A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation
Consonants: w, v, z, s and j
the letters that sound different
Familiar letters that stand for unfamiliar sounds.
Several consonants look English and are not. W is the English v: Wasser, wie, Wein. V, in most German words, is an f: Vater, viel, vier, von. Only in words borrowed from other languages is it a v, as in Vase or Video — which is why Volkswagen begins with an f and has a v in the middle.
Z is always ts, also at the start of a word, where English never has that sound: Zeit, zehn, Zug. After a short vowel the same sound is written tz: Platz, jetzt.
In standard German, s before a vowel is a buzzing z, as in English "zoo": Sonne, sagen, lesen. At the end of a word or syllable it is a hissing s: Haus, das. ß and a double ss are always hissing: heißen, Wasser.
J is the English y: ja, Jahr, jung. Two letters that are silent in English are spoken in German: the k in Knie and Knopf, the p in Psychologie. H is spoken at the start of a word (Haus), but after a vowel it is silent and only shows that the vowel is long (gehen, Uhr). And qu is kv: Qualität, bequem.
The form
| w is an English v | Wasser, wie, Wein |
| v is an f in most words | Vater, viel, vier |
| z and tz are ts | Zeit, zehn, Platz |
| s before a vowel buzzes | Sonne, sagen, lesen |
| ß and ss hiss | heißen, Wasser |
| j is an English y | ja, Jahr, jung |
| the k and the p are spoken | Knie, Psychologie |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
W is pronounced like an English v.
Wo ist das Wasser?Where is the water?
V is pronounced like f in most German words.
Mein Vater hat vier Brüder.My father has four brothers.
Z is always pronounced ts.
Der Zug kommt um zehn.The train comes at ten.
J is pronounced like an English y.
Ja, ich bin noch jung.Yes, I am still young.
How to spot it
- w
- v
- z
- tz
- s
- j
- kn
Example sentences
Wie viel Zeit haben wir?How much time do we have?
Ich sage jetzt nichts.I am not saying anything now.
Das Video ist zwei Minuten lang.The video is two minutes long.
Mein Knie tut weh.My knee hurts.
Jeden Sommer fahren wir ans Meer.Every summer we go to the seaside.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Reading w as an English w is the commonest pronunciation mistake English speakers make in German: Wein, Wasser and wir all begin with the sound of English "van". The same shift moves v one step on, so Vater and viel begin with the sound of "fan". In writing the mistake runs the other way: a word you hear with an f may still be spelled with a v, and Vater is never written with an f.
German w is your v, German v is your f, and z is always ts.
Your turn
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