A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation
ch, sch, sp, st and hard endings
the sounds English spells differently
Two sounds for ch, an sh inside sp and st, and endings that turn hard.
Sch is simply the English sh: Schule, schön, Tisch. At the start of a word, or of the part of a word after a prefix, sp and st are pronounced shp and sht: sprechen, Sport, Stadt, Straße, verstehen. Elsewhere they stay as written: Fenster, ist, Wespe.
Ch has two sounds, and neither is the ch of English "church". After a, o, u and au it is made at the back of the mouth, like the end of Scottish "loch": Bach, noch, Buch, auch. After every other vowel, and after a consonant, it is made at the front: a soft hiss with the tongue where it is for the y of "yes": ich, nicht, Milch, Mädchen. A final -ig takes this second sound in standard German: zwanzig, König.
At the end of a word or syllable, b, d and g lose their voice and sound like p, t and k: gelbends in a pHundin a tTagin a k The spelling keeps the soft letter because it comes back as soon as a vowel follows: Hunde, Tage. So Rad (wheel) and Rat (advice) sound exactly the same.
The German r is not the English r either. At the start of a syllable it is a light gargle at the back of the mouth: rot, Reise. After a vowel it mostly turns into a short, dark a: hier, Tür, Uhr.
The form
| sch is an English sh | Schule, Tisch |
| sp and st at the start: shp, sht | sprechen, Stadt |
| ch after a, o, u, au: at the back | Bach, Buch, auch |
| ch everywhere else: at the front | ich, nicht, Milch |
| a final -ig sounds like -ich | zwanzig, König |
| a final b, d, g sounds like p, t, k | gelb, Hund, Tag |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Sp and st at the start of a word are pronounced shp and sht.
Wir sprechen in der Stadt Deutsch.We speak German in town.
Ch after a, o, u or au is made at the back of the mouth.
Ich lese auch ein Buch.I am reading a book too.
Ch after any other sound is made at the front.
Ich trinke nicht gern Milch.I do not like drinking milk.
B, d and g at the end of a word sound like p, t and k.
Der Hund schläft den ganzen Tag.The dog sleeps all day.
How to spot it
- sch
- sp
- st
- ch
- -ig
- -b
- -d
- -g
Example sentences
Die Schule ist nicht weit.The school is not far.
Ich verstehe die Frage nicht.I do not understand the question.
Das Buch kostet zwanzig Euro.The book costs twenty euros.
Wir spielen Sport im Park.We play sport in the park.
Das Rad ist gelb.The bike is yellow.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Two habits come from English. The first is reading ch as k or as the ch of "church": ich is neither "ick" nor "itch", and Buch does not sound like "book". If the throat sound will not come yet, a soft hiss is closer than any k. The second is in the spelling: because Hund ends in a t sound, it is tempting to write it with a t. Put the word into the plural — Hunde — and the right letter can be heard again.
At the end of a word b, d and g sound like p, t and k — the plural shows the spelling.
Your turn
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