The German alphabet is composed of the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, even though the pronunciation of several letters is quite diverse. In this 2nd component of our German pronunciation manual, we consider a appear at German vowels.

The five German vowels (a, e, i, o and u) are similar to English in that they can be pronounced limited or long. In addition, a few of these (a, o and u) have a special variation. In this variation they are prepared with two tiny dots (known as ‘umlauts’) over the top. (Be aware that some browsers have issues studying these letters, so we are not able to include them here in this post. These versions shall be referred to below as ‘a umlaut’, ‘o umlaut’ and ‘u umlaut’.)

Normal Vowels

Let us get a seem at the pronunciation of each of the 5 vowels:

A

When the letter ‘a’ is pronounced brief, it sounds like the ‘a’ seem in the English phrase ‘hat’. When pronounced long, it appears like the ‘ah’ seem in the English word ‘father’.

E

When the letter ‘e’ is pronounced limited, it seems like the ‘e’ sound in the English word ‘get’. When pronounced long, it sounds like the ‘ay’ seem that the English letter ‘a’ makes in the term ‘grape’.

I

When the letter ‘i’ is pronounced brief, it seems like the ‘i’ sound in the English phrase ‘hit’. When pronounced prolonged, https://tikibu.net/ seems like the ‘ee’ seem in the English word ‘steel’.

O

When the letter ‘o’ is pronounced quick, it appears like the ‘o’ audio in the English phrase ‘hot’. When pronounced lengthy, it seems like the ‘oh’ audio in the English term ‘home’.

U

When the letter ‘u’ is pronounced short, it seems like the ‘u’ audio in the English term ‘put’. When pronounced prolonged, it appears like the ‘oo’ sound in the English term ‘broom’.

Umlauts

A umlaut

When ‘a umlaut’ is pronounced brief, it is comparable to a short German ‘e’. When pronounced extended, it sounds like a combination of ‘ae’. Phrase guides frequently create the English pronunciation of the ‘a umlaut’ sound as anything like ‘ay’.

O umlaut

To pronounce a limited ‘o umlaut’ seem, consider declaring a brief German ‘e’ while rounding and protruding your lips. To pronounce a lengthy ‘o umlaut’ sound, try declaring a long German ‘e’ while rounding and protruding your lips. Phrase guides typically publish the English pronunciation of the ‘o umlaut’ sound as one thing like ‘ur’.

U umlaut

To pronounce a quick ‘u umlaut’ sound, try out stating a brief German ‘i’ even though rounding and protruding your lips. To pronounce a extended ‘u umlaut’ sound, try out saying a prolonged German ‘i’ even though rounding and protruding your lips. Phrase guides frequently publish the English pronunciation of the ‘o umlaut’ seem as something like ‘oo’.

When to Pronounce Vowels Brief or Prolonged

A vowel is pronounced limited when:

the vowel is followed by a double consonant
the vowel is followed by ‘ck’ or ‘ng’
the vowel is followed by ‘ss’

A vowel is pronounced long when:

there is a double vowel
the vowel is followed by ‘h’
the vowel is followed by the distinctive German double s (eszett)*

* Some versions take place with vowel sounds and eszett owing to the German spelling reforms of 1996.