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Pronunciation & False Friends
Tricky sounds, spelling rules and words that look like English but are not.
Key sounds
| Spelling | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ei | like English "eye" | nein, Zeit |
| ie | long "ee" | Liebe, Dienstag |
| eu / äu | like "oy" | neu, häufig |
| w | like English v | Wasser |
| v | usually f | Vater, viel |
| z | ts | Zeit, Zimmer |
| sch | sh | Schule |
| sp / st at word start | shp / sht | sprechen, Stein |
| ch | soft after i/e (ich), rough after a/o/u (Buch) | ich, Bach |
| ß | sharp s | Straße |
Umlauts: ä is like the e in "bed", ö like the vowel in "bird" (without r), ü is "ee" with rounded lips.
False friends
| German | Looks like | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| bekommen | become | to get / receive |
| Gift | gift | poison |
| Rock | rock | skirt |
| Chef | chef | boss |
| also | also | so / therefore |
| Handy | handy | mobile phone |
| Art | art | kind / type |
| sensibel | sensible | sensitive |
| aktuell | actual | current |
| eventuell | eventually | possibly |
Capitalisation
All nouns are capitalised in German: der Hund, die Freude, das Laufen.