German Vowels

2.3: German Vowels and What They Look Like

The letters which represent the German vowels are the same as English. There is one exception though, and that is the addition of three extra vowels. Let us take a look shall we? There are eight vowels in German and they are, "a", "e", "i", "o", "u", "ä", "ö", "ü". Not too complicated is it now? Let us move on.

German vowels have a distinct difference as compared to the English language. The vowels are separated into two main categories. Do you happen to know what those categories might be? The categories are long and short. Now what is a long and short vowel you ask?

Short vowels or otherwise known as "lax", have a quick distinct sound to them. Once you understand how the classification works, it is easy to pick out a long and short vowel. Normally it is easiest to know if the vowel is short by using one simple trick. Would you like to know this simple tip?

If there are a bunch of consonants following the vowel, it is most likely a short vowel. What does "a bunch" mean exactly? I mean at least two or more consonants following the vowel. Please note for a side reference that there is also a "super short" sounding vowel sound but that is not really necessary at this point.

Now on the other side of this coin is the long vowel. Sometimes this is also called a "tense" vowel as well. What are the important things to know about this category? Well there are a few actually. Remember how short vowels could be pointed out because they had two or more consonants following them? Well a long vowel can be pointed out by having only a single consonant following it.

Another common factor which is a dead giveaway is the doubling of vowels. Also known as pairing, this is when you see the vowel repeated twice. Examples are "aa", "ee", "oo", and so on. Also just to point out as a side note, it is not unusual for a long or tense sounding vowel to have the letter "h" following the vowel.

As you can see, learning the German vowels is pretty basic. In fact it's very easy. If you did not fully understand this just by reading, please go back and read it a couple of times. In no time at all you will have the grasp of the vowels and how they play an important part into the structure of this language. Are you ready to continue?

German Alphabet Pronunciation >>

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