Rocket German 1.

5 The German Alphabet

Language
The German Alphabet Fast Forward!
Learning the letters of the alphabet is not the most exciting way of starting to learn a new language, but knowing the sounds will help you to pronounce unfamiliar words. Lets get it over and done with: The letters in the German alphabet are the same as in English; however, there are four more letters which you will come across in the German language: , , and . These extra four letters, however, are not counted as part of the actual alphabet. Once you are familiar with the pronunciation of the German language you will find it can be spoken quite smoothly without using too much spit and harsh, abrupt endings! Below is the German alphabet with a word giving the approximate pronunciation of the letter. Be aware that that the pronunciation of the letter by itself can differ from when its used in German words. Alphabet Letter Pronunciation of the Letter German Word (With translation) A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U ah beh say day ay eff gay haa eeh yott kah ell em en oh pay koo err ess tay oo Arm (arm) Baby (baby) Celsius (celsius) Debatte (debate) Eskimo (eskimo) Familie (family) Gold (gold Haus (house) Idee (idea Januar (January) Kaffee (coffee) Lampe (lamp) Mutter (mother) Nase (nose) Ozean (ocean) Pause (pause) Quiz (quiz) Regen (rain) Salami (salami) Telefon (telephone) Uhr (clock)

V W X Y Z

fow vay eks epseelohn zett

Vater (father) Willkommen (welcome) X-Beine (knock-knees) Yoga (yoga) Zombie (zombie)

Did you notice the many similarities between German and English words? Now, thats good news, isnt it?

Consonants
Apart from a, e, i, o and u, all the letters in the alphabet are called consonants. Most German consonants are pronounced similar to English, but here are some differences: B is pronounced like a p when it appears at the end of a word, for example: lieb (kind) D is pronounced like a t when it appears at the end of the word, for example: Bad (bath) G is pronounced like a k when it appears at the end of the word, for example: Tag (day) St is pronounced sht at the beginning of a word, for example: Student (student) Sp is pronounced shp J is pronounced like a y W is pronounced like a v Z is pronounced ts Ch there are three ways of pronouncing ch: However, it is less abrupt still letting through air, for example: Sprache (language) for example: Jacke (jacket) for example: Woche (week) for example: Zimmer (room) After a, o, u and au the ch sound is produced towards the back of the throat, similar to making a k sound. for example: Bauch (stomach) or Tochter (daughter)

The ch can also be produced more at the front of the mouth, the tongue being a lot flatter in the mouth. Imagine the sound of gas leaking or a hissing cat, for example: ich (I) or Kirche (church). In some cases ch is pronounced like k, for example: Chaos (chaos) or Wachs (wax)

Vowels
The letters a, e, i, o and u are called vowels. Vowels in German are pronounced differently according to whether the vowel is short or long. Its the same in English. For example the vowel a in the English word cat is short where as the a in farmer is long. In German vowels are usually long when followed by h or by another consonant. Use the short pronunciation when the vowel is followed by two or more consonants. In the following example a short vowel will be listed like this a and a long vowel like this a_. Vowel Sound English word with approx. sound German Example a a_ e e_ i i_ o o_ u cut harm belt need hit meet got note foot kalt (cold) sagen (to say) Geld (money) Regen (rain) ist (is) Liebe (love) offen (open) Boot (boat) rund (round)

u_

moon

rufen (to call)

Diphthongs
When two different vowels appear together they are called Diphthongs. Instead of pronouncing each one separately you simply blend them together. Diphthongs English word with approx. sound German Example au eu u ei ie noun boy boy eye bee Haus (house) Teufel (devil) Huser (houses) Ei (egg) Liebe (love)

Extra Letters
Lets have a look at the four extra letters , , and . This unusual looking letter , which looks like a B is called esszett and is another symbol for a double ss. The produces a sharp s- sound like the hissing of a snake as in Ich heie Im called. There are no words that start with , so you will only ever come across it in lower case. The dots above the extra letters , and create a sharper sound, made more in the front of your mouth. These are called Umlaute. You dont have to decide whether to put dots on these vowels, these come standard with certain words. They can also be written as ae, oe, and ue, but this is less common. Umlaute can be pronounced short and long. Umlaut Approximate English Sound German Example _ _ _ eh ay uh er u uh Mdchen (girl) Kse (cheese) ffnung (opening) schn (nice) fnf (five) Tr (door)

Action Replay:
Apart from a, e, i, o and u, all the letters in the alphabet are called consonants. The letters a, e, i, o and u are called vowels. Most German consonants are pronounced similar to English When two different vowels appear together they are called Diphthongs. German has four extra letters that are not part of the actual alphabet. The dots above the extra letters , and are called Umlaute. The unusual looking letter , which looks like a B is called esszett and is another symbol for a double ss.

For Example:
German word Nein Ja Pronunciation [nain] [yah] English translation no yes

Danke Vielen Dank Bitte Hallo Guten Morgen Guten Tag Guten Abend Auf Wiedersehen Tschss Bis bald Wie geht's? Wie geht es Ihnen? Wie geht es dir? Entschuldigung

[dang-ke] [feelen dahnk] [bi-te] [ha-law] [gooten morgen] [gooten tahk] [gooten ah-bent] [owf-vee-der-zayn] [chs] [biss bahlt] [vee gaytz] [vee gayt e see-nen] [vee gayt es deer] [entshuldi-gung]

thanks thanks a lot please hello good morning good afternoon good evening good bye bye bye See you later how's it going? how are you? (formal) how are you? (casual) sorry

Sprechen Sie Englisch? [shpre-khen zee English] do you speak English? Ich verstehe Ich verstehe nicht Wie spt ist es? [ikh fershtay-e] [ikh fershtay-e nikht] [vee shpayt ist es] I understand I don't understand What time is it?

Culture

In Germany it is appropriate to shake hands when greeting someone. It is considered to be polite. Just remember to always use your right hand. Even younger people shake hands, however their moves are much smoother and look cool, where as a traditional hand shake can look quite stiff. Between friends it is also common to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek or a hug.

 Rocket Languages 2010