language is the location of the reference word (the most significant for a given statement) closer to the very end of this sentence, which creates a double reinforcement of the reference word: a logical stress that naturally falls on the information that the speaker wants to convey to his interlocutor, and a change in the general intonation of the utterance towards its end, for example:
- Im vorigen Jahr bin ich in Maryland gewesen.¯ – Last year I was in Maryland.
- Meine letzte Waschmaschine ist von Miele.¯ — My last washing machine of the brand "Miele».
As a rule, it is a good idea to start learning foreign languages from the very basics, i.e. from the alphabet and reading rules. The German language is no exception. German alphabet, like English, is based on the Latin alphabet, but it also has some differences that you need to know.
So, German alphabet contains 26 letters. A distinctive feature is considered to be umlauts (vowel letters with dots, for example: Ä-ä, Ü-ü, Ö-ö) and the ligature ß. Visually it looks like this:
German alphabet pronunciation
Just knowing the alphabet is not enough, since in some combinations not all letters are read as they are written. Here are some solid rules for reading German:
|
Rules for reading individual letters: |
||
| s= [z] | Before vowels. | S ofa, s o, S onne |
| s= [s] | At the end of a word/syllable. | W as d as H aus |
| ß = [s] short | Can't read like the double "s" in the word "cash"! | gro ß ,fu ß ball, blo ß |
| h= [exhale] | At the beginning of a word or syllable it is read as a slight exhalation. After the vowel is not read, but gives length to the vowel sound. | H anna, h aben, h elfen, wo h in S eh en, ih m, B ah n h of |
| y= ["soft"] | Something between “u” and “yu” as in the word m Yu if | t y Pisch, G y mnastik |
| r= [“burry” p] | At the beginning of a word or syllable. | R enate, R egel, R epublik, ge r adeaus |
| r= [a] | At the end of a word or syllable. | wi r,mi r,ve r Gessen, Zimme r |
| x= [ks] | Te x t, bo x en | |
| v= [f] | In most cases. | v iel, v erstehen, v or |
| v= [in] | In borrowings. | V erb V ase |
| w=[in] | W o, w ir, W ohnung, W inter | |
| c= [s] | In borrowed words. | C ity |
| c=[k] | In borrowed words. | C afe, C computer |
| ä = [e] | As in the word " uh ra" | H ä nde, kl ä ren |
| ö ["soft" about] | As in the word "m" e d." | K ö nnen, K ö ln, Ö sterreich |
| ü ["soft"] | As in the word "m" Yu sli." | m ü de, m ü ssen, f ü nf |
|
Longitude and shortness of vowels: |
||
| a, e, i, o, u, ä, ö, ü= , , , , , [ ɛː ], [ øː ] [ yː] [: ] = longitudesound | In an open or conditionally closed syllable (i.e., when the form of the word changes, the syllable can become open again). The length and shortness of a sound affects the meaning of a word! | m a len, l e sen, Masch i ne, r o t,d u, g u t,sp ä t, b ö se, m ü de |
| ah,eh,ih,oh,uh, äh, öh, üh = [a:], [e:], [i:], [o:], [u:], [ɛː], [ øː] [ yː] [: ] = longitudesound | W ah l, s eh en, ih n, w oh nen, K uh, Z ah ne, S Oh ne, fr uh | |
| aa, ee, oo= , , [: ] = longitudesound | S aal,S ee,B oo t | |
|
We read the following combinations like this: |
||
| ch= [hard "x"] | Bu ch,ma ch en, la ch en | |
| ch= [xx] | Before "i" and "e". | Ich, m ich, r ech ts |
| sch= [w] | Sch ule, Ti sch, sch reiben | |
| ck= [k] | le ck er, Sche ck, | |
| chs= [ks] | se chs,wa chs en | |
| ph= [f] | Ph oto, Ph ysik | |
| qu= [kv] | Qu adrat, Qu elle | |
| th= [t] | Th eater Th ema | |
| tsch= [h] | Tsch echien, deu tsch | |
| tion= [tsyon] | Funk tion, Produk tion | |
| pf= [pf] | Pf erd, Pf ennig | |
| sp= [shp] | At the beginning of a word and syllable. | Sp ort, sp rechen |
| st= [pcs] | At the beginning of a word and syllable. | St unde, ver st ehen |
| ng= [nasal n] | The letter “g” is not readable, but the sound “n” is pronounced through the nose. | Übu ng, bri ng en,si ng en |
| ig= [ugh] | richt ig, wicht ig | |
|
Rules for reading diphthongs (double vowels) |
||
| ei= [ouch] | m ei n, s ei n, Arb ei t, Ei | |
| ai= [ouch] | M ai, M ai n | |
| ie= [and] long | Br ie f, h ie r, | |
| eu= [ouch] | N eu,d eu tsch Eu ro | |
| äu= [ouch] | R äu me,H äu ser | |
| au= [ay] | H au s, br au n | |
Well, we’ve sorted out the reading rules a little. I would also like to give advice on pronunciation in German. But this is in other articles on our website.
Transcription of German words is not as in demand as when learning English, since the equality “letter = sound” is observed more often. However, discrepancies are still possible, so it is necessary to know the designations of sounds.
The need to study transcription
Why transcription is needed at all and, in particular, German words in writing can be noted in different ways. The easiest way is to designate sounds with adequate Russian letters. This approach can be found in many sources, for example, the famous transcriptionist from Artemy Lebedev’s studio works precisely on this principle. This is convenient: you don’t need to learn additional symbols. But this method has a serious drawback - it is not accurate enough. Not all sounds of a foreign language are in Russian, so it is not always possible to choose the appropriate letter. Below we will look at all the sounds of the German language in the official transcription and the features of their pronunciation. As an example, German words with transcription and translation are given.
Vowel sounds
In German there is:
- Three diphthongs - their transcription is quite unclear; different symbols can be found in different sources. Perhaps this is due to the fact that, in essence, they represent one long sound with special dynamics and coloring.
- 16 mono sounds, varying in length and shortness.
Long and short sounds can be grouped in pairs.
The sounds are briefly read in the following cases:
- The syllable ends with consonants (it doesn’t matter how many there are, at least one, at least three).
- Before combinations of "ck" and "tz" in the next syllable.
Attention: there are exceptions, we do not consider them in this article.
The vowel sounds are shown in the table below; a transcription of German words illustrating the rule is attached in two versions - according to the IPA system (International Phonetic Alphabet) and in Russian letters (just remember the disadvantages of this method):
Sound transcription | Pronunciation Features | ||
Similar to the Russian “a”, the differences are minor. | Alter (alter) - age. |
||
The sound is similar to the Russian “e”, but there is no complete identity. If you want to speak without an accent, you should practice it separately. | Kennen [‘kɛnən] (kennen) - to know. | ||
Also similar to "e", but much less expressive. Listen carefully to the word Ende. This sound is often found at the end of words, and in fast speech it may disappear altogether. | Ende [ˈɛndə] (ende) - end. |
||
Slightly shorter than the Russian “and”. | Fisch [fɪʃ] (fish) - fish. |
||
Similar to the Russian “o”, only pronounced more briefly. | Dorf (dorf) - village. | ||
There is no analogue in Russian. Beginners often pronounce it as “е”, which is a serious mistake. These sounds require completely different muscles; use the help of a phonetician if you cannot produce a sound based on audio materials. | Schön [ʃœn] (shön) - beautiful. |
||
A short, “explosive” sound, similar to the Russian “u”. Pay attention to the lips - they do not stretch forward, they are only slightly rounded. | Mutter [ˈmʊtər] (mutter) - mother. | ||
The sound is very vaguely similar to the Russian “yu”; rather, it is intermediate between [ɪ] and [ʊ]. | Glück (glitch) - happiness. |
How to determine vowel length
- Vowel doubling.
- Unreadable “h” after a vowel.
- The combination “ie”, which is read as a long “i” - [i:]
Sounds are read for a long time in an open syllable, that is, ending in a vowel, and in a conditionally closed syllable, that is, this syllable can become open when the word is changed (Tag - Tage).
Transcription of German words with long sounds:
Sound transcription | What letters are displayed on the letter? | Pronunciation Features | The word [transcription] (approximate equivalent in Russian letters) - translation. |
The pronunciation technique is the same as when playing a similar short sound. Many people have difficulties with longitude. Imagine making two short sounds. | Jahr (yar) - year. |
||
| Gären (geren) - wander, fermentation. | |||
Mistakes are common with this sound. | Lehm (lem) - clay. |
||
A tense, long, distinct sound, similar to a short sound, only longer. | Hier (hie) - here. | ||
Similar to short, only longer. | Vogel [ ˈfoːɡəl] (vogel) - bird. |
||
Difficult sound for Russian speakers. There is no analogue in Russian. You can achieve its pronunciation by reproducing the correct one, at the end by slightly rounding and elongating your lips (not too much!). | Lowe [ ˈløːvə] (lev) - lion. |
||
Intense, long, distinct sound. | Huhn (hun) - chicken. | ||
Similar to the short one - you shouldn’t liken it to the Russian “yu”, such a pronunciation will not only make you look like a foreigner, but will sound very alien to the German ear. Try saying , rounding your lips, as for . | Tür (tur) - door. |
Diphthongs
Their transcription is quite unclear; different designations can be found in the sources. Perhaps this is due to the fact that, in essence, they represent one long sound with special dynamics and coloring. Also given as an example are the most common Russian-German words with transcription in the column on the right.
Transcription | Designation on the letter, as read | Word [transcription] (approximate equivalent in Russian letters) - translation |
Or | Ei, read as "ai" | Rammstein (ramstein) - the name of the group, arbeiten [‘arbaetən] (arbeiten) - to work, reisen (raizen) - to travel, weit (white) - far. |
Or | Frauchen (frauchen) - mistress, brauchen (brauchen) - to need, aus (aus) - from, auch (ouch) - also, too. |
|
[ɔʏ̯] or [ᴐy] | eu/äu, separately “e” denotes the sound “e”, and “u” denotes the sound “u”, but together they are read as “oh”. | Laufer [‘lᴐøfǝɐ] (loifer) - runner. bedeuten (bedeuten) - mean, neu (noah) - new, heute (hoyte) - today, träumen (troyman) - to dream. |
Consonant sounds of the German language and features of their pronunciation
There are 23 consonant sounds in the German language, almost all of them are easy to read, a strict “sound-letter” correspondence is almost always observed, you can easily find an analogue in the Russian language, so the transcription of German words from this point will not cause any particular difficulties. The simplest consonant sounds are listed below. A transcription of German words is also given as an example:
- [b] - corresponds to the Russian “b”. The letter displays: b, bb. Examples: Besser [ˈbɛsɐ ] (besser) - better.
- [d] - corresponds to the Russian “d”. The letter displays: d, dd. Examples: Dame [daːmə] (to the lady) - lady.
- [f] - corresponds to the Russian “f”. The letter displays: f, ff, v, ph. Examples: Apfel [ ˈap͡fəl] (apfel) - apple.
- [g] - corresponds to the Russian “g”. The letter displays: g, gg. Examples: G ebraten (gebraten) - fried.
- [m] - corresponds to the Russian “m”. The letter displays: m, mm. Examples: Kahm (kam) - mold.
- [n] - corresponds to the Russian “n”. The letter displays: n, nn. Examples: Gären (heren) - fermentation.
- [p] - corresponds to the Russian “p”. The letter displays: p, pp, b. Examples: Mappe [ ˈmapə] (mape) - briefcase.
- [k] - corresponds to the Russian “k”. The letter displays: k, ck, ch, g. Examples: Kamm (kam) - comb.
- [s] - corresponds to the Russian “s”. The letter displays: s, ss, ß. Examples: Straße [ ˈʃtraːsə] (strasse) - street.
- [t] - corresponds to the Russian “t”. The letter displays: t, tt, th, d. Examples: Schritt [∫rit] (stritt) - step.
- [v] - corresponds to the Russian “v”. The letter displays: w, rarely - v. Examples: M ö we (möwe) - seagull.
- [z] - corresponds to the Russian “z”. The letter displays: s. Examples: Saat (zat) - sowing.
- [ʒ] - corresponds to the Russian “zh”. The letter displays: g, j. Characteristic of borrowed words. Examples: Genie [ʒeˈniː] (zheni) - genius.
- [ʃ] - corresponds to the Russian “sh”. The letter displays: sch, s, ch. Examples: Staat [ʃtat] (state) - state.
- [l] - corresponds to the Russian “l”. The letter displays: l, ll. Examples: Holle [‘hœlə] (hele) - hell.
- [j] - corresponds to the Russian “th”. The letter displays: j, y. Examples: Jacke [‘jakə] (yakke) - jacket.
- [h] - vaguely corresponds to the Russian “x”, rather, it is similar to the sound of breathing when exhaling. The letter displays: h. Examples: H usten [‘hu:stən] (husten) - cough.
Of course, there are peculiarities in their pronunciation, for example, the sound [b] is not as sonorous as in Russian, the sound [p] is more expressive and is pronounced with aspiration, and [l] is an intermediate sound between the soft and hard Russian “l” . A few more examples in the figure:
Complex consonants
Separately, in the table we will consider more complex consonant sounds; a transcription of German words suitable for the example is attached:
Sound transcription | What letters are displayed on the letter? | Pronunciation Features | The word [transcription] (approximate equivalent in Russian letters) - translation. |
[r] [ʀ] [ʁ] [ɐ] | In some sources you can find a comparison of this sound to the Russian “r”. But this is a very strong simplification. In fact, the sound is very complex and causes difficulties for most students. The last sound - [ɐ] can often be found at the end of words. This reduced [r] is an indefinite vowel sound vaguely similar to the sound between the Russian “a” and “e”. | Rabe [‘ra:bə] (rabe) - raven. | |
The letter combination ch after the vowels a, o, u and the diphthong au. | These are two different sound techniques, although they are heard the same. Similar to the Russian "x". | Lachen [ˈlaxən] (lachen) - laughter. | |
This sound is also similar to the Russian "kh". Attention: both sounds are not the same as in the Russian “x” and differ from each other. | Furcht (furcht) - fear. |
||
Beginners often confuse it with the sound [n], which is similar to the Russian “ng,” but these are different sounds. To get [ŋ], try sending a stream of air into your nose when pronouncing “n”. | Singen [ˈzɪŋən] (zingen) - sing. |
Below we look at the most important general differences in pronunciation:
- Consonants sound more intense and expressive.
- They don't soften.
- Voiced consonants are not as voiced as in Russian.
- At the end of words, voiced sounds may be deafened: Hund, Dieb - thief.
- Aspiration - this common medical term in phonetics refers to aspiration when pronouncing sounds.
- pronounced as one: Kasse, Lassen.
German affricates
Combinations of sounds (affricates - that is, combinations of sounds that have a certain similarity in pronunciation):
- - similar to the Russian “pf”. In writing it is designated as pf. Examples: P flücken (pfluken) - choice.
- - similar to the Russian “ts”, often read and pronounced as “ts”, however this is incorrect, although the “ts” sound does dominate. In writing it is denoted as z, tz, c, t. Examples: T rotz (trots) - despite.
- - similar to the Russian “ch”. However, it sounds firmer. The letter is displayed with the combinations tsch, tch. Examples: Kutsche [ ˈkʊt͡ʃə] (kuche) - coach.
Once again, a brief overview of all sounds is in the table below.
Using this material as a reference, you can easily master reading in German. From practice - it takes 1-2 lessons to explain the theory. Most students can read German well within a week.
Any language begins with an alphabet, and German is no exception! To learn to read German correctly, you must first become familiar with all German letters and sounds.
The German alphabet is an alphabet based on Latin, it consists of 26 letters:
A a[A], B b[be], C c[tse], D d[de], E e[uh], F f[ef], G g[ge], H h[Ha], I i[And], J j[yot], K k[ka], L l[el], Mm[Em], Nn[en], O o[O], P p[pe], Q q[ku], R r[er], Ss[es], T t[te], U u[y], Vv[fau], W w[ve], X x[X], Y y[upsilon], Z z[tset].
German alphabet (listen)
Listen to the alphabet:
There are also three umlauts in the German alphabet (Ä, Ö, Ü).
Listen to the umlauts:
Umlauts (two dots above vowels) indicate a qualitative change in the sounds u, o, a.
The correct pronunciation of sounds in words with and without umlauts is very important, since the meaning of the word depends on it. For example, the word “schon” is pronounced hard, with the sound “o” and means “already”, while the word “schön” has a softer sound, close to the Russian “ё”, and means “pleasant, dear”. Be careful about the icons above the vowels to avoid misunderstandings!
To speak German correctly, pay attention to the pronunciation features of the German umlauts:
At the beginning of a word and after vowels, the umlaut “ä” is read as the sound “e”, after consonants: as “e”. To correctly pronounce the umlaut “ö”, the position of the tongue should be as for “e”, and the lips as for “o”. Thus, a sound will be produced that is vaguely similar to the Russian “ё”. By the way, “е” can also be called an umlaut, because it is a qualitative change in the sound “e” in the Russian language. So, to pronounce umlaut ü, the position of the tongue should be as with “i”, and the lips as with y. You will get a sound somewhat similar to the Russian “yu”.
Umlauts are not only not so easy to pronounce, but also to type. If you don't have a German layout, you can use the generally accepted character substitution:
ä – ae
ö–oe
ü – ue
Another unusual sign of the German language is the ligature (i.e., connection of letters) “eszet” (ß).
Most often, “esset” is equated to the letters “ss”, however, in addition to the sound, [s] indicates the length of the previous sound, so replacing “ß” with “s” is not worth it - “ss” signals the brevity of the previous sound, which is important to remember when learning the rules reading.
Like umlauts, “eszet” is not part of the alphabet and is taken outside of it. However, in dictionaries these letters are in alphabetical order: Ää follows Aa, Öö follows Oo, Üü follows Uu, ß follows “ss”.
The rules for reading German words are quite simple and follow simple rules, and therefore there is no transcription in the German language - it appears only in some complex words, most often coming to German from other languages.
The stress is placed before the stressed syllable, and the long sound is indicated by a colon.
From sound to letter. Learning to read in German
In German, different letters can make the same sound. The table below will help you figure out which letters and letter combinations are read the same in German.
Remember! An open syllable is considered to be one that ends with a vowel: da. A closed syllable ends with a consonant: das.
| Sound | Pronunciation | Letter | Position in a word | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [A] | [A] | A | in a closed syllable | das |
| ah |
in an open syllable |
|||
| [s] | [With] | s | at the end of words and after long vowels | das, Naß |
| [z] | [h] | s | before and between vowels | Saat |
| f | Faß | |||
| ff | in the middle and end of a word | paff | ||
| v | at the beginning and middle of a word | Vater | ||
| [v] | [V] | w | at the beginning and middle of a word | was |
| [n] | [n] | n | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | nah, an |
| nn | wann | |||
| [d] | [d] | d | at the beginning and middle of a word | das |
| t | At the beginning, middle and end of a word | Tat | ||
| tt | In the middle and end of a word | Satt | ||
| d | at the end of a word | Sand | ||
| [ts] | z | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | Zahn | |
| tz | in the middle and end of a word after short sounds | Satz | ||
| [b] | [b] | b | at the beginning and middle of a word between vowels | Bahn |
| p | at the beginning and middle of a word | paß | ||
| pp | in the middle and end of a word after short sounds | knapp | ||
| b | at the end of a word and before a consonant | ab | ||
| [m] | [m] | m | at the beginning and middle of a word | Mann |
| mm | Damm | |||
| [g] | [G] | g | at the beginning and middle of a word | Gast |
| [ŋ] | [n] | ng | in the middle and end of a word after a short sound | Sang |
| [ŋk] | [nc] | nk | in the middle and end of a word after a short sound | Bank |
| k | at the beginning and middle of a word | kann | ||
| ck | in the middle and end of a word after a short sound | Sack | ||
| g | at the end of a word | Tag | ||
| [kv] | qu | Quant | ||
| [ks] | x | Axt | ||
| [i] | [And] | i | in a closed syllable | Ist |
| i |
in an open syllable |
|||
| ie | ||||
| ieh | ||||
| ih | ||||
| [u] | [y] | u | in a closed syllable | und |
| [y:] | u |
in an open syllable |
rufen | |
| uh | Uhr | |||
| [ə] | [e] | e | in the final syllable | Tasse |
| [R] |
r | at the beginning of a word or syllable | Rat | |
| rr | after a consonant, short vowels and long | Paar, Brust | ||
| [r] | [A] | r | at the end of a word | Vater, wir |
| [ɜ] | [e] | e | in a closed syllable | Bett |
| [ɜː] | [e:] | ä | in an open syllable | Käse, Bar, |
| [e:] |
e |
in an open syllable |
Rede, Weg, Tee, sehen | |
| [ʃ] | [w] | sch | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | Schuh |
| [ʃt] | [PCS] | st | at the beginning of a word | Strasse |
| [ʃp] | [shp] | sp | at the beginning of a word | spat |
| [ouch] | ei | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | ein, mein, | |
| [O:] | o, oo | in an open syllable | Brot, Boot, | |
| [o] | [O] | o | in a closed syllable | oft |
| [x] | [X] | ch | after short sounds a, o, u | Fach, doch, Buch |
| [ç] | [xx] | ch | after short sounds | ich, recht, weich |
| g | in the suffix -ig | ruhig | ||
| [j] | [th] | j | at the beginning of a word before vowels | ja |
| [ay] | j | before the vowels a, o, u in French. borrowings | Journal, Jargon | |
| g | before the vowels e, i in French. borrowings | Ingenieur | ||
| [pf] | pf | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | Pfad, Apfel, Kampf | |
| [Ouch] | eu | at the beginning, middle and end of a word | Euch, neun, neu, Räume |
Lesson assignments
Try to put your knowledge into practice by doing the following exercises. Don’t be afraid to look at the table; over time, all the sounds will be remembered, and the need for hints will disappear by itself!
Exercise 1. Read the following words:
Mein, liegen, Freunde, Tasche, Tag, jetzt, Jacke, spielen, stehen, wachsen, zusammen, Stunde, Träume, täglich, ruhig, schon, Bitte, Spaß, selten, ziemlich, oft, neun, Brot, die, Baum, Naß.
Listen:
Answers to Exercise 1.
Mein [mine], liegen ['li: gen], Freunde [; freunde], Tasche ['tashe], Tag [so], jetzt [ezt], Jacke ['yake], spielen ['spi: flax], stehen ['shte:en], wachsen ['waxen], zusammen [tsu'zamen], Stunde ['shtunde], Träume ['troime], täglich ['taglikh], ruhig ['ru: ikh], schon [sho: n], Bitte ['bite], Spaß [shpa: s], selten ['zelten], ziemlich ['tsimlikh], oft [oft], neun [noyn], Brot [brot], die [di:], Baum [baum], Naß [on: s].
