A, E, I, O and U are called vowels.
Vowels in German are pronounced differently according to whether the vowel is short or long. A vowel is short when it's followed by a consonant cluster, otherwise it's long. It’s a bit different from English, where the vowel a in the English word cat is short whereas the a in farmer is long.
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In the following example a short vowel will be listed like a and a long vowel like a_.
Let's check out this free lesson on German vowels!
How to pronounce German Vowels
| Vowel Sound | Approximate English Sound | German Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | cut | kalt (cold) |
| a_ | harm | sagen (to say) |
| e | belt | Geld (money) |
| e_ | need | Regen (rain) |
| i | hit | Insel (island) |
| i_ | meet | Igel (hedgehog) |
| o | got | offen (open) |
| o_ | note | Boot (boat) |
| u | foot | rund (round) |
| u_ | moon | rufen (to call) |
Like in English, German vowels are pronounced with a pure sound when they are stressed, but they tend to glide towards the "schwa" sound when they are not. Take Regen for example: the first -e- is stressed, so it's a pure sound, but the second -e- is pronounced with a "closer" sound.
German vowels A, O and U can also carry an umlaut, which is represented by two dots: Ä, Ö, Ü. The umlaut changes the way these vowels are pronounced.
Ä - eh
Ö - as the "i" in "girl"
Ü - as the "oo" in "moon"
Ä has the same sound of "e", so it should be easy to pronounce. Ö, however, does not exist in English and can only be approximated to the nearest sound, which can be found in words such as girl. Ü, finally, is like the French u: pronounce a long ee sound, as in meet, then round your lips. There you have the German Ü!
Now let's see a few example words.
- Spät - Late
- Österreich - Austria
- Zurück - Back
In German there are also two special vowels, y and j. J is pronounced like the English y, and the German y is pronounced like ü. Confusing? These examples will help.
- Die Jacke - The jacket
- Typisch - Typical
Diphthongs
Now let's see diphtongs. Diphthongs are two vowels together. Instead of pronouncing each one separately you blend them together.
| Diphthong | Approximate English Sound | German Example |
|---|---|---|
| au | noun | Haus (house) |
| äu | boy | Häuser (houses) |
| eu | boy | Teufel (devil) |
| ei | eye | Ei (egg) |
| ie | free | Liebe (love) |
Here are a few recommended German lessons to try next!
- Break the ice by talking about your hobbies in German.
- Talking about occupations in German is a great way to start a conversation.
- Wanting to exchange money at the local bank in German? You'll need this lesson.
Bis bald!
Paul Weber: Rocket German