A guide for Australians on german pronunciation.
## 9. German Pronunciation: The Sounds That Trip Up Australians (And How to Fix Them) German is not a difficult language to pronounce once you understand its patterns. Unlike English, which has dozens of ways to spell the same sound, German is mostly phonetic — once you learn the rules, you can read words aloud and sound roughly correct. These are the specific sounds that cause Australians the most trouble. ### The Umlaut Vowels: Ä, Ö, Ü These three modified vowels are not in English, and getting them right early makes a significant difference to how natural your German sounds. **Ä (ä)** — Sounds like the *e* in *bed* or *set*. It is an open, front vowel. Think of your mouth position when you say "head" and hold that position. - *Mädchen* (girl) — MAY-d-khen (but the ä is more open than "may") - *kämpfen* (to fight) **Ö (ö)** — This one has no direct English equivalent. Start with the *e* in *her* or the sound at the end of *the* said slowly. Round your lips slightly while making that sound. - *schön* (beautiful) — shern (with rounded lips) - *Österreich* (Austria) - *möchten* (would like) **Ü (ü)** — Start with the *ee* sound in *see*. Now round your lips as if you were going to whistle. Hold the tongue position from *ee* but round the lips. - *über* (over/about) - *Tür* (door) - *fühlen* (to feel) ### The CH Sound *Ch* has two pronunciations in German depending on what vowel precedes it. **After a, o, u, au** → the guttural *ch* — made deep in the throat, like clearing your throat gently. This is the sound Scots use in *loch* and Australians often hear in old Greek names. - *Bach* (creek), *Buch* (book), *auch* (also) **After e, i, ä, ö, ü, ei, eu** → the softer *ch* — made further forward in the mouth, almost like a strong English *sh* but further forward. Try hissing through a very slightly open mouth while keeping your tongue forward. - *ich* (I), *nicht* (not), *Licht* (light) ### The R Sound German *r* is not rolled like Spanish *r*, and it is not the Australian English *r* either. Standard German uses a uvular *r* — made at the very back of the throat where you would gargle. It is easier than it sounds: try gargling without water and you are close. At the end of a syllable or before a consonant, the *r* often softens or disappears into a schwa sound (like the *a* in *around*): - *hier* sounds like "hia" - *Uhr* sounds like "ooa" - *Wasser* — the final *er* sounds like "ah" ### W and V Are Swapped German *w* is pronounced like English *v*: - *Wasser* (water) — "VASS-er" - *Wein* (wine) — "VINE" - *wir* (we) — "veer" German *v* is usually pronounced like English *f*: - *Vater* (father) — "FAH-ter" - *viel* (much) — "feel" - *von* (from) — "fon" (Some borrowed foreign words keep the *v* sound for *v*, like *Violine* — violin — but this is the exception.) ### Z Is Not Z German *z* is always pronounced *ts*: - *Zeit* (time) — "TSAYT" - *Zug* (train) — "TSOOK" - *zwei* (two) — "TSVYE" ### The SP and ST Rule At the beginning of a word or syllable, *sp* is pronounced *shp* and *st* is pronounced *sht*: - *Sprache* (language) — "SHPRAH-khuh" - *Straße* (street) — "SHTRAH-suh" - *spazieren* (to stroll) — "shpah-TSEE-ren" - *Strand* (beach) — "SHTRANT" ### The SS (Sharp S) *SS* is called *Eszett* or *scharfes S* (sharp s). It represents a long *s* sound and appears after long vowels and diphthongs. - *Straße* (street) - *Maß* (measure/litre) - *heiß* (hot) Pronounced exactly like a double s. The *ß* does not appear in Swiss German (where *ss* is used instead), which is worth knowing if you are visiting Switzerland.Found this useful? Share it with other Australians learning German 🇦🇺
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B1 German / Beginner Swiss German
An Australian who learned German to B1 level without living in Germany — navigating the same lack of local resources that most Australian learners face. Currently learning Swiss German. This site is the resource I wished had existed when I started.
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