German umlauts: practise Ă€, ö and ĂŒ in useful words
Notice German Ă€, ö and ĂŒ in word pairs and noun plurals. Compare schon and schön, practise useful spellings and use the optional device-voice examples.
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German pronunciation
Notice useful sound contrasts and practise words in context. Optional device voices support listening without scoring your speech.
Adventure journal
Pronunciation
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German alphabet: spelling names
Distinguish a letter's name from its sound inside a word. Spell in short groups, then ask the listener to repeat the complete name; B and P need especially careful confirmation.
Read and practiseThe German ich and ach sounds
For [ç], raise the front of the tongue body near the hard palate and let air pass without a complete closure. For [x], move the constriction farther back.
Read and practiseLong and short German vowels
Compare vowel duration and vowel quality, not duration alone. Compare the examples and check the explained answers.
Read and practiseGerman ei and ie
In these common words, ei represents the diphthong [aÉȘÌŻ], while ie usually represents long [iË].
Read and practiseGerman eu and Àu
Both eu and Ă€u represent [ÉÊÌŻ] in the examples. Hearing alone does not determine the spelling: a related word with au often explains Ă€u, as in Haus and HĂ€user.
Read and practiseGerman z, s, ss and Ă
German z commonly represents [ts]. Initial s before a vowel is often [z] in the target pronunciation; ss and Ă represent [s].
Read and practiseGerman final devoicing
In the usual German standard pronunciation taught here, final b, d and g are pronounced like [p], [t] and [k].
Read and practiseGerman word stress
Learn a word's stressed syllable together with the word. Separable prefixes are often stressed; be- and ver- are unstressed in the examples.
Read and practiseGerman sentence stress
Highlight the word carrying new or corrected information. The same sentence can answer who, when or what depending on focus; stronger stress is supported by pitch and duration, not shouting.
Read and practiseThe German r
German allows several r realizations, including tongue-tip and back-of-mouth variants. After vowels and in unstressed -er, r is often vocalic.
Read and practiseGerman ch and sch
Contrast [ç] in ich with [Ê] in Fisch. The Ich sound uses the tongue body near the hard palate; [Ê] has a more forward constriction and often rounded lips.
Read and practiseGerman sp and st
At the beginning of a native word or stem, sp and st are commonly [Êp] and [Êt], including verstehen after its prefix.
Read and practiseGerman consonant clusters
Build a difficult consonant ending from a shorter familiar word, keeping the same syllable count. Slow down without inserting a new vowel; kauf plus st remains one syllable.
Read and practiseGerman shadowing practice
First understand a short phrase, then repeat after a pause and finally speak nearly alongside a model. Copy meaningful stress groups, then change one detail to test independent speaking.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: bieten and bitten
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in bieten and bitten, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Staat and Stadt
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Staat and Stadt, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Ofen and offen
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Ofen and offen, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: HĂŒte and HĂŒtte
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in HĂŒte and HĂŒtte, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: fĂŒhlen and fĂŒllen
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in fĂŒhlen and fĂŒllen, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: schon and schön
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in schon and schön, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Bruder and BrĂŒder
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Bruder and BrĂŒder, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: konnte and könnte
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in konnte and könnte, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: fordern and fördern
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in fordern and fördern, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: wurde and wĂŒrde
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in wurde and wĂŒrde, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Miete and Mitte
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Miete and Mitte, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Ruhm and Rum
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Ruhm and Rum, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Beet and Bett
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Beet and Bett, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Weg and weg
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Weg and weg, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Schiff and schief
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Schiff and schief, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Kahn and kann
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Kahn and kann, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: spuken and spucken
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in spuken and spucken, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Stiel and still
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Stiel and still, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Höhle and Hölle
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Höhle and Hölle, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation: Saat and satt
Hear and practise the vowel contrast in Saat and satt, with six original translated sentences and a meaning-based speaking check.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the final ng in ring and zeitung
Practise the final ng in ring and zeitung through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: regional pronunciations of final ig
Practise regional pronunciations of final ig through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the ch sound in diminutives
Practise the ch sound in diminutives through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: pronouncing tion in common nouns
Practise pronouncing tion in common nouns through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: stress in verbs ending in ieren
Practise stress in verbs ending in ieren through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: words where v sounds like f
Practise words where v sounds like f through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: words where v is voiced
Practise words where v is voiced through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the ks sound in fuchs and wachsen
Practise the ks sound in fuchs and wachsen through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the kv sequence in qu words
Practise the kv sequence in qu words through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: keeping both sounds in initial pf
Practise keeping both sounds in initial pf through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the ts sound in german z
Practise the ts sound in german z through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: a written h that is not a separate sound
Practise a written h that is not a separate sound through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the consonant j in german words
Practise the consonant j in german words through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: the voiced friction sound of german w
Practise the voiced friction sound of german w through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: hearing final d through related forms
Practise hearing final d through related forms through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting who does the action
Practise correcting who does the action through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting the object of an action
Practise correcting the object of an action through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting who receives something
Practise correcting who receives something through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting when something happens
Practise correcting when something happens through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting a place in spoken directions
Practise correcting a place in spoken directions through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: correcting a spoken quantity
Practise correcting a spoken quantity through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: making the corrected negative clear
Practise making the corrected negative clear through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: placing spoken focus on the new answer
Practise placing spoken focus on the new answer through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: keeping a separated verb prefix audible
Practise keeping a separated verb prefix audible through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: speaking an inserted comment clearly
Practise speaking an inserted comment clearly through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: keeping a spoken reason clause together
Practise keeping a spoken reason clause together through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: making a spoken condition recognizable
Practise making a spoken condition recognizable through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: showing when a spoken list is finished
Practise showing when a spoken list is finished through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: giving telephone details in manageable chunks
Practise giving telephone details in manageable chunks through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: speaking a request without rushing its purpose
Practise speaking a request without rushing its purpose through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: trying two natural yes-no question contours
Practise trying two natural yes-no question contours through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: a calm information question
Practise a calm information question through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: repeating a detail to check understanding
Practise repeating a detail to check understanding through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: keeping two dialogue turns distinct
Practise keeping two dialogue turns distinct through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: stress in useful multi-part compounds
Practise stress in useful multi-part compounds through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: spelling a name with an umlaut
Practise spelling a name with an umlaut through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: saying and spelling a hyphenated surname
Practise saying and spelling a hyphenated surname through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: distinguishing initials from a full name
Practise distinguishing initials from a full name through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: saying an email address clearly
Practise saying an email address clearly through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: keeping the leading zero in a postcode
Practise keeping the leading zero in a postcode through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: saying a house number with a letter
Practise saying a house number with a letter through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: reading a telephone number in stable groups
Practise reading a telephone number in stable groups through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: repairing a teen-versus-tens misunderstanding
Practise repairing a teen-versus-tens misunderstanding through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: saying euros and cents separately
Practise saying euros and cents separately through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: reading a calendar date aloud
Practise reading a calendar date aloud through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: asking for one missing spoken detail
Practise asking for one missing spoken detail through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: comparing one feature in a self-recording
Practise comparing one feature in a self-recording through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: moving from slow speech to a clear normal pace
Practise moving from slow speech to a clear normal pace through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: choosing pauses that preserve meaning
Practise choosing pauses that preserve meaning through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
Read and practiseGerman pronunciation practice: requesting specific pronunciation feedback
Practise requesting specific pronunciation feedback through six original German sentences with English meanings, a focused explanation and three speaking checks.
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