Sounds and spelling

1. Tell long vowels from short ones

   A German vowel is long or short, and the spelling usually shows which. A double vowel or a vowel followed by h is long: Meer, Boot, fahren, Uhr. A vowel before a double consonant is short: Bett, kommen, Mutter. Ie is always long: Liebe, viel.

2. Know ei, ie, eu, äu and au

   Ei (and ai) sounds like eye: mein, frei, Mai. Ie sounds like ee: Brief, sie. Eu and äu both sound like the oy of boy: heute, Häuser. Au is the ow of how: Haus, auch. To remember ei and ie, say the second letter in English.

3. Say the umlauts

   Ä is close to the e of bed (spät, Mädchen). For ö, say the e of bed with rounded lips (schön, hören). For ü, say ee with rounded lips (für, müde). The umlaut changes the word: Mutter is mother and Mütter mothers.

4. Know the consonants that differ from English

   W is said like v (wohnen), v like f (viel) but like v in some borrowed words (Vase), z like ts (zehn), j like y (jung) and qu like kv (Quelle). Th is a plain t (Theater). -Tion is said tsyon (Situation).

5. Know ch, sch, sp, st and -ig

   After a, o, u and au, ch is a throaty sound, as in the Scottish loch (Buch, auch); after other vowels and consonants it is softer, like a whispered h in huge (ich, Milch). Sch is sh (Schule). At the start of a word, sp and st are shp and sht (spielen, Stadt). -ig at the end of a word sounds like the soft ch (richtig, ruhig).

6. Know the sounds of s, ß and ss

   An s before a vowel is buzzed like an English z (sagen, lesen); at the end of a word it is hissed (Haus). ß and ss are always hissed. Ss follows a short vowel (Fluss, muss) and ß a long vowel or ei, au (Straße, groß, heißen).

7. Harden b, d and g at the end of a word, and soften the r

   At the end of a word or syllable, b, d and g sound like p, t and k: halb, Rad, Tag. The r at the start of a word is made in the throat (rot); at the end, and in -er, it is almost a vowel, like the a in sofa (Vater, Uhr).

Sound-symbol correspondence

The link between a letter or group of letters and the sound it makes, such as ei and the sound of eye. They are tested in reading aloud and in the dictation.

Umlaut

The two dots that change a, o and u into ä, ö and ü, each with a sound of its own.

ei and ie

Ei sounds like eye (mein); ie sounds like ee (sie). Say the second letter in English to remember.

Long vowel

A vowel held for longer, often spelt double or with an h after it: Boot, Uhr, Liebe.

Short vowel

A vowel said quickly, usually before a double consonant: Bett, Mutter.

Final devoicing

The rule that b, d and g at the end of a word sound like p, t and k: halb, Rad, Tag.

Soft and hard ch

The soft ch of ich and the throaty ch of Buch, which follows a, o, u and au.

Vocalic r

The r at the end of a word or in -er, said almost as a vowel: Vater, Uhr.

• Saying w as an English w, so wohnen starts like won.

  German w sounds like an English v: Wasser, wohnen, Wetter.

• Reading ei as ee and ie as eye.

  It is the other way round: mein rhymes with mine, sie sounds like the English see.

• Saying sp and st at the start of a word as in English.

  At the start of a word they are shp and sht: spielen, Stadt, Straße.

• Saying z as an English z, so zehn sounds like zen.

  German z is always said ts, as in zehn, Zug and Zeit.

• Ignoring the umlaut when you read, so schön sounds like schon.

  Round your lips for ö and ü: the sound changes the word.

More Listening topics

• Listening comprehension
• Dictation
• The present tense
• Haben, sein, werden and wissen
• Saying what you like: gern, lieber and mögen
• Modal verbs

Keep reading

• What are the GCSE German grade boundaries?
• The GCSE German syllabus, explained