Lecture Notes on German Pronunciation Rules

Introduction

• Presenter: Johannes
• Topic: Common pronunciation rules for German letter combinations
• Level: A1
• Structure: Each example will be read twice for practice

Key Pronunciation Rules

1. I and E

• I is pronounced longer:
  • Example: lieben
  • Example: sie
• E is pronounced as i:
  • Example: Ei (means egg)
  • Example: heißen (I am Johannes)
  • Example: klein (means small)
  • Example: Eis

2. A and U

• Pronounced as au:
  • Example: bauen
  • Example: laut
  • Example: Auto

3. E and U / Ä and U

• Pronounced as oi:
  • Example: teuer (means expensive)
  • Example: heute (means today)
  • Example: Bäume (plural of trees)

4. Vowels with H

• Pronounce the vowel or vowel mutation slightly longer:
  • Example: fahren
  • Example: sehr
  • Example: Stuhl

5. Double Vowels (Doppelvokale)

• Pronounced longer:
  • Example: Haare
  • Example: leer (means empty)
  • Example: Boot

6. Double Consonants (Doppelkonsonanten)

• Pronounced shorter and faster:
  • Example: kommen
  • Example: offen (means open)
  • Example: Wasser

7. SCH

• Example: Schreiben
• Example: schön (the photo is beautiful)
• Example: Deutsch

8. CH Pronunciation

• A, O, U before CH:

  • Example: machen
  • Example: hoch
  • Example: Buch

• Consonants, e, i, ä, ö, ü before CH:

  • Pronounced as ch
  • Example: ich
  • Example: rechnen (means to calculate)
  • Example: Bücher

9. SP

• At the beginning: pronounced as schp
  • Example: sprechen (I speak German)
  • Example: Spanien

10. ST

• At the beginning: pronounced as scht
  • Example: studieren
  • Example: Straße
• Not at the end: pronounced as st
  • Example: Obst
  • Example: fast (means almost)

11. E at the End of a Word

• Pronounced as ə:
  • Example: Frage (means question)
  • Example: Lampe

12. I-R at the End

• Example: besser
• Example: super
• Example: fata

13. IG

• Two pronunciations:
  • Example: vierzig (fourty)
  • Example: richtig (correct)

14. T-I-O-N

• Pronounced as zion:
  • Example: funktionieren
  • Example: Station
  • Example: Position

15. PF

• Pronounced as a soft sound:
  • Example: pflegen
  • Example: Pferd
  • Example: Pfennig

16. Bonus Tips

• CH followed by S: Pronounced as K und S
  • Example: wachsen
• If CH at the beginning: memorize pronunciations
  • Example: Chemie
  • Example: Chef (boss)
• Checken: similar pronunciation as English
• Chatten: means to type (not to speak)

Conclusion

• Encouragement to practice pronunciation
• Mention of new A1.1 level course available on the website
• Thank you and goodbye!