How to read German words

Learning the correct pronunciation in any foreign language is impossible without the auditory (auditory) perception of authentic speech. However, the correct pronunciation of foreign words contributes to the knowledge of the phonetic nuances of the language. For the correct reading of German words, it is necessary to take into account the features of the sound composition of the language, the specifics of pronouncing certain letter combinations and the structure of individual words.

Instruction manual

one

Pay special attention to the vowels of the German language that are not in the Russian language. These are the so-called umlauts o, u, a, which are indicated in the letter as follows: ä - pronounced as "e"; ö - pronounced as "ё", but more firmly; ü - pronounced as "yu", but more firmly.

2

Learn the correct pronunciation of the typical German combination of vowels: eu and äu - pronounced like "oi"; ei - pronounced like "ay"; ie - pronounced like "i"; ah - pronounced like "a"; ae - pronounced the same way like German "ä"; ue - pronounced the same as German "ü"; oe - pronounced the same as German "ä".

3

Remember how specific consonant combinations are read in German: ch - pronounced as "x"; ck - pronounced as "k"; chs - pronounced as "ks"; sch - pronounced as "sh"; tsch - pronounced as "h"; th - pronounced as "t"; st - at the beginning of the word is pronounced as "pcs"; sp - at the beginning of the word is pronounced as "shp"; gu - is pronounced as "kv".

4

It is also worth highlighting some consonants that have a special reading: z - pronounced as "c"; v - at the beginning of a word is pronounced as "f"; s - at the beginning of a word in front of a vowel and between vowels is pronounced as "z"; ß - is pronounced as "ss".

5

In turn, double consonants are read as one short and solid sound, for example: Lippe. Voiced consonants at the end of a syllable and words are stunned: Tag [ta: k].

note

Please note that in the German language there are complex words that correspond to Russian phrases. When reading them, they should be divided into separate words for correct pronunciation. For example: Hausarbeit (Haus-arbeit) - homework. In complex words, there are two stresses, one of which, as a rule, is the main thing (usually falls on the first component of the word), and the other is secondary (usually falls on the second component of the word). In general, the stress in the German language is fixed, that is, in most cases, does not change its position in the word when its form changes. As a rule, it falls on the first syllable.

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