German pronunciation can, at times, seem daunting when you’re learning the language, but once you get the hang of some of the most common sounds and letter combinations, you’ll be speaking more confidently in no time.
The Coffee Break German Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky German language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Olivera discuss and practise the most challenging German sounds to pronounce, including the sounds created by the letter combinations sch, ei and ie, as well as others.
We will tackle these letter combinations one by one, so continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast episode as you go?
How to pronounce ‘sch’
This sound is similar to “sh” in English. You can join in with Olivera and Mark in the podcast episode to practise pronouncing this sound and the others. Let’s see the combination sch in some examples. We’ve also taken the opportunity to practise some festive vocabulary, since this episode was first released during the holiday season, but the words and sounds are useful to practise all year round!
Try reading each word or phrase aloud:
der Schnee
snow
die Schokolade
chocolate
das Schlittenfahren
sledging
schon
already
schön*
beautiful
es schneit
it’s snowing
schenken
to give a present
das Geschenk
present
*Note the difference the umlaut makes in the pronunciation of schon and schön, and how they have completely different meanings.
How to pronounce ‘ei’
This is a common vowel sound in German words. The combination “ei” in English can be pronounced in different ways, such as in “height” or “eight”. However, in German ei always has the same sound, which is like “I” or “eye” in English.
Here are some examples of this letter combination. Remember to read each aloud and watch the video or listen to the podcast episode to hear Olivera and Mark pronounce them:
das Eis
ice cream
eins / zwei / drei
one / two / three
mein / dein
my / your
schreiben
to write
This word is also good practice of the sch sound.
der Wein / Glühwein
wine / mulled wine
How to pronounce ‘ie’
This vowel sound is pronounced like “ee” in English. Again, in English “ie” can be pronounced in different ways (for example in “field” and “fried”), but in German it’s always pronounced as “ee”. Let’s see ie in some example words in German:
vier
four
sieben
seven
das Lied
song
riechen
to smell
Die Plätzchen riechen gut.
The biscuits smell good.
wieder
again
Siehst du? (from sehen)
Do you see?
der Spiegel*
mirror
*Note the pronunciation of Spiegel. It begins with a sound similar to sch, but this is caused by an s at the beginning of the word, followed by the letter p. It is because it is followed by a p that it does not require sch at the start.
For a more challenging pronunciation practice, we can combine the ei and ie sounds:
mein Lied
my song
Ich rieche den Wein.
I smell the wine.
How to pronounce ‘au’
This vowel sound is like the “ou” sound in “about” in English. Examples of the au sound in German include:
der Baum
tree
das Auto
car
auf
on
das Haus
house
Ich klettere auf das Haus.
I am climbing onto the house.
der Brauch
tradition
How to pronounce ‘eu’
This vowel sound combination is pronounced “oi” or “oy”, as in “oyster” or “boy” in English. Let’s see this sound in some examples:
heute
today
die Leute
people
euch
all of you
ich freue mich auf (from sich freuen auf)
I am looking forward to
das Neujahr
the New Year
How to pronounce ‘ch’
The ch sound can have different pronunciations in different words. It is a little like the “ch” in the Scottish pronunciation of the word “loch”, as Mark demonstrates in the episode.
Let’s compare some examples of how it features in different German words. After a, o, u there is a hard h sound. For example, in:
machen
to make, to do
hoch
high
suchen
to search for
Weihnachten
Christmas
This word is also good practice of the ei sound and features the word die Nacht, meaning “night”.
After all other vowels and consonants, not listed in the examples above, the ch sound is pronounced differently, as we see in the examples below. In the episode, Mark gives some tips for pronouncing this sound. He goes to make a c sound, then brings his tongue to the top of his mouth, but then down a little before it reaches the top of his mouth, and then breathes through that. After that, he adds the y sound. Olivera suggests breathing through a very wide grin to get the ch sound correct. Remember to listen to the episode to hear Mark and Olivera discuss how to pronounce this sound, as it is difficult to describe in words.
Here are some examples of words that contain this ch sound:
lächeln
to smile
das Mädchen
girl
die Kirche
church
There are some exceptions, where the ch is pronounced like a k. Here are some examples:
der Chor
choir
die Chemie
chemistry
This can also have some regional differences in pronunciation.
der Chiemsee
the name of a Bavarian lake, sometimes known as the “Bavarian sea”
Sounding great in German!
Remember that it’s normal for language learners to have difficulties with pronunciation – the important thing, at first, is that you can be understood. However, keep practising these sounds and use them in conversations, and over time you will sound more like a native speaker.
If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Olivera on The Coffee Break German Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for German learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.
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Happy Coffee Breaking!
