How to pronounce German letters correctly. German letters

German letters and their names

In German-Russian dictionaries, as well as in German language textbooks, you can find an alphabet where the names of German letters are written in Russian: A - A, B- bae,C- tse, D- de etc. Let’s say right away that this is some kind of convention in order to at least somehow, approximately, convey the names of the letters. You and I will learn the German letters in the alphabet correctly from the very beginning, listening and repeating after native speakers and watching their articulation on video.

The modern German alphabet consists of 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, the names of which, as in other languages, differ from purely Latin ones. Watch the following video (you can do it once, for reference, we will come back to it later):

As you may have noticed, in addition to the alphabet there are three more letters with two dots above them - umlauts(or umlauts) Ä, ä; Ö, ö; Ü, ü, as well as the symbol ß, called in Russian ligature esset: combining s (es) and z (ts) into one. In theory, similar to our letter ё, these additional characters should be included in the alphabet, since each of them either represents a separate sound or affects the sound of letters next to it. However, in most cases they are not considered part of the alphabet, and almost every German speaker will name only 26 letters when asked to tell the alphabet.

That is, formally these three umlauts and eszet are not included in the German alphabet, but two dots above the letters are diacritic, indicating that the letter should be read differently. Accent is another example of a diacritic. For example, in German texts you can find the following spelling of the word “cafe”, borrowed from French - Cafe.

When learning the German alphabet, four additional letters are still named, added to the alphabet at the very end, or even included in it (Ä - after A, Ö - after O, Ü - after U and ß - after S). And when listing umlaut letters within the alphabet, many say not the actual names of these letters, but the sounds they make, for example, instead of “a-umlaut” for ä they will say “e”. Don't let any of this surprise you.

For study purposes, we will put 4 additional letters (Ää, Öö, Üü and ß) after the main alphabet and will pronounce their names, that is, we will do everything according to the same rules as for the main 26 letters of the alphabet.

German alphabet with transcription

Ideally, to correctly read words on any foreign language, need to know phonetic transcription. In general, this is a separate big topic, and on initial stage language learning it can be difficult to understand - too much new information. If you have already studied other languages ​​and are familiar with transcription symbols, this section will not be difficult for you; if not, you can read it at once and try to pronounce the sounds as written, but you do not need to memorize all this. This information in one form or another will be found constantly in dictionaries and educational materials, gradually you will master transcription without much effort. At the initial stage, you don’t need to focus too much on this.

In the table below, using transcription signs (in square brackets), we write down how the names of the letters of the alphabet sound in German. Let's note some of the most general points:

• The colon [:] after a vowel means that it is long and is pronounced noticeably longer than a Russian vowel. If there is no colon after the vowel, then the sound is short and pronounced shorter than Russian.
• pronounced closed, similar to “e” and “e” in the words “these”, “shadows”
• Consonant sounds [d], [t], [l], [n] alveolar, they are pronounced differently than in Russian - the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli (convex tubercles behind the upper teeth), and not against the teeth as in Russian.
• German sounds [b], [d], [g] are a little quieter than their Russian counterparts:
  [d] - something between Russian [d] and [t],
  [b] - as the average between Russian [b] and [p],
  [g] - as the average between [g] and [k].
• The sign before vowels [’] in this case is not an accent, but a designation of that feature of German pronunciation, which is called hard attack. Try to pronounce with effort and annoyance Russian word"Oh!" and you will understand the essence - we prepare the air for intense exhalation, but hold it in the larynx just before pronouncing the sound. Like a slight cough. Please note that all German vowels at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable are pronounced this way.

Let's move on to the practical development of the alphabet. First, sequentially, line by line, study the following table.

Letter		Letter name	Features of pronouncing the sounds of letter names
A	a	['a:]	a: pronounced like the Russian “a”, but drawn out. Remember about [’] here and below
B	b		b sounds like the middle between Russian "b" and "p"
C	c
D	d		d - the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli, and not against the teeth; the sound is average between Russian "d" and "t"
E	e	['e:]	e: pronounced closed, similar to "e" and "e" in the words "these", "networks"
F	f	['ɛf]	ɛ is similar to the "e" in the word "this"; for f the muscles are tighter than for "f"
G	g		g - does not sound as loud as Russian, like the average between Russian “g” and “k”. Please note that the name of the letter sounds neither like the Russian “ge”, but also not like “ge” - German g, unlike Russian, is not softened
H	h		h - like the sound of exhalation without noise, or like when we breathe on glass
I	i	['i:]	i: pronounced like the Russian “i”, but drawn out
J	j		j - approximately like "th"; ɔ - short, clearer than the Russian “o”; t - alveolar and aspirated
K	k		k - tense, aspirated
L	l	['ɛl]	l - average between Russian “l” and “l”, the tip of the tongue is pressed to the alveoli
M	m	['ɛm]	m - more intense than the Russian sound "m"
N	n	['ɛn]	n - the tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveoli, and not against the teeth
O	o	['o:]	o: pronounced drawlingly with strongly protruded, tense lips
P	p		p - tense, aspirated
Q	q		u: - like the Russian “u”, but drawn out; the letter sounds like "ku-u", but not "qu"
R	r	['ɛr]	r - see footnote*
S	s	['ɛs]	s - muscles are tenser than for the Russian "s"
T	t		t - tense, aspirated, the tip of the tongue is pressed to the alveoli
U	u	['u:]	u: pronounced like the Russian "u", but drawn out
V	v		aʊ̯ - resembles the “ay” in the word “pause”
W	w		v - like Russian "v", not to be confused with English sound[w], who studied
X	x	['ɪks]	ɪ somewhat similar to the average between Russian short "e" and "s"
Y	y	['ʏpsɪlɔn]	ʏ - pronounce it like [ɪ], but slightly round the lips; stressed syllable first
Z	z		ts - like “ts”, but with aspiration and greater muscle tension
Ä	ä	[’a:’ʊmlaʊ̯ t], [ɛ:]	ʊ like the “u” in the word “joke”; ɛ: - like the “e” in the word “this”, but drawn out**
Ö	ö	[’o:’ʊmlaʊ̯ t], [ø:]	ø: pronounced like , but the lips protrude strongly, as in
Ü	ü	['u:'ʊmlaʊ̯ t],	y: pronounced like , but lip position like German
	ß	['ɛstsɛt]	the name is made up of the names of the letters s and z; second syllable stressed

* There are three ways to pronounce the German consonant [r]. One of them resembles the Russian “r”, however, it is the least common and it is better to forget about it right away. The other two are “burry”, they are recommended to learn and practice the skill. One option reed, denoted by [ʀ] is similar to the sound of gargling, another, posterior lingual fricative, denoted [ʁ], is played through the gap between the back of the tongue and the palate, with the participation of the voice. Often students first master this particular [ʁ], and then practice the more “purer” [ʀ]. In addition, there is also a vocalized R, more similar to the sound [a], but still it is R. It is designated [ɐ].

** For umlauts, the table shows two alternative options for “letter names” (separated by commas). Learn the first (i.e. "a-umlaut", "o-umlaut", "u-umlaut"), and keep the second in mind.

Now, armed with the theory, it’s time to practice pronouncing the names of letters after native speakers. In the next video you can not only listen German names letters, but also observe the speaker’s articulation. This will help you pronounce sounds correctly.

Repeat each letter as many times as necessary to pronounce it as closely as possible. First we work on the quality of pronunciation of letter names. Check the table. By the way, in this example R sounds more vocalized - like a vowel similar to [a].

Test yourself by watching another version of reading the German alphabet, with slight differences in pronunciation. Pay special attention to the letters R and Y, try to learn how to reproduce this particular version of their names later. Here [ʀ] is reed-like, and [ʏ] is more pronounced.

In the next step, try to memorize the entire alphabet and retell it without mistakes. A little tip: when pronouncing the letters of the alphabet, call them in groups, it will be easier to remember, for example, like this: ABCD EFGH IJKL MNOP QRST UVW XYZ ÄÖÜ ß.

Another way to group the letters of the alphabet is shown in the video at the very beginning of the lesson. Perhaps that option is more suitable for you, try it. One way or another, watch that video at least one more time, listening carefully to the pronunciation of the letter names.

So, what should you strive for in this lesson and what results should you achieve:

1. Be able to correctly name individual letters of the German alphabet in any order. To make sure of this, you can make 30 paper cards (one for each letter of the alphabet, including additional ones), mix them and, pulling them out in random order, name the letter, referring to the table and video. If there are no errors with any letters, this goal has been achieved.
2. Be able to tell the German alphabet in any of two directions: name all the letters in order, both from beginning to end, and in reverse side- from end to beginning, correctly and without hitches.

Any language begins with an alphabet, and German is no exception! To learn to read German correctly, you must first become familiar with all German letters and sounds.
The German alphabet is an alphabet based on Latin, it consists of 26 letters:

A a[A], B b[be], C c[tse], D d[de], E e[uh], F f[ef], G g[ge], H h[Ha], I i[And], Jj[yot], K k[ka], Ll[el], Mm[Em], Nn[en], O o[O], P p[pe], Q q[ku], R r[er], Ss[es], T t[te], U u[y], V v[fau], W w[ve], X x[X], Y y[upsilon], Z z[tset].

German alphabet (listen)

Listen to the alphabet:

There are also three umlauts in the German alphabet (Ä, Ö, Ü).
Listen to the umlauts:

Umlauts (two dots above vowels) indicate a qualitative change in the sounds u, o, a.

The correct pronunciation of sounds in words with and without umlauts is very important, since the meaning of the word depends on it. For example, the word "schon" is pronounced firmly, with an "o" sound and means "already", while the word "schön" has more soft sound, close to the Russian “yo”, and means “pleasant, dear.” Be careful about the icons above the vowels to avoid misunderstandings!

To speak German correctly, pay attention to the pronunciation features of the German umlauts:
At the beginning of a word and after vowels, the umlaut “ä” is read as the sound “e”, after consonants: as “e”. To correctly pronounce the umlaut “ö”, the position of the tongue should be as for “e”, and the lips as for “o”. Thus, a sound will be produced that is vaguely similar to the Russian “ё”. By the way, “е” can also be called an umlaut, because it is a qualitative change in the sound “e” in the Russian language. So, to pronounce umlaut ü, the position of the tongue should be as with “i”, and the lips as with y. You will get a sound somewhat similar to the Russian “yu”.
Umlauts are not only not so easy to pronounce, but also to type. If you don't have a German layout, you can use the generally accepted character substitution:
ä – ae
ö–oe
ü – ue

Another unusual sign of the German language is the ligature (i.e., connection of letters) “eszet” (ß).

Most often, “esset” is equated to the letters “ss”, however, in addition to the sound, [s] indicates the length of the previous sound, so replacing “ß” with “s” is not worth it - “ss” signals the brevity of the previous sound, which is important to remember when learning the rules reading.
Like umlauts, “eszet” is not part of the alphabet and is taken outside of it. However, in dictionaries these letters are in alphabetical order: Ää follows Aa, Öö follows Oo, Üü follows Uu, ß follows “ss”.

The rules for reading German words are quite simple and follow simple rules, and therefore transcriptions in German no - it appears only in some complex words, most often coming to German from other languages.
The stress is placed before the stressed syllable, and the long sound is indicated by a colon.

From sound to letter. Learning to read in German

In German, the same sound can be given different letters. The table below will help you figure out which letters and letter combinations are read the same in German.

Remember! An open syllable is considered to be one that ends with a vowel: da. A closed syllable ends with a consonant: das.

Sound	Pronunciation	Letter	Position in a word	Examples
[A]	[A]	A	in a closed syllable	das
		ah	in an open syllable
[s]	[With]	s	at the end of words and after long vowels	das, Naß
[z]	[h]	s	before and between vowels	Saat
		f		Faß
		ff	in the middle and end of a word	paff
		v	at the beginning and middle of a word	Vater
[v]	[V]	w	at the beginning and middle of a word	was
[n]	[n]	n	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	nah, an
		nn		wann
[d]	[d]	d	at the beginning and middle of a word	das
		t	At the beginning, middle and end of a word	Tat
		tt	In the middle and end of a word	Satt
		d	at the end of a word	Sand
	[ts]	z	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	Zahn
		tz	in the middle and end of a word after short sounds	Satz
[b]	[b]	b	at the beginning and middle of a word between vowels	Bahn
		p	at the beginning and middle of a word	paß
		pp	in the middle and end of a word after short sounds	knapp
		b	at the end of a word and before a consonant	ab
[m]	[m]	m	at the beginning and middle of a word	Mann
		mm		Damm
[g]	[G]	g	at the beginning and middle of a word	Gast
[ŋ]	[n]	ng	in the middle and end of a word after a short sound	Sang
[ŋk]	[nc]	nk	in the middle and end of a word after a short sound	Bank
		k	at the beginning and middle of a word	kann
		ck	in the middle and end of a word after a short sound	Sack
		g	at the end of a word	Tag
	[kv]	qu		Quant
	[ks]	x		Axt
[i]	[And]	i	in a closed syllable	Ist
		i	in an open syllable
		ie
		ieh
		ih
[u]	[y]	u	in a closed syllable	und
	[y:]	u	in an open syllable	rufen
		uh		Uhr
[ə]	[e]	e	in the final syllable	Tasse
	[r]	r	at the beginning of a word or syllable	Rat
		rr	after a consonant, short vowels and long	Paar, Brust
[r]	[A]	r	at the end of a word	Vater, wir
[ɜ]	[e]	e	in a closed syllable	Bett
[ɜː]	[e:]	ä	in an open syllable	Käse, Bar,
	[e:]	e	in an open syllable	Rede, Weg, Tee, sehen
[ʃ]	[w]	sch	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	Schuh
[ʃt]	[pcs]	st	at the beginning of a word	Strasse
[ʃp]	[shp]	sp	at the beginning of a word	spat
	[ouch]	ei	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	ein, mein,
	[O:]	o, oo	in an open syllable	Brot, Boot,
[o]	[O]	o	in a closed syllable	oft
[x]	[X]	ch	after short sounds a, o, u	Fach, doch, Buch
[ç]	[xx]	ch	after short sounds	ich, recht, weich
		g	in the suffix -ig	ruhig
[j]	[th]	j	at the beginning of a word before vowels	ja
	[ay]	j	before the vowels a, o, u in French. borrowings	Journal, Jargon
g	before the vowels e, i in French. borrowings	Ingenieur
	[pf]	pf	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	Pfad, Apfel, Kampf
	[Ouch]	eu	at the beginning, middle and end of a word	Euch, neun, neu, Räume

Lesson assignments

Try to put your knowledge into practice by doing the following exercises. Don’t be afraid to look at the table; over time, all the sounds will be remembered, and the need for hints will disappear by itself!

Exercise 1. Read the following words:

Mein, liegen, Freunde, Tasche, Tag, jetzt, Jacke, spielen, stehen, wachsen, zusammen, Stunde, Träume, täglich, ruhig, schon, Bitte, Spaß, selten, ziemlich, oft, neun, Brot, die, Baum, Naß.
Listen:

Answers to Exercise 1.
Mein [mine], liegen ['li: gen], Freunde [;freunde], Tasche ['tashe], Tag [so], jetzt [ezt], Jacke ['yake], spielen ['spy: flax], stehen ['shte:en], wachsen ['waxen], zusammen [tsu'zamen], Stunde ['shtunde], Träume ['troime], täglich ['taglikh], ruhig ['ru: ikh], schon [sho: n], Bitte ['bite], Spaß [shpa: s], selten ['zelten], ziemlich ['tsimlich], oft [oft], neun [noyn], Brot [brot], die [di:], Baum [baum], Naß [on: s].

Alphabet in German: interesting facts and the pronunciation features of each sound! A little history and handy memories! And also about the role of umlauts and eszet! Read about all this in our material

The German alphabet is an alphabet based on Latin. It consists of 26 basic letters, 3 umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and the esset ligature (ß). We have collected material that will be of interest to both complete beginners and those already improving!

In the beginning there were... runes

The first texts were created by German tribes on the basis of runic writing, for which there was its own alphabet " Futhorc" However, already in the era of feudalism, heterogeneous writing lost all meaning, because it was impossible to communicate in a language built on different alphabets. In the middle of the 8th century, the German alphabet began to acquire familiar Latin forms.

The formation of the alphabet and its specific components

The Latin alphabet, on which German is based, originally consisted of 21 letters.
In the first version, G, J, U, Y, W were missing. Their role was delegated to other letters, for example, “C” was used to indicate the sounds [k] and [g], and “I” included itself as the sound [i], so and [j].

FACT: With the development of languages ​​and alphabet, it became clear that the confusion among the peoples who borrowed Latin was due to the lack of certain sounds. Therefore, the number of letters gradually increased.

In addition, the Latin alphabet included the Greek letters “Z” and “Y” in order to freely write borrowed words.

A separate achievement of the group of Germanic languages ​​was the letter “W”, included in the alphabet in the 16th century. For a long time, people had to use a combination of two “V” (digraph) in order to more accurately convey the desired sound.

Despite all the adjustments that occurred in the Latin alphabet, the Germanic, Romance, Slavic and Finno-Ugric languages, which adopted Latin for their writing, were still forced to make additional changes to it.

Such as:
digraphs or letter combinations to indicate specific sounds
"th" - in English,
"sch" - in German or
"cz" - in Polish, or for example,
diacritics, which are very common in French(é, è, ê, î, û, ë, ç), they regulate the pronunciation of sounds depending on the sign written along with the letter
umlauts and ligatures (ß)

Let's look at all the letters of the German alphabet and pronunciation options!

Red Vowels are highlighted in color, black- consonants.

There are 26 letters in the German alphabet + 3 umlauts and one ligature (Eszet)

A a [a] / a—der A dler (eagle).
In most cases, “A” is pronounced as a short open sound [a], but in some diphthongs it is pronounced differently. For example, in pairs « ah", "aa" the sound will be longer
—derW ah l (choice), die S ah ne (cream) / der S aa l (hall), das H aa r (hair).
In diphthong "ai" the letter "A" is included in the sound
[ai] as in der M ai(May).
In letter combination « au" the letter "A" makes a sound with "U"
[ау] : die M au s (mouse).

B b / b—das B utter b rot (bread and butter).
At the end of the word it loses its sonority and turns into the sound [p]: gro b(rude).

C c/tse- die C reme [k] (cream). Pronounced like Russian K.
This letter is more often used in borrowed words. In most cases, at the beginning of a word it conveys the sound
[k]: der C lown (clown), the same sound appears next to “k”: der Bli ck(sight).
In letter combination « ch" sound is produced
[h], which is pronounced a little softer than the Russian letter “X”: der Ch inese (Chinese), das Bu ch(book).
Sometimes in foreign words « ch" can be read as
[h] or [w]: der Ch ilene (Chilean), die Ch iffre (cipher).
Letter combination « chs" pronounced like
[ks]: der Fu chs(fox).

D d/de—der D elphin (dolphin).
At the end of the word it loses its sonority and turns into the sound [t]: das Lan d(country, land).

E e / e- die E rdb ee r e(strawberries).
Can form a long sound in letter combinations "ee", "eh": die B ee re (berry) / das R eh(roe).
In diphthong « ei" reads like
[ai] : die Arb ei t (work), die Poliz ei(police), die Z ei t (time).
In diphthong « eu" pronounced like
[ouch] :d eu tsch (German).

F f [ɛf] / ef- die F ahne (flag).

G g / ge—das G eschenk (gift).
At the beginning of the word it is pronounced as voiced
[g]: die G urke (cucumber), die G itarre (guitar), and at the end of the word it loses its sonority and is read either as
[k]die Sammlun g(collection, collection), or as
[h] if it comes after the letter “i”: schmutzi g.

H h /ha—das H u h n (chicken).
In this word, two key features of the letter “h” can be noted at once: it is read like a softened Russian sound
[X] in cases where it is at the beginning of a word before a vowel - das H erz (heart), das H obby (hobby).
AND not pronounced if it is in the middle of a word after a vowel, thus, together with it forms a long sound: die W oh nung (apartment, housing).
Sometimes, for example, in the word haben [х] is pronounced softly. Sounds like breathing into a mirror with your mouth.

I i / and—der I illusionist (illusionist). Usually pronounced as a short sound
[and], but in combination with the letter “e” - « ie" reads like a long one
[and:]: das T ie r (animal).

Jj/yot – der J oga (yoga).
In combination with "a" and "e" it can be pronounced as a long vowel:
ja (Yes),
jemand , or as short:
die Ja cke (jacket), je tzt (now).

K k/ka—der K eiler (boar).

L l [ɛl]/ ale- die L i l ie (lily).
It is read softer than the Russian “l”, the sound is closer to [l’].
The double “l” is pronounced in the same way as the single one, but it is worth remembering that before combinations « LL", "MM", « TT" the vowel will always be pronounced short:der Fa ll(happening).

M m [ɛm]/um—der M arienkäfer (ladybug).

Nn[ɛn]/en- die N uß (walnut).
Reads like Russian [n].
In combination « ng" pronounced as a nasal “n”, omitting the [g] sound: die Übu ng.

O o/ O - die O live.
The long sound is formed in diphthongs « oh" And « oo":das Oh r (ear) / das B oo t (boat).

P p/ne—der P firsich (peach).
Reads like a Russian “p”, in combination
with "f" - « pf" pronounced [pf]: die Pf anne (frying pan).
Together with the letter "h" - « ph" forms the sound [f] in borrowed words: die Ph iloso ph ie (philosophy).

Q q/ku- die Q ualle (jellyfish).
Always used in combination « qu" and reads like [kv]: die Q ualität (quality), die Q uelle (source).

R r [ɛr]/ er—das R ad (wheel).
Pronounced as [r] if the letter comes at the beginning or middle of a word before a vowel: b r aun (brown), die K röte (toad).
If « r" at the end of the word das Zimm er(room), then in combinations « ar", « er", « or", « ier", the sound [r] disappears and appears [a]!!!
Including the letter “R” can be found in combination with “h”: das Rh ythmus, in which case it will be pronounced as a simple sound [r].

Ss [ɛs]/es- die S ocke (sock).
Letter “s” before vowels is read like Russian [з]: die Ro s e (rose).
At the end of the word it is read as [es], the same sound will be with a double “s”: das Minu s(minus), das Gra s(grass).
In combination « sch" makes the sound [w]: das Sch loß (castle),
in combination « sp" sound [shp]: der Sp aß (pleasure),
in combination « st" sound [pcs]: die St unde (hour, lesson).

T t / those—der T eppich (carpet).
It is read as Russian [te], also in the case of the combination « th":das Th ema (topic).
In a combination of consonants « tsch" pronounced like the Russian sound [ch], but a little harder: der Qua tsch(nonsense). At the end of a word in a letter combination « tion" makes the sound [tsyon]: die Lek tion(lecture), die Infek tion(infection).

U u / y—der U h u(owl).
Reads like short Russian [у]: die Tr u ppe (troupe).
In diphthong « uh" makes a longer sound: der Sch uh(shoe, boot).
Recall that the letter « u" included in pairs of diphthongs: "au" And "eu", forming, respectively, the sounds: [au] and [oh].

V v/fau—der V ulkan (volcano).
IN in words of German origin the letter “v” is read as [fe], and in borrowed words as [ve]: das V erbrechen [ f](crime) / die V illa [ v](villa).
In the middle of a word of foreign origin the letter “v” will be read as [ve]: die Uni v ersität (university), das Sil v ester (New Year's Eve).
Words ending with - ive also include a voiced version of the letter “v”, that is [ve:]: die Perspekt ive(perspective).

W w/ve—der W agen (cart, car). Read as [ve].

X x/x—das X ylophon (xylophone). This letter conveys the sound [ks]: der Te x t (text).

Y y [‘ʏpsilɔn]/ upsilon—der Y eti (Yeti, Bigfoot).
In the middle of a word it is pronounced as [yu]: t y pisch (typical), der T y p (sample).

Z z / tset—das Z ebra (zebra).
Pronounced like Russian [ts]: die Z unge (language), die Z eitung (newspaper), die Unterstüt z ung (support).

And now the umlauts:

Ä ä [ɛː] / e- die Ä nderung (change).
The letter characterizes the sound [e]: die Ä pfel (apples).
In position « ah" the sound becomes longer: die Z ah ne (teeth). Diphthong « äu" reads like [ouch]: die H äu ser (at home).

Ö ö [ øː] / * —das Ö l (oil).
There is no direct analogue of the sound [øː], but the closest to it are [ё] and nasal [o]: die L ö sung (decision).

Ü ü / * —der Ü bergang (transition).
The letter conveys a sound that reminds a Russian speaker of something between soft Russian [у] and [у]: die M ü hle (mill).

Ligature Esset

ß [ɛs’t͡sɛt] / es— der Fu ß ball.
Reads like a short [s]: hei ß (hot), ma ß geblich (significant, important).

The role of umlauts in the German language

As we have already written, today the German alphabet contains only 26 Latin letters, but if you have ever encountered a text in German, you could not help but notice signs and letters that are not part of the main structure. The fate of those “left behind” befell umlauts and the ligature “ß”.

Umlauts "ä», « ö" and "ü» have great value in the morphology of the German language: they are involved in changing words

— When the number changes from singular to the plural for nouns “das Wort” - “die Wörter”,
- when changing the degree of comparison of adjectives “kalt” - “kälter”,
- when forming the second and third person forms strong verbs“fahren” - “fährst / fährt”),
- they also help in writing to distinguish words that sound similar but are spelled differently: “Eltern” - “Älter”.

But despite all this, umlauts are still not included in the main structure of the alphabet, but are designated as additional specific letters.

A similar fate befell German ligature "ß», formed from the Gothic combination of the letters “S” and “Z”.

It is worth noting that “ß” has gone through many reforms: in the 20th century Switzerland abandoned it, and the Germans themselves often replaced the spelling of “ß” with a double “s”. However, the most significant event in the history of the ligature occurred in 2017, when Germany passed a law according to which “ß” received its own capital variant.

Not a single word in the German language begins with the ligature “ß”, which is why for many centuries it was written only in lowercase. But the problem with the “ß” ligature arose when, for example, it was necessary to write the entire word in capital letters, in the name of the establishment or the designation of the street, then it turned out that all the letters were capital, and “ß” remained small “ STRAßE».

Another confusion reigned in the recording of surnames, which in German passports are written in capital letters and “ss” is used instead of “ß”, and in some other documents variants with the ligature “ß” may be recorded.

Therefore, in 2017, Germany recognized the spelling of the capital “ß”, although there are still enough opponents of this innovation. For example, the famous German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung compared the capital “ß” to a not-so-sightly street lamp.

How to remember the alphabet

To be frank, straight There is no practical need to memorize the alphabet. Another thing is that by memorizing letters in an entertaining form, you will learn to read faster, because the harmony of how the letter looks and how it is pronounced will be imprinted in your head. It is for this purpose that we offer you one of many options for a memory rhyme.

ABCDE and F, wenn ich Teddybären treff,
GHIJK and L, schmuse ich mit Ihnen schnell.
MNOPQ and R, Teddybären lieb ich sehr,
STUVW and X, Teddybär schlaf ein ganz fix,
YZ mit mir in meinem Bett.

You can compose a similar verse for yourself, for example, write words for each letter in a row and learn them in text, or perhaps you can come up with a song: for many students, the alphabet is easier for them with a familiar melody. But you can learn the various subtleties of the sound of diphthongs and consonant combinations only in the process of reading.

Video with pronunciation of letters of the German alphabet:

Antonina Nikulina, Deutsch Online

German letters with dots on top are of great importance for the entire language as a whole. Large quantity words have them in their composition, and therefore you need to know how and where to use them.

What is umlaut

Translated from german word“umlaut” means “mutation”. In principle, this definition can convey the meaning of the term. Umlaut is a sign indicating a phonetic change in articulation as well as vowel timbre. These include the letters “a”, “o” and “u”. In writing they look like this: ä, ö, ü. If we translate German letters with dots on top in transcription, we get the following combinations: ä = ae; ö = oe; ü = ue. Depending on which word a particular letter is used in, the pronunciation will differ. However, not much. Mostly “ä” is pronounced close to “e”, “ö” - like “e”, and “ü” - like “yu”.

Typing on the keyboard

When studying the German language and corresponding with someone from the native inhabitants of Germany, the need arises to type the notorious umlauts on the keyboard. And the letter “esset” (looks like the familiar “beta” - ß) too. Where can I find German letters with dots on the keyboard? This question worries many, but here you need to not only change the settings and layout parameters. You will also need to purchase an appropriate keyboard - for convenience. If this is not possible, then you can simply replace the letters with the combinations mentioned earlier - ue, ae, oe. And “esset” usually means the same thing as a double “s”. Such a spelling will not be considered an error; any German will be able to understand such a word (for example, football: “Fußball” = “Fussball”).

Tricks of the set

However, if such a spelling “hurts a person’s eyes,” or he simply loves literacy and does not want to appear like a know-nothing to the Germans, then there is a little secret that you can use when typing a message or text. You can simply enter a query called “German alphabet” in the search bar of any browser and click on search. After this, what you need will appear. That is, the alphabet. You need to open it and copy the German letters with dots on top. In order not to have to do this every time, you can save them either in a separate file or in bookmarks. But it is better, of course, to install the German layout. This is not so difficult to do, you just need to go to the control panel through “Start”, then find the “language and regional standards” item and add it to the settings through the installed services required language. Typically, on a Russian keyboard, the letter “Ä” is in the place of “E”, “Ö” is in the same place as “Zh”, “Ü” is “X”, and “beta” (esset) is moved to the “dash” key. Over time, you can get used to this layout, especially if you often use umlauts.

Meaning

And finally, about the role played by German letters with dots on top. Uppercase and lowercase umlauts are very important. The meaning of the word depends on whether a letter is placed in a word with or without a dot. A parallel can be drawn between German umlauts and Russian accent. So, for example, just intonation turns us into an antique castle. And in German, two dots can turn “already” into “beautiful.” We are talking about the word “sch(o/ö)n”. “Schon” is translated as “already” (“already working” - “arbeite schon”), and “schön” - as “beautiful” (“Du bist sehr schön” - “you are very beautiful”). It is also important not only to write such words correctly, but also to pronounce them. To better assimilate such specific material, it is recommended to listen to audio recordings if it is not possible to go to a German language teacher. Of course, you can read words from transcriptions, but often students begin to pronounce letters with umlauts too clearly. That is, these are pronounced “ё”, “yu” and a characteristic “e”. It shouldn’t be this way; such sounds are pronounced delicately and softly. Today there are a huge number of video and audio lessons. After several pronunciation training sessions, you will already be able to hear the results.

German letters based on the Latin alphabet, german letters- topic of the article. 26 german letters present in the German language. Additional german letters, which are not included in the alphabet, but are often found in the most in different words, these are three umlauts Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü and the ligature ß. Latest german letters obey alphabetical order, that is, in dictionaries they come immediately after A a, O o, U u and double ss, respectively. In some cases, additional variants of German letters are used, but this is typical only for some dialects and in particular for words of foreign origin. German letters can form different letter combinations in words, which are subject to certain reading rules. There are individual sounds that are conveyed by two, three or more German letters. At the same time, one German letter, when read, can produce two sounds (affricate), while some German letters can denote different sounds depending on their position in the word and neighboring letters. All double consonants in German letters convey one sound and at the same time indicate the brevity of the preceding vowel sound, for example: rennen - rush, rush. When read, all doubled vowels of German letters are one long sound, for example: der Aal [a:l] - eel. The h after German vowels is never read, but only indicates the length of the previous vowel. To convey the Russian letters I, ё, yu in writing, letter combinations of German letters ja, jo, ju are used, which most closely convey the sound of these letters that have no analogues in the German language, for example: Jura - Jura, Yasha - Jascha. The combination of two or more consonants of German letters indicates the brevity of the previous vowel, even in cases where these consonants denote one sound, for example löschen - fade, fade, erase. German vowel letters located at the beginning of a root or word are always pronounced much sharper, with a so-called hard attack, for example: der Alter [`altәα]. All consonant German letters are hard, all voiced letters are muted and pronounced semi-vocally, and at the end of words they are always completely deafened, for example: der Dieb thief. German consonants cannot be softened before vowels, as is done in Russian. In German, German consonants are always hard. Don’t get too hung up on the written version of German letters, write as you wish, the main thing is to be understood. Only rough sketches of handwritten German letters are given here. Pay attention to the umlauts (umlauts) Ää Öö Üü - these are German letters “without a name”, they only indicate sounds.

Letters of the German alphabet

Letter of the German alphabet	Traditional transcription	Russian version of pronunciation	Examples of words with this letter
A a			a mtlich – official, official
B b			b elgisch – Belgian
C c			c chronisch - chronic
D d			d auerhaft – long, lasting
E e			e hrlich – frank, honest
F f			f uturistisch - futuristic
G g			gänzlich – whole, perfect
H h		(the sound [x] is like a very light exhalation)	häufig – frequent, numerous
I i			i nnerlich - internal
Jj			j etzig – current, present
K k			k räftig – strong, big, strong
Ll			lächerlich - funny, ridiculous
Mm			m ißtrauisch - suspicious
Nn			n eutra - neutral
O o			o rientalisch - eastern
P p			p olnisch - Polish
Q q			q uellend - breaking through (about the source)
R r			r egnerisch - rainy
Ss			s moken - to collect, gather
T t			tüchtig - skillful, efficient
U u			u rsprünglich – original, original
V v			v erträglich – portable, bearable
W w			w ahnsinnig - crazy, crazy
X x			X enon-Scheinwerfer – xenon headlights
Y y		[upsilon]	d y namisch - dynamic
Z z			z ynisch - cynical
Additional German letters to Latin alphabet, which is the basis of the German language:
Ä ä		a-umlaut:	ä rgerlich - annoying, annoying
Ö ö		o-umlaut: like the “e” in the word “L” e nya"	ö rtlich - local
Ü ü		u-umlaut: like the “yu” in the word “L” yu Xia"	ü berflüssig - superfluous
ß		like sound [s]	das Gescho ß – tier, floor

Thus, in this table all existing German letters of the alphabet were considered, including four additional ones. Further, German letters can form different letter combinations in words, which are subject to certain reading rules. Let's try to present them in the form of a visual table.

Letters of the German alphabet, forming characteristic letter combinations and rules for reading individual German letters

Letter combination	Sound Features	Transcr.	Russian reading	Example words
	combination of two vowels			der M ai n – Main (river)
	long vowel low sound			der H ah n – tap; rooster
	before e, ö, i, y, ü one consonant letter gives an affricate sound			das C yklon - cyclone
	in words borrowed from other languages, often at the beginning of the word			die C ouch - couch
	when placed after the vowels u, o, a; the place of sound formation is much lower in the larynx than in Russian [x]			die Bu ch e - beech
	sometimes at the beginning of a word; the combination of two consonants produces one plosive voiceless consonant			das Ch lor - chlorine
	after ä, i, ö, e, y, ü, as well as after m, r, l, n, the combination of two consonant letters gives one unvoiced fricative consonant sound, similar to the sound [x] in the word “cunning”			die Bü ch er – booksdie Mon ch e - monks
	in borrowed words			die Cou ch– sofa, couch
	as an indivisible combination of letters within one syllable			der La ch s – salmon, salmon
	the combination of two consonants produces one voiceless plosive consonant sound			der Zu ck er - sugar
	short vowel sound in a closed syllable			h e ll - light
	long vowel sound			das M eh l - flour
	diphthong			leise - quiet
	diphthong			die W ie ge - cradle
	diphthong			die L eu te - people
	long vowel middle (rising)			der L oh n – salary
				der B oh boycott
	consonant voiced fricative sound			j awohl – yes, that’s right
	sonorant voiced consonant, which is something like a transition from Russian soft [l`] to Russian hard [l] within one sound			l eer - empty
	this letter combination conveys a voiced sonorant nasal sound, which is absent in the Russian language		nasal (“in the nose”) [n]	si ng en - sing
	this letter combination conveys two sounds: a voiced sonorant nasal sound, which is not in Russian + a voiceless aspirated sound		nasal + spirant [nc]	si nk en – fall, sink, decrease
	the combination of two consonants produces one consonant fricative sound			die Ph ysik physics
	the combination of a consonant and a vowel produces a combination of two consonant sounds			der Qu ark – cottage cheese
	the combination of two consonants at the beginning of a word produces one consonant sound			der Rh ytmus – frequency, rhythm
	a fricative voiced consonant sound if it comes before a vowel or between two vowels			der Kä s e – cheesesüchtig – overwhelmed by some passion
	s conveys a fricative voiceless consonant at the beginning of a word/part of a compound word if it is followed by p or t			der Sp echt [ʃpәçt] – woodpeckerdas Statut [ʃtatu:t] - charter
	three consonant letters give a fricative voiceless consonant			sch on [ʃon] – already
	in other cases, except for the three listed above			der Po s ter – poster, poster
	two consonants make one stop voiceless consonant			die Th eorie - theory
	four consonant letters make one affricate			der Deu tsch e – German
	combining a vowel and a consonant produces a long vowel sound			der Uh u – eagle owl
	combination of letters			die R ui ne – ruins, ruins
	in foreign borrowings, a voiced labial-dental consonant sound			die V ariante - option
	in other cases, labial-dental voiceless consonant			die Vögel – birds
	voiced labial-dental consonant			w ellig – wavy
				der Lure x– Lurex
	a typically German sound, something between yu and u, like the “yu” in the word “luk”, can be long and short			rh y tmisch – rhythmicps y chisch - mental
	one consonant gives an affricate			die Z erbe – cedar
				die S äu le – column
	there is no such sound in German, this combination of letters is used to convey the sound [ш] in foreign words			der Bor schtsch– borscht (soup)
	there is no such sound in German either; the combination of letters conveys [zh] in foreign words			Sh ukow [ʒukof] – Zhukov (surname)
	transmits one fricative consonant voiceless sound; ß can either be replaced by ss, or written ß only after letters that convey long vowels or diphthongs			la ss en - leave, leavebei ß en - bite

In the picture below you see handwritten German letters, but here it should be noted that everyone has their own handwriting and there can be many options.

Video with pronunciation of letters of the German alphabet:

And one more video to pin: