Pronunciation of German words. German for beginners

It is believed that the German language is very difficult to learn, and it is almost impossible to master. Some of the students are worried by too long words, while others are by the different nuances in the field of pronunciation of German words. But is this language really difficult to learn? We will understand in this article.

What is the complexity of the German language?

For beginners, complexity can arise in the grammatical aspect, because in German there are an impressive number of rules and exceptions. At the very beginning, learning any foreign language will probably be difficult enough, especially if you constantly cramming all grammatical rules, trying to master the pronunciation features - and in German they are quite interesting and unique - and there is an endless list of new words for memorization. What are the numbers in German! Certain difficulties may also arise with their pronunciation, because, as a rule, German numerals are very long and seemingly incomprehensible. But if you carefully understand the topic, then all the alleged difficulties will collapse, like a house of cards.

Word formation in German

As mentioned above, in German, the construction of words is difficult and unusual, namely, that from a few words the Germans skillfully create one very long and incomprehensible word for a beginner. But actually it is not so difficult. After all, it’s great that you can, having studied a couple of German words, calmly add them and get a word with a third meaning! But the pronunciation of German words, namely compound ones, can present a certain complexity. Especially for a person studying German as a foreign language.

The spelling rule also applies to numbers in German, the pronunciation of which is the same situation as with ordinary words. Those. numbers obey the same rules as all other words.

Why study German specifically?

There are many reasons why you should start learning foreign languages ​​with German. These reasons will be given below:

1. The German language is not as complicated as it is customary to imagine. As a rule, German words are perceived by the ear, as they are written on paper, only knowledge of letter combinations is important. You most likely will not even need to learn the German alphabet for beginners with pronunciation, because it is based on the Latin font, which, fortunately, most people already know. And if plus everything else, you still know English at a fairly good level, then this gives a huge advantage. Because English and German have common roots, which means a huge number of similarities. This fact proves that with knowledge of English it will be much easier for you to learn German, the pronunciation of the words of which seems so complicated, but in fact there is nothing impossible here.
2. German is one of the most used languages ​​in European countries. After all, it is German, English and French that are the three official languages ​​of the European Union. And German is the second most common language. But if you take into account the native speakers themselves, then German comes out on top in terms of frequency of use. Therefore, knowledge of German gives you at least 100 million more people for live communication. Of course, this is not a whole billion, as, for example, in Chinese, but still.
3. German is the language of innovators and inventors.
   The largest percentage of all outstanding achievements were born precisely in Germany. More than 100 Nobel Prizes were given to German scientists for their tremendous successes in the fields of physics, medicine, chemistry, literature, etc. And this is not taking into account the other two main representatives of the German world - Austria and Switzerland.
4. German culture is part of the world heritage.
   It is known that the Germans have a reputation as absolute analysts and lovers of logic, but the German-speaking world is also famous for its outstanding minds in the fields of music, literature, art and philosophy. This is the native language of the composers Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Beethoven and Wagner. Learning this language will give you a great opportunity to evaluate independently, without any translators, the masterpieces of great creators that will never be forgotten. After all, what does Goethe's “Faust” alone cost!

Of course, this is not all the reasons why it is worth learning German. But, in any case, knowledge of foreign languages ​​opens a window into a world that is so diverse and unique.

Pronunciation of German sounds

The pronunciation of German words and sounds varies quite a lot with the pronunciation of Russian. In German, the pronunciation is more muscular and harsh. It certainly gives intensity and tension to German sounds.

In total, there are 44 sounds in German, 16 of which are vowels, 22 consonants, 3 affricates and 3 diphthongs. But it is important to note that completely different unusual sounds are used in the pronunciation of German words: / ʌ /, / æ /, / ŭ /, / ɔ : /, / w /, / y ̆ /, / θ /, / œ : / , / ə : /, / ð /, / ʤ /. But it is important that these non-standard sounds are used exclusively in words of foreign origin.

Features of pronunciation of German sounds

As mentioned above, German requires enhanced articulation, especially when pronouncing sounds such as: t, p, k, s, f, (i) ch, sch and (a) ch.

Important in the pronunciation of German sounds is the wide opening of the mouth.

The pronunciation of vowels of German sounds requires enhanced work of the lips.

If the German word begins with a vowel, then this vowel must be pronounced clearly and sharply, with a strong tension of the vocal cords.

In principle, most German letters are fairly easy to pronounce. However, in the German alphabet there is a small number of letters called umlauts.

It is necessary to give examples of German pronunciation, for this a table with transcription is provided:

Stress

As for the stresses in words of German origin, it has a fixed character and very rarely can change its original location in a particular word.

For roots, the first syllable is distinguished. If prefixes are available, then either the prefix will take away the stress, or the root itself. As for German postfixes, in most cases they are not shock. But in complex words, two stresses can be present at the same time - the main and the secondary. In abbreviations, the shock will always be the last letter.