German Alphabet Pronunciation

3.1: German Alphabet Pronunciation

German alphabet pronunciation is in all honesty, not that hard to learn. As with anything, things take practice. This alphabet actually sounds a little similar to English in a few ways. Take your time trying to learn and proceed when ready.

Each letter has its own special sound, just like English and any other language does. The German language however, does have special characters called "Umlaute". What distinguishes an "Umlaut" from a regular letter?

Take a look below at the German alphabet pronunciation table and see if you can point out which letters are a little bit different. Have you found them? Ok, good, let us continue then. The "Umlaut" letters are letters with the dots above them. What do the dots mean exactly?

These dots are used to create a sharper sound. This sound is done using the front part of your mouth. This may be a little harder for some of us, since the English language does not use this kind of sound technique. How do you know when to use these dots though?

You do not have to know. The dots on these letters are sort of "just there". They are a rule and are used in conjunction with certain words. Is this confusing you a little bit? Think for example, how do we end a sentence? We end a sentence with a period mark of course. So too, do certain words automatically use the "Umlaut" letters.

Aa - Ah

Ää

Bb - Beh

Cc - Tseh

Dd - Deh

Ee - Eh

Ff - Eff

Gg - Geh

Hh - Hah

Ii - Ih

Jj - Yott

Kk - Kah

Ll - El

Mm - Emm

Nn - Enn

Oo - Oh

Öö

Pp - - Peh

Qq - Kuh

Rr - Err

Ss - Ess

ß

Tt - Teh

Uu - Uh

Üü

Vv - Fau

Ww - Veh

Xx - Iks

Yy - Ypsilon

Zz - Tzett

Success Story: Gavin Prendergast

"Hi Guys,

I have been traveling around Europe for the last couple of months and have been practicing my German extensively while I have been in Germany and Switzerland. Rocket German has certainly helped me take leaps and bounds out of the learning process. I have found that I am ordering food and coffee with no problem at all and one of the best things is that the locals want to talk to me and find out what I am up to so I am finding a whole bunch of new experiences and great people!!

The best part of the course for me has been Nik and Paul's audio tracks, especially handy with the amount of traveling I have been doing. Finding my way round the post office and ordering wine (everyone leaves me to do it!) have made me the person other travelers turn to for getting stuff!

Thanks for putting together a great course that makes learning fun rather than a chore! Auf Wiedersehen"

-Gavin Prendergast
WASHINGTON, USA

German Diphthongs >>

Become A Free Member ($37 Value - FREE) There is nothing fake about what you are going to be taught. By signing up for this six day mini audio course, you will learn the basic speaking skills of this language. Trust me, this course will change your outlook on learning a language forever. This course is spam free and also does not have any obligations attached to it. The only item you need is a valid working email address. You may also opt out of this list whenever you so desire. As one of the most reputable sites in the world for learning German, this course will give you a taste of what you can achieve. I urge you to do yourself a favor right now by becoming a free member below. You may unsubscribe at any time you want to, so there is no obligation nor any contracts. PS: This is a private list and we will never give away any of the emails. Believe me, we hate spam as much as you do.