Lesson of Doom
Here I am again bringing more language-y goodness.
In German, certain combinations of vowels and consonants make different sounds. It isn't always like it is in English where you sound off both letters (for vowels).
Consonant Combos:
Ch sounds like it does at the end of loch. The best way I can describe it is a light phlegm-y sound at the back of your throat.
Chs sounds like an x in english when it appears in the middle of words.
Ck sounds the same as in english
g at the end of a word makes a k sound.
H that is after a vowel and at the end of a syllable is not pronounced. (it just looks pretty :) )
pf both the p and the f are sounded in this combination.
Sch is pronounced like sh.
sp and st add an h sound in there. So they end up sounding like shp and sht.
Th is pronounced like t.
Tsch sounds like an english ch. (think cheh)
Tz is pronounced like in english.
Vowel Combos:
Aa is pronounced like a long ah
Au is pronounced like ow
Äu is pronounced like oi
Ee is pronounced like a long ay
Ei is pronounced like eye
Eu is pronounced like oi
Ie is pronounced like ee
Oo is pronounced as a long oh sound
Note: an e on the end of a word is pronounced like a soft "eh" sound. Please don't make it into an "uh" or and "ah" sound.
-er at the end of a word however does sound like "uh".
when b is at the end of a prefix word it sounds like a p.
when d is at the end of a prefix word it sounds like a t.
Here are some words to practice to get the hang of things so far (the order goes german word, pronounciation, and english meaning):
faul (fowl) lazy
Sau (zow) sow
Maur (mow-uh) wall
Spiel (shpeel) game
sitzen (zit-sen) to sit
Wagen (vah-gen) car
sterben (shtair-ben) to die
Zimmer (tsim-muh) room
Donner (dawn-uh) thunder
Tanne (tuh-neh) fir tree
spät (shpayt) late
schön (shern) nice, pretty
über (ue-buh) over
weiß (vice) white
Stadt (shtaht) city
setzen (zet-zen) to set
Thema (tay-mah) topic
sechs (zex) six
I think this will be a weekly posting dealy. I can't decide though. If anyone wants me to post maybe once every few days just let me know.
In German, certain combinations of vowels and consonants make different sounds. It isn't always like it is in English where you sound off both letters (for vowels).
Consonant Combos:
Ch sounds like it does at the end of loch. The best way I can describe it is a light phlegm-y sound at the back of your throat.
Chs sounds like an x in english when it appears in the middle of words.
Ck sounds the same as in english
g at the end of a word makes a k sound.
H that is after a vowel and at the end of a syllable is not pronounced. (it just looks pretty :) )
pf both the p and the f are sounded in this combination.
Sch is pronounced like sh.
sp and st add an h sound in there. So they end up sounding like shp and sht.
Th is pronounced like t.
Tsch sounds like an english ch. (think cheh)
Tz is pronounced like in english.
Vowel Combos:
Aa is pronounced like a long ah
Au is pronounced like ow
Äu is pronounced like oi
Ee is pronounced like a long ay
Ei is pronounced like eye
Eu is pronounced like oi
Ie is pronounced like ee
Oo is pronounced as a long oh sound
Note: an e on the end of a word is pronounced like a soft "eh" sound. Please don't make it into an "uh" or and "ah" sound.
-er at the end of a word however does sound like "uh".
when b is at the end of a prefix word it sounds like a p.
when d is at the end of a prefix word it sounds like a t.
Here are some words to practice to get the hang of things so far (the order goes german word, pronounciation, and english meaning):
faul (fowl) lazy
Sau (zow) sow
Maur (mow-uh) wall
Spiel (shpeel) game
sitzen (zit-sen) to sit
Wagen (vah-gen) car
sterben (shtair-ben) to die
Zimmer (tsim-muh) room
Donner (dawn-uh) thunder
Tanne (tuh-neh) fir tree
spät (shpayt) late
schön (shern) nice, pretty
über (ue-buh) over
weiß (vice) white
Stadt (shtaht) city
setzen (zet-zen) to set
Thema (tay-mah) topic
sechs (zex) six
I think this will be a weekly posting dealy. I can't decide though. If anyone wants me to post maybe once every few days just let me know.