Introduction to the German Alphabet

Aug 5, 2024

Learn German for Beginners - Lesson 5: The Alphabet

Introduction

  • Welcome to the video series on Learn German for Beginners.
  • Previous lesson: Numbers up to 100.
  • Current lesson: The German alphabet.
  • Resources available on Patreon: worksheets, podcasts, transcripts, early video access.

Overview of the German Alphabet

  • The German alphabet consists of the same letters as the English alphabet (A-Z).
  • It includes four additional characters: Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß (Eszett).
  • "Das Alphabet" refers to the collection of letters from A to Z.

Learning the Alphabet

  • Each letter will be associated with a German word to illustrate its pronunciation.

Letters and Words

  1. A - Apfel (apple)
  2. B - Banane (banana)
  3. C - Couch (couch)
  4. D - Deutschland (Germany)
  5. E - Elefant (elephant)
  6. F - Fisch (fish)
  7. G - Gitarre (guitar)
  8. H - Haus (house)
  9. I - (not mentioned in the transcript)
  10. J - Jacht (sounds like Y)
  11. K - Kaffee (coffee)
  12. L - Liebe (love)
  13. M - Mann (man)
  14. N - Vogel (bird)
  15. O - Orange (orange)
  16. P - (not mentioned in the transcript)
  17. Q - (not mentioned in the transcript)
  18. R - (not mentioned in the transcript)
  19. S - Sonne (sun)
  20. T - (not mentioned in the transcript)
  21. U - Uhr (clock)
  22. V - Vogel (bird, pronounced like F)
  23. W - Wolke (cloud)
  24. X - Xylophon (xylophone)
  25. Y - Yak (yak)
  26. Z - Zebra (zebra)

Special Characters

  • Ä - pronounced as a long "A" (like in "Mac")
  • Ö - (similar to the German "oe")
  • Ü - (similar to the German "ue")
  • ß - Eszett, sounds like "SS" (e.g., in "Fuss")

Pronunciation Tips

  • The pronunciation of certain letters can vary based on their position in a word (e.g., G at the start vs. in the middle).
  • J is pronounced like "Y."
  • V has the sound of "F."
  • The letter S is pronounced like "Z" in German.

Summary

  • The German alphabet has 30 characters total: 26 from English + 4 unique to German.
  • No letter in German begins with ß.

Conclusion

  • For practice, download a free worksheet from Patreon.
  • To gain access to transcripts and podcasts, support on Patreon: $1 for transcripts, $5 for podcasts.
  • Thank you for watching!
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  • Comments and questions can be left below.

Farewell

  • Tchuss! Auf Wiedersehen!