Chapter 4: Vowel Sounds

The German 'A'

This vowel is ubiquitous, popping up in everyday exclamations from ach was! (no way!) to na klar! (of course!). Its pronunciation differs from English, but we can use familiar reference words to approximate the correct sounds.

Rule #20:

• Short German 'A' sounds like English Mother

• Long German 'A' sounds like English Father

Say the English word mother and notice how the vowel sound ends abruptly due to the following t. Now, compare this to the word father, where the vowel sound is more sustained. This contrast closely mirrors the distinction between the short and long German a.

To refine your pronunciation, of the short German a, open the mouth slightly wider when saying mother. This produces the correct sound. For the long German a, say father, but produce the sound slightly further forward in your mouth; ensure that it doesn’t glide into a diphthong. The audio recordings will help you acquire the right sound.

The German 'Ö'

You will encounter the German ö when enjoying a Kölsch (beer from Cologne) with Flönz (sausage type) at the carnival in Köln (Cologne). It’s one of the trickiest sounds to master, as there is no direct English equivalent. But there's a simple trick to produce it.

Rule #27:

• Short German 'Ö': Round lips and say  short German 'E'

• Long German 'Ö': Round lips and say  long German 'E'

For the short German ö, start with the short German e and gently (but not fully) round your lips. To practice differentiating short German ö from e, use the word pairs Hölle (hell) vs. hell (bright), können (can/may) vs. kennen (to know), and Stöcke (sticks) vs. stecken (to stick). These pairs prove that German won't let sloppy pronunciation slide – ever.

For the long German ö, begin with the long German e and fully round your lips into an o-shape. If you’re familiar with French, the word deux (two) can serve as a reference, though the German ö is slightly longer. Practice distinguishing long German ö from e with the word pairs lösen (to solve) vs. lesen (to read), Möhre (carrot) vs. Meere (seas), and Söhne (sons) vs. Sehne (tendon).

Next, preview Chapter 5: Consonant Sounds