Is this Jens making the sound for that goofy German ß symbol? Or is it a snake about to attack?
You’ve probably already figured out the German sound for “j” from your tour guide’s name, Jens. But
let’s make sure you’re still awake. Is this the German sound for the letter “j” or just the sound of Jens
Which one is it? laughing?
Answer: Don’t let that weird “ß” symbol upset you. It’s called an eszet. It’s just an “s” sound, “ssss.” In
Listen closely
fact, Jens and other Germans are fighting to eliminate the eszet and replace it with a double-s (ss) as
part of a spelling reform movement. Answer: That was the German "j" sound, pronounced like an English “y” sound. Here are some German
words with this sound.
Straße street
ja yes
heißen to be called
Jacke jacket
W sounds
Here's a tricky one for you. Is this Jens saying the German w sound, or is it Jens's car refusing to start? Got all that? Here's a quick recap:
The r (at the beginning of the word) sounds like gurgling
Listen and decide (and don't peek at the answer!)
The r (at the end of the word) sounds like “uh”
Answer: That was the German w, which sounds like our “v” sound. (Now you know why when The ch sounds like a cat hiss
comedians do impressions of Germans, they always replace all their w’s with v’s. I must vash my hands ß is just a “ss” sound
vith varm vater.) j sounds like the English y
w sounds like the English v
You’re definitely going to need to master this sound because almost all German question words begin v sounds like the English f
with w’s.
Was? What? Umlauts: Your mouth is about to do some crazy gymnastics
Wann? When? Germans also have a few vowels that we don’t have in English: ä, ö, and ü.
Wo? Where? The double dots above vowels are called umlauts. They change the sound of the vowel to something
that sounds like you’re getting dental work done while trying to speak
V sounds Here's what they sound like:
Is this Jens saying the German "v" sound, or the wind blowing?
ä der Käse This sounds like the short-e sound in English,
What do you think? the cheese like in "end".
Answer: That may have sounded like wind, but that was the sound the letter v makes in German. It’s das Mädchen
the same sound as our English f. the girl
Vater father ö der Löffel To make this sound, start with a short -e, and
the spoon now round your lips like you’re going to suck
von from/by on a straw. That sound at the end is what
schön
you’re going for!
pretty
J sounds
ü die Tür Start with a long-e sound (like "keep") and
the door without moving your tongue, round your lips
like you’re about to suck on a straw. That
über
sound at the end is what you’re going for.
above, over
German's not-so-silent letters
When you first start learning German, as an English speaker, you are going to want to keep following
our rules for silent letters. But the Germans prefer for their letters to make noise.
Here are some places where you might get tripped up. Remember to listen to Jens pronounce the
example words. Resist the urge to stay silent!
kn Knoblauch Rule: say both sounds. (In English, we keep
garlic the k silent, but not in German!)
e at the Lampe Rule: In German, there is no such thing as a
end of a lamp silent -e at the end of a word. So when you see
word an e hanging out at the end, it makes an “eh”
Katze
sound.
cat
ps Psychiater psychiatrist Rule: Pronounce both letters.
pf Pfeffer Rule: Seriously, pronounce both letters, even
pepper if it sounds weird.
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