How to write letters in German. German alphabet for kids: learning a new language together. Simple words to practice pronunciation

Sheet glass 22.12.2021

As a rule, learning foreign languages ​​is a good idea to start from the very basics, i.e. with alphabet and reading rules. The German language is no exception. German alphabet, like English, is based on the Latin alphabet, but it also has some differences that you need to know.

So, german alphabet has 26 letters. Umlauts (vowels with dots, for example: Ä-ä, Ü-ü, Ö-ö) and the ß ligature are considered a distinctive feature. Visually it looks like this:

German alphabet pronunciation

Knowing just the alphabet is not enough, since in some combinations not all letters are read the way they are written. Here are some solid rules for reading German:

Rules for reading individual letters:

s= [h] Before vowels. S ofa, s oh, S onne
s= [s] At the end of a word/syllable. W as, d as, H aus
ß = [s] short Unreadable like the double "s" in the word "cash"! gro ß , Fu ß ball, blo ß
h= [exhale] At the beginning of a word or syllable, it is read as a light exhalation. After a vowel, it is not readable, but gives longitude to the vowel sound. H anna, h aben, h elfen, wo h in S eh en, ih m, B ah n h of
y= ["soft" y] Something between "u" and "u" as in the word m Yu if t y pisch, G y mnastik
r= ["burry" p] At the beginning of a word or syllable. R enate, R egel, R epublik, ge r adeaus
r= [a] At the end of a word or syllable. wi r, mi r, ve r Gessen, Zimme r
x= [ks] Te x t,bo x en
v= [f] In most cases. v iel, v erstehen, v or
v= [in] in borrowings. V erb, V ase
w=[in] W oh, w ir, W ohnung, W inter
c= [s] in borrowed words. C ity
c=[k] in borrowed words. C afe, C computer
ä = [e] As in the word " uh ra" H ä nde, kl ä ren
ö ["soft" o] As in the word "m yo d". K ö nnen, K ö ln, Ö sterreich
ü ["soft" y] As in the word "m Yu if". m ü de, m ü ssen, f ü nf

Longitude and shortness of vowels:

a, e, i, o, u, ä, ö, ü= , , , , , [ ɛː ], [ øː ] [ ] [: ] = longitudesound In an open or conditionally closed syllable (i.e., when the form of the word changes, the syllable may again become open). Longitude and brevity of sound affect the meaning of the word! m a len,l e Sen, Masch i ne, r o t, d u,g u t,sp ä t,b ö se, m ü de
ah,eh,ih,oh,uh, ah, öh, uh = [a:],[e:],[i:],[o:],[u:], [ɛː], [ øː] [ yː] [: ] = longitudesound W Ah l, s eh en, ih n, w Oh nen, K uh, Z Ah ne, S oh ne, fr uh
aa, ee, oo= , , [: ] = longitudesound S aal, S ee, B oo t

We read the following combinations like this:

ch= [hard "x"] Bu ch, ma ch en, la ch en
ch= [xx] Before "i" and "e". Ich, m ich, r ech ts
sch= [w] Sch ule, Ti sch, sch reiben
ck= [k] le ck er, Sche ck,
chs= [ks] se chs, wa chs en
ph= [f] Ph oto, Ph ysik
qu= [kv] Q adrat, Q elle
th= [t] Th eater, Th ema
tsch= [h] Tsch echien, deu tsch
tion= [qion] Funk tion, Product tion
pf= [pf] pf erd, pf ennig
sp= [wn] At the beginning of words and syllables. Sp ort, sp rechen
st= [pcs] At the beginning of words and syllables. St unde, ver st ehen
ng= [nasal n] The letter "g" is not readable, while the sound "n" is pronounced in the nose. Ubu ng, bri ng en, si ng en
ig= [uh] richt ig, wich ig

Rules for reading diphthongs (double vowels)

ei= [ai] m ei n, s ei n, Arb ei t, Ei
ai= [ai] M ai, M ai n
ie= [and] long Br ie f, h ie r,
eu= [oh] N eu, d eu tsch, Eu ro
au= [oh] R au me, H au ser
au= [ay] H au s, br au n

Well, we figured out a little with the rules of reading. I would also like to give advice on pronunciation in German. But this is in other articles on our site.

The German alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet with diacritics for vowels ( ä , ö , ü ) and a letter ß , not used in other languages. There are alternative spellings for these letters: ae, oe, ue, ss, but their use loses its uniqueness.

2. Transliteration

Some of the German letters are translated into Russian unambiguously:

b b n n t t
d d p P w in
f f q to x ks
g G r R y and
m m ß With z c

3.J

Combinations j + vowel transferred like this:

At the beginning of a word and after vowels jaI, ja (je) → e, joyo, joyo, juYu, juyuu: JahnsJens, Juljuly;

After consonants jaya, ja (je) → ye, joyo, joyo, ju (ju)→ ew: LiljeLilje.

Before a consonant and at the end of a word jth.

4. Vowels and their combinations

German diphthongs are transmitted in transcription according to the following rules: euoh, eiah, ieand. A common tradition to pass eu (ei) → hey (her) is considered obsolete today, although many names and surnames are transmitted according to these rules: ReutersReuters, GeigerGeiger.

After vowels e (ä ) → uh, ith. At the beginning of a word e (ä , ö ) → uh, ü and.

In other cases, vowels are transmitted by transliteration: aa, e (ä ) → e, iand, oabout, ö yo, uat, ü Yu, yand.

5. S, C, H

letter combinations sch, chh, ch, ph, rh, th in transcription are transmitted, respectively: schw, chhhg, chX, phf, rhR, tht.

Combinations tsch, zsch and chs wholly belonging to one syllable are transmitted according to the rules tsch (zsch) → h, chsks: AchslachAxlakh, Zschopauchopau. Sometimes the components of these letter combinations refer to different syllables, in which case they are transmitted independently: AltschulAltshul.

Before front vowels ( i, e, in borrowings also y) Withc: Cillicilly. In other contexts cto: CarlCharles.

Before letters p and t at the beginning of a word or part of a compound word sw: Sprayspree. Before vowels single sh, otherwise sWith.

In a position between a vowel and a consonant (or between a vowel and e) h omitted in transcription. In other provisions hX.

The tradition of transmitting everywhere hG Today it is considered obsolete, but many names and surnames are transmitted precisely according to this rule: TannhauserTannhäuser, HeisenbergHeisenberg.

The "transcriptor" does not know how to divide German words into syllables and compound words into parts.

6. Consonants

letter combinations gk and tz passed according to the rules gkG, tzc.

doubled ll It is conveyed in different ways, depending on the position in the word:

between vowels llll: EllerbachEllerbach;

At the end of a word and between consonants llll: TellkoppeTellkoppe;

In other positions lll or eh.

Before vowels ll, before consonants and at the end of words leh.

In German names and titles vf: VolkmarVolkmar. But in names of foreign origin v can be transmitted through in: CrivitzKrivits.

"Transcriptor" always transmits v how f.

7. Double letters

Doubled (long) German vowels are always transmitted as one: KlopeinerseeKlopeinersee.

Doubled German consonants are transmitted as doubled and in transcription if they are in a position between vowels or at the end of a word. In other positions, doubled German consonants correspond to one consonant letter of transcription: BlattBlatt, SchaffranSaffron.

letter combination ck corresponds kk in a position between vowels, otherwise ckto: Beckerbecker, DickDick.

Das Deutsche Alphabet fur Kinder

But still, at a certain stage in the study of any language, it is necessary to learn the alphabet. Let's try to make this process more interesting for children!

German alphabet

The spelling and names of letters (namely letters, not the sounds that they can convey in writing):

german letter Russian analogue Transcription Examples

A a

a der A pfel (apple)
a rm (poor)
sch a ffen (create)

Bb

bae der B us (bus)
b auen (to build)
sie b en (seven)

c c

ce die C hemie (chemistry)
a c ht (eight)
die C reme (cream)

D d

de der D ill (dill)
lei d en (to suffer)
das lie d(song)

e e

uh der B e rg (mountain)
der Te e(tea)
g e rn (willingly)

F f

ef [εf] der F round (friend)
die Hill f e (help)
f un f(five)

G g

ge g ut (good)
der Zu g(train)
we gg ehen (leave)

H h

ha h aben (to have)
der H und (dog)
h undert (one hundred)

I i

and der I gel (hedgehog)
f i nden (find)
mob i l (movable)

Jj

iot der J ude (Jew)
j etzt (now)
j a (yes)

K k

ka der K amm (comb)
der Ro ck(skirt)
k lane (small)

l l

email [εl] l aufen (to run)
der Himme l(sky)
die L ampe (lamp)

M m

Em [εm] m alen (draw)
der M ensch (person)
der Bau m(wood)

N n

en [εn] die N acht (night)
woh n e n(live)
n eu n(nine)

O o

about o ben (top)
die S o ne (sun)
als o(so)

Pp

pe die P resse (press)
ti pp en (print)
die P flanze (plant)

Q q

ku die Q uelle (source)
der Q uark (cottage cheese)
der Q utsch (nonsense)

R r

er [εr] r ufen (to call)
die Ki r sche (cherry)
hie r(here)

S s

es [εs] der S ohn (son)
intere ss ant (interesting)
wa s(what)

T t

te der T isch (table)
die T an t e (aunt)
das bro t(bread)

U u

at die U hr (hours)
w u nderbar (wonderful)
gena u(exactly)

Vv

fau der V ater (father)
der Karne v al [-v-] (carnival)
der Ner v[-v] (nerve)

W w

ve w ollen (to wish)
der W ein (wine)
die W ohnung (apartment)

X x

X die He x e (witch)
die Ta x e (dachshund)
Das Ma x imum (maximum)

Y y

upsilon d ynamisch (dynamic)
derZ y niker (cynic)
die Ph y sik (physics)

Zz

tset der Z oo (zoo)
sit z en (sit)
Das Hol z(wood)

Ä ä **

and umlaut ä hnlich (similar)
der B ä r (bear)
der K ä se (cheese)

Ö ö **

o umlaut Ö sterreich (Austria)
l ö sen (decide)
b ö se (evil)

Ü ü **

u umlaut ü blich (regular)
ü ber (over)
die T ü r (door)

ß

Escet [s] der Fu ß (leg)
drau ß en (outside)
bei ß en (bite)

Poems about the German alphabet

A B C D E —
alle lutschen Schnee.
F G H I J —
Dann Schlecken sie Kompott.
K L M N O P —
der Bauch tut ihnen weh.
Qu R S T U —
sie legen sich zur Ruh.
V W X Y Z —
sie schnarchen um die Wett.

ABCDE > Lernen tut nicht weh
FGHIJ > Geht runter wie Kompott
KLMNO > Macht uns immer froh
PQRST > Schmeckt wie süsser Tee
UVWXYZ > so geht's leicht mit dem Alphabet

A B C D E F G
so beginnt das ABC!
H und I und J und K,
jetzt ist die zweite Gruppe da !
L M N und O und P,
ich die dritte Gruppe seh!
Q und R und S und T,
immer night kein End, oh weh!
U und V und noch ein W,
bald kann ich ganz das ABC!
X and Y and Z,
ich kann es ganz, das Alphabet!

A ls ich das Licht nicht kannte,
B ang im Dunkel rannte,
C hamäleonmäßig leben wollte,
D onner dennoch grolte,
E rlebte ich so manches down,
Fünfzig Brücken wollt ich baun.
G anze vierzig brachen zusammen.
Häuser standen schon in Flammen.
I ch wusste nicht: Wohin soll ich gehn?
J emand muss mich doch verstehn.
K einer schien mir nah zu sein.
Lächeln, Lachen nur zum Schein.
M ochte mich selbst nicht leiden.
N ur noch Hass und Streitigkeiten.
O hne eine Hilfe, ohne einen Halt.
P robleme auf dem Rücken, fühlte mich alt.
Q uatsch geredet, ohne Sinn.
R uhig kamst du zu mir hin.
S treicheltest mein wirres Haar.
T röstetest mich wunderbar.
U nter deiner Vaterhand
V erlass ich jetzt das dürre Land.
W ohnst in mir, in meinem Herzen.
X Kusse, tausend helle Kerzen.
"Y ou are my Lord!", das weiß ich nun.
Zeitlos will ich in deinen Armen ruhn.

Naturwirtschaftliches Alphabet

Im Ameis'haufen wimmelt es,
Der Aff' frisst nie Verschimmeltes.

Die Biene ist ein fleissig' Tier,
Dem Bären kommt das spaßig für.

Die Ceder ist ein hoher Baum,
Oft schmeckt man die Citrone kaum.

Das wilde Dromedar man koppelt,
Der Dogge wächst die Nase doppelt.

Der Esel ist ein dummes Tier,
Der Elefant kann nichts dafür.

Im Suden fern die Feige reift,
Der Falk am Finken sich vergreift.

Die Gems' im Freienübernachtet,
Martini man die Gänse schlachtet.

Der Hopfen wächst an langer Stange,
Der Hofhund macht dem Wand'rer Bange.

Trau ja dem Igel nicht, er sticht,
Der Iltis ist auf Mord erpicht.

Johanniswürmchen freut uns sehr,
Der Jaguar weit weniger.

Den Kakadu man gern betrachtet,
Das Kalb man ohne weiter's schlachtet.

Die Lerche in die Lufte steigt,
Der Lowe brüllt, wenn er nicht schweigt.

Die Maus tut niemand was zuleide,
Der Mops ist alter Damen Freude.

Die Nachtigall singt wunderschön,
Das Nilpferd bleibt zuweilen steh'n.

Der Orang-Utan ist possierlich,
Der Ochs benimmt sich unmanierlich.

Der Papagei hat keine Ohren,
Der Pudel ist meist halb geschoren.

Das Quarz sitzt tief im Berges-Schacht,
Die Quitte stiehlt man bei der Nacht.

Der Rehbock scheut den Büchsenknall,
Die Ratt' gedeihet überall.

Der Steinbock lange Horner hat,
Auch gibt es Schweine in der Stadt.

Die Turteltaube Eier legt,
Der Tapir nachts zu schlafen pflegt.

Die Unke schreit im Sumpfe kläglich,
Der Uhu schläft zwölf Stunden täglich.

Das Vieh sich auf der Weide tummelt,
Der Vampir nachts die Luft durchbummelt.

Der Walfischstört des Herings Frieden,
Des Wurmes Lange ist verschieden.

Die Zwiebel ist der Juden Speise,
Das Zebra trifft man stellenweise.

Games with the German alphabet

It will be very good if you play all the games with your child in German. Let these be the simplest sentences, but in German.

1. Draw a few letters on paper, and then, together with your child, draw their eyes, mouth, ears, hair, arms, legs, clothes. They can be turned into humans or animals. The names of these creatures will be the names of the corresponding letters. Then the letters can participate in various skits, visit each other. For example, you can play around with the word “family” (Familie): let each letter be one of the family members, they will be dressed differently and of different sizes, and together they form the word family.

Examples of possible phrases:

  • Das sind unsere Buchstaben. Diese Buchstabe heiβt A und diese Buchstabe heiβt B (These are our letters. This letter is called A, and this letter is called Be)
  • Lass uns noch mit diesen Buchstaben kennenlernen. Wie heibet du? Ich heiβe B. Sehr angenehem, B! Ich heiβe C. (Let's get acquainted with these letters. What is your name? My name is Bae. Very nice, Bae. My name is Tse)
  • Guck mal! Diese Buchstabe ist wie ein Hase. (Look! This letter looks like a hare!)

2. You can also sculpt letters from plasticine (let, for example, funny multi-colored worms turn into letters), you can make crafts from paper and other materials.

3. You can buy letters with magnets, draw letters (just letters, words or whole sentences) on a magnetic board with a washable felt-tip pen, and then the child must put the corresponding letter in the right place on the board. The same can be done with paper and glue, fabric and Velcro.

4. The variety of word games with letters depends on the number of words the child knows in German. You can call with the child in turn for each letter:

  • Food
  • items in the house
  • body parts
  • objects on the street
  • animals, etc.

If the child only learns words or does not know how they are spelled, name the words from such a list yourself.

I offer you a list with tips. Friends! Who will have ideas what words can be entered in the empty fields, write in the comments ... my fantasy is over 🙁

Letters Animals, birds, insects, fish House, furniture, dishes Food clothing
A Affe (monkey) Auto (car) Apfel (apple) Anzug (suit)
B Bär (bear) Bett (bed), Boden (floor), Bild (painting), Buch (book) Birne (pear), Banana (banana) Brot (bread) Butter (butter)
C Computer (computer)
D Dinosaurier (dinosaur) Dach (roof)
E Elefant (elephant), Enten (duck), Eisbär (polar bear), Elch (moose), Esel (donkey) Eisen (iron) Egg (egg), Eis (ice cream)
F Fuchs (fox), Flusspferd (hippo), Fisch (fish), Frosch (frog) Fernseher (TV) Fenster (window) Fleisch (meat) Fisch (fish)
G Gans (goose), Girafe (giraffe) Garten (garden), Garage (garage) Gemuse (vegetables)
H Hund (dog), Hase (hare), Huhn (chicken), Hahn (rooster) Haus (house), Herd (stove) Hemd (shirt) Handschuhe (gloves) Hose (trousers)
J Jaguar (jaguar) Journal (magazine) Jacke (jacket), Jeans (jeans)
I Igel (hedgehog)
K Katze (cat), Kuh (cow) Kühlschrank (refrigerator) Kuchen (pie), Käse (cheese), Kartoffeln (potatoes), Karotten (markovy) Kappe (cap), Kleid (dress)
L Löwe (lion), Leopard (leopard) Lampe (lamp) Löffel (spoon) Lemon (Lemon)
M Maus (mouse) Messer (knife)Mikrowelle (microwave) Milch (milk), Melone (melon) Mantel (coat), Mütze (hat)
N Nashorn (rhinoceros)
O Orange (orange), Obst (fruit)
P Pferd (horse), Panda (panda) Pfanne (frying pan) Pasta (macaroni) Pelzmantel (fur coat) Pajama (pajamas)
Q Quark (cottage cheese)
R Ratte (rat) Regal (shelf) Radio (radio) Reis (rice) Rock (skirt)
S Schwein (pig), Schildkröte (turtle), Schmetterling (butterfly), Schaf (sheep) Stuhl (chair) Sofa (sofa) Sessel (armchair) Schrank (wardrobe)

Spielzeug (toys)

Saft (juice) Salz (salt) Shorts (shorts)Socken (socks)Shuhe (shoes)Schal (scarf)

Stifel (boots)

T Tiger (tiger) Tisch (table), Tür (door), Teppich (carpet) Tee (tea) T-Shirt (t-shirt)
U Uhr (hours) Unterhose (panties), Unterwäsche (underwear)
V Vogel (bird) Vorhange (curtains)
W Wal (whale), Wolf (wolf) Wand (wall) Wasser (water) Wasserlemon (watermelon) Weintrauben (grape)
X
Y
Z Ziege (goat), Zebra (zebra) Zimmer (room), Zeitung (newspaper) Zucker (sugar), Zwiebeln (onion)
Ö Öl (oil)

german letters based on the Latin alphabet, german letters- the topic of the article. 26 German letters present in German. Additional german letters, which are not included in the alphabet, but are often found in a variety of words, these are the three umlauts Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü and the ligature ß. Latest german letters obey alphabetical order, that is, in dictionaries they immediately follow A a, O o, U u and double ss, respectively. In some cases, additional variants of German letters are used, but this is typical only for some dialects and, in particular, for words of foreign origin. German letters can form different letter combinations in words, which obey certain reading rules. There are separate sounds that are transmitted by two, three or more German letters. At the same time, one German letter, when read, can give two sounds (affricate), while some German letters can denote different sounds depending on their position in the word and neighboring letters. All double consonant German letters convey one sound and at the same time indicate the brevity of the previous vowel sound, for example: rennen - rush, rush. All doubled vowels of German letters when read are one long sound, for example: der Aal [a: l] - eel. Standing after the vowels of the German letters h is never read, but only indicates the longitude of the previous vowel. To convey the Russian letters i, ё, u in writing, the letter combinations of the German letters ja, jo, ju are used, which most closely convey the sound of these letters that have no analogues in German, for example: Yura - Jura, Yasha - Jascha. The combination of two or more consonant German letters indicates the brevity of the previous vowel even in cases where these consonants denote one sound, for example löschen - go out, fade out, erase. German vowels that are at the beginning of a root or word are always pronounced much sharper, with a so-called hard attack, for example: der Alter [`altәα]. All consonants in German letters are solid, all voiced ones are muffled and pronounced semi-voiced, and at the end of words they are always completely deafened, for example: der Dieb vor. German consonants cannot be softened before vowels, as is done in Russian. In German, German consonants are always hard. Do not get too hung up on the written version of German letters, write as you like, the main thing is to be understood. Only approximate sketches of handwritten German letters are given here. Pay attention to the umlauts (umlauts) Ää Öö Üü - these are German letters "without a name", they only denote sounds.

Letters of the German alphabet

Letter of the German alphabet

Traditional transcription

Russian pronunciation

Examples of words with this letter

A a

a mtlich - service, official

Bb

b elgisch - Belgian

c c

c chronisch - chronic

D d

d auerhaft - long, long

e e

e hrlich - frank, honest

F f

f uturistisch - futuristic

G g

g anzlich whole, perfect

H h

(the sound [x] is like a very light exhalation)

häufig - frequent, numerous

I i

i nnerlich - internal

Jj

j etzig - current, current

K k

k räftig - strong, big, strong

l l

lächerlich - funny, ludicrous

M m

m ißtrauisch - suspicious

N n

n eutral - neutral

O o

o rientalisch - eastern

Pp

p olnisch - Polish

Q q

q uellend - breaking through (about the source)

R r

r egnerisch - rainy

S s

s moken - to gather, gather

T t

tüchtig - skillful, efficient

U u

u rsprünglich - original, original

Vv

v erträglich - tolerable, tolerable

W w

w ahnsinnig - crazy, crazy

X x

X enon-Scheinwerfer xenon headlights

Y y

[upsilon]

d y namisch - dynamic

Zz

z ynisch - cynical
Additional German letters to the Latin alphabet underlying the German language:

Ä ä

a-umlaut:

ä rgerlich - annoying, annoying

Ö ö

o-umlaut:

like "ё" in the word "L yo nya"

ö rtlich - local

Ü ü

u-umlaut:

like "yu" in "L" Yu sya"

ü berflussig - superfluous

ß

like sound [s]

Das Gescho ß - tier, floor

Thus, in this table, all existing German letters of the alphabet were considered, including four additional ones. Further, German letters can form different letter combinations in words, which obey certain reading rules. Let's try to present them also in the form of a visual table.

Letters of the German alphabet, forming characteristic letter combinations and rules for reading individual German letters

letter combination Sound features transcr. Russian reading Word examples
combination of two vowels der M ai n - Main (river)
long vowel low sound der H Ah n - crane; rooster
before e, ö, i, y, ü one consonant gives an affricate sound das C yklon - cyclone
in words borrowed from other languages, more often at the beginning of a word die C ouch - couch
when placed after the vowels u, o, a; the place of sound formation is much lower in the larynx than in Russian [x] die Bu ch e - beech
sometimes at the beginning of a word; the combination of two consonants produces one explosive voiceless consonant das Ch lor - chlorine
after ä, i, ö, e, y, ü, as well as after m, r, l, n, the combination of two consonants gives one voiceless fricative consonant sound similar to the sound [x] in the word "cunning" die Bu ch er – booksdie Mön ch e - monks
in loanwords die Cou ch- sofa, couch
as an indivisible combination of letters within one syllable der La ch s - salmon, salmon
the combination of two consonants produces one voiceless plosive consonant der Zu ck er - sugar
short vowel sound in a closed syllable h e ll - light
long vowel Das M eh l - flour
diphthong leise - quiet
diphthong die W ie ge - cradle
diphthong die L eu te - people
long vowel mid (rise) der L Oh n - salary
der B oy kott boycott
consonant voiced fricative sound j awohl - yes, that's right
sonorous voiced consonant, which is something like a transition from Russian soft [l`] to Russian hard [l] within one sound l eer - empty
this letter combination conveys a voiced sonorous nasal sound that is absent in Russian

nasal ("on the nose") [n]

si ng en - sing
this letter combination conveys two sounds: a voiced sonorant nasal sound, which is not in Russian + a deaf aspirated

nasal + spirant [nk]

si nk en - fall, sink, decrease
the combination of two consonants produces one consonant fricative sound die Ph ysik physics
the combination of a consonant and a vowel gives a combination of two consonants der Q ark - cottage cheese
combining two consonants at the beginning of a word produces one consonant sound der Rh ytmus - frequency, rhythm
fricative voiced consonant if it is in front of a vowel or between two vowels der Ka s e - cheesesüchtig - seized with some kind of passion
s conveys a fricative voiceless consonant at the beginning of a word/part of a compound word if it is followed by p or t der Sp echt [ʃpәçt] - woodpecker das Statut [ʃtatu: t] - charter
three consonants make a fricative voiceless consonant sch on [ʃon] - already
in other cases, except for the three listed above der Po s ter - poster
two consonants make one stop voiceless consonant die Th eorie - theory
four consonants make one affricate der Deu tsch e - German
the combination of a vowel and a consonant produces a long vowel der Uh u - eagle owl
combination of letters die R ui ne - ruins, ruins
in foreign borrowings, a voiced labio-dental consonant die V ariante - variant
otherwise, labial-dental voiceless consonant die Vögel - birds
voiced labio-dental consonant w ellig - wavy
der Lure x– lurex
typical German sound, somewhere between y and y, like the "y" in "hatch", can be long or short rh y tmisch - rhythmic ps y chisch - mental
one consonant makes an affricate die Z erbe - cedar
die S au le - column
there is no such sound in German, this combination of letters is used to convey the sound [u] in foreign words der Bor Schtsch– borscht (soup)
there is no such sound in German either, the combination of letters conveys [g] in foreign words Sh ukow [ʒukof] - Zhukov (surname)
transmits one fricative consonant voiceless sound; ß can either be replaced by ss, or ß is written only after letters that convey long vowels or diphthongs la ss en - leave, leavebei ß en - to bite

In the picture below you see handwritten German letters, but here it should be noted that everyone has their own handwriting and there can be many options.

Video with the pronunciation of the letters of the German alphabet:

And one more video for fixing:

German is one of the European languages ​​spoken by 120 million people. If you know him, you can communicate freely with Germans, Austrians, Swiss, residents of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. These are not all countries where many people speak the language of Heine and Nietzsche. Learning any language starts with the alphabet, and German is no exception.

How many letters are in the German alphabet?

The German alphabet consists of 26 letters. It is also based on Latin, but has its own characteristics. Characters that make the language special are umlauts (dotted vowels like Ä-ä, Ü-ü, Ö-ö) and the ß ligature.

The language of Kafka and Mann has a phonetic basis. If you study the sound system, it will be clear how the word is spelled, and its graphic image will not cause obstacles in pronunciation.

How many vowels are in the German alphabet?

Vowels in German 8, they make twice as many sounds.

Vowels in German can be long and short, the length of vowels can change the semantic meaning completely. As in most European languages, German also has diphthongs:

  • Ei - (ai);
  • Ai - (ai);
  • Ie - long(s);
  • Eu - (oh);
  • Äu - (oh);
  • Au - (au).

Vowels in words form open and closed syllables. In an open syllable or conditionally closed, when the form of the word changes, the syllable can again become open.

How many consonants are in the German letter?

There are 21 consonants in the German alphabet.

Letter Name Pronunciation Note
bb (bae) Subordinated to the same orthoepic norms as a similar sound in Russian (b)
CC (ce) Participates in combinations ch and chs; before e and i in some cases one "c" is pronounced as (ts). In borrowings, it can act as (c)
Dd (de) Like Russian (d)
FF (ef) Gives sound (f) A similar sound in German gives the letter "v"
gg (ge) Sounds like (d) At the end of a word, next to ig, it sounds like (xx), close to (u)
hh (Ha) Sound like (x) Often, words are indicated only in writing, one of the unpronounceable consonants of the language. Often it is reduced between vowels and at the absolute end of a word.
jj (yot) Sometimes like (dz) or (h)
Kk (ka) Pronounced traditionally as (k) The -ck remains a sound (k)
Ll (el) Pronunciation is similar to Russian (l)
mm (Em) Gives sound (m)
Nn (en) Gives a sound (n)
pp (pe) Gives a sound (p)
Qq (ku) Usually like (to) If in alliance with qu, sound comes out (kv)
Rr (er) Slightly burry (r) At the end of the word can be transformed into (a)
Ss (es) (h) at the beginning of a word At the end of the word, stunned to (s)
Tt (te) Gives sound (t)
vv (fau) Gives sound (f) In borrowings gives a sound (in)
www (ve) Gives a sound (in)
xx (X) (ks)
Yy (upsilon) Gives sounds (y) and (y:)
Zz (tset) Traditionally gives a combination of sounds (ts)

Features of consonants and their combinations in German

  • The letter C forms an affricate with h - ch (хх) or (с);
  • chs gives sound (ks);
  • before e and i in some cases one "c" is pronounced as (ts).

Other cases are no less interesting:

  1. The neighborhood of the letters Sch gives the sound (sh).
  2. The affricate ph produces the sound (f).
  3. The combination of letters ts is pronounced as (ts). The ligature ß (escet) stands apart, which expresses a short sound similar to Russian (c). It usually stands in the middle of a word or at its end.
  4. DT or TH give the same sound (t).
  5. The combinations of the letters tsch are like the sound (h).
  6. And Z or TZ give rise to sound (c).

German alphabet and speech. 15 interesting facts

  1. Until about the 12th century, runic writing was widespread in Germany.
  2. Since the 15th century, the Schwabacher font, which belongs to the Gothic style of writing, has spread. It was common until the beginning of the last century. However, in the century before last, it began to be supplanted first by fraction, and later by antiqua. They were officially recognized only after the Revolution of 1918.
  3. Since the 20s of the twentieth century, the Zütterlin font has become popular.
  4. In 1903, a special telephone directory was published for reading German words by sounds. Initially, they tried to convey the letters as numbers, but this was a hard-to-remember way.
  5. In military affairs, when encrypting, the ligature ß and the affricate ch were replaced by letter combinations.
  6. During the reign of Hitler, they tried to revive the imperial type, but the idea did not take root.
  7. The stress in German usually falls on the first syllable. When a word has an unstressed prefix, the stress shifts to the second syllable.
  8. All nouns in German writing, regardless of their place in a sentence, are capitalized.
  9. The word "girl" in German is neuter. And this is not an isolated case: such inconsistencies often occur in the language.
  10. Some phraseological units in German are funny when translated directly. The phrase, which we would translate as "You have a pig!", Means that a person was called lucky. With the words "This is not your beer!" Germans remind each other not to interfere in other people's business.
  11. The word "fraer", which is considered jargon in Russian speech, came from German. They call him the groom.
  12. The longest German word still used in speech and writing consists of 63 letters.
  13. The words “treasure”, “Romeo” and even “stallion” often become affectionate words in relation to the beloved among the Germans.
  14. John Gutenberg printed the first book on his machine not in German, but in Latin. The famous Bible in German translation appeared 10 years later.
  15. German could become the official language in the USA. After the Civil War, at a meeting of Congress, the English won by chance. It received one more vote than the German language.

Related videos

We recommend reading

Top