Die Grundlagen · Unit 4 of 10 · 18 min
Wichtige Lautverbindungen
Important sound combinations
EI, IE, EU/ÄU, SCH, SP/ST, both CH sounds, Z, W, V, J, R and final devoicing.
German spells many sounds with two letters. Once you know a dozen of these combinations, you can read almost any German word aloud without hearing it first.
Learning objectives
- Read EI, IE, EU and ÄU correctly at sight.
- Distinguish the ich-Laut from the ach-Laut and produce both.
- Apply SCH, initial SP and ST, and final B/D/G devoicing.
Can-Do outcomes
- I can read an unfamiliar German word aloud with the right sound combinations.
- I can hear whether a word contains the ich-Laut or the ach-Laut.
- I can pronounce Zeit, Wasser, Vater and ja without mixing up the letters.
Native-speaker review required
Vowel teams
- EI
Sounds approximately like “eye”
Whenever you see ei, say the name of the second letter — I — in English.
E-I sounds like “eye”.
- meinmy
- neinno
- zweitwo
- IE
A long English E
The mirror image: say the name of the second letter, E.
I-E sounds like “E”.
- wiehow
- siebenseven
- Liebelove
- EU and ÄU
Sounds approximately like “oy”
Both spellings give you the same sound.
EU = ÄU = “oy”.
- heutetoday
- neunnine
- Häuserhouses
Consonant clusters
- SCH
English “sh”
Three letters, one familiar sound.
- Schuleschool
- schönbeautiful
- sprechento speak
- SP and ST
“shp” and “sht” at the start of a syllable
At the beginning of a word or syllable, sp and st are usually pronounced with the sh sound.
This does not apply in every position — in the middle or at the end of a word you often hear a plain s, as in Fenster or Post.
- spielento play
- Sprachelanguage
- Straßestreet
- stehento stand
- CH after front vowels — the ich-Laut
A soft, forward hiss
After i, e, ä, ö, ü, ei and eu, ch is a light sound made near the front of the mouth. Whisper the “h” in the English word “huge” and you are almost there.
Mouth position · Tongue high and forward, close to the hard palate, tip resting behind the lower teeth. Air flows in a thin stream.
This is not the English “sh”. In sh the lips round and the tongue pulls back; here the lips stay neutral.
- ichI
- nichtnot
- richtigcorrect
- Bücherbooks
- CH after back vowels — the ach-Laut
A rougher sound, farther back
After a, o, u and au, ch is produced at the back of the mouth, near where you say a K but with the air kept flowing.
Mouth position · Back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate. Start to say “k”, then release the air instead of stopping it.
- Bachstream
- machento do, to make
- Buchbook
- nochstill, yet
Single letters that surprise English speakers
- Z
Approximately “ts”
Always ts, at the start of a word too.
Think of the ts in “cats”.
- Zeittime
- zehnten
- Zimmerroom
- W
Usually an English V
The letter W is pronounced with the teeth on the lower lip.
- Wasserwater
- wowhere
- wohnento live
- V
Often F, sometimes V
In common native German words V sounds like F. In many borrowed words it keeps the English V sound.
- Vaterfather
- vierfour
- Vogelbird
- Videovideo
- Vasevase
- J
Usually an English Y
The letter is called Jot, and inside a word it sounds like Y.
- jayes
- Jahryear
- jungyoung
- R
More than one R is correct
German has several acceptable R pronunciations, and you will hear all of them from native speakers. Pick the one you can produce comfortably and clearly: a standard back-of-the-throat R (the most common in standard German), a lightly rolled or tapped R (widely heard in the south and on stage), or the softer vocalized R at the ends of words and syllables, where the R turns into something close to a short “uh”.
You do not need a strongly rolled R to sound good. Aim for clarity and comfort rather than one particular region.
- rotred
- sprechento speak
- Lehrerteacher
- besserbetter
- Final B, D, G
They harden at the end
At the end of a word or syllable, B, D and G can sound closer to P, T and K. The spelling does not change — only the sound.
Compare Tag with Tage: the G softens again as soon as a vowel follows.
- Tagday — ends like “tahk”
- Hunddog — ends like “hoont”
- Diebthief — ends like “deep”
Tell them apart
mein
my
Miene
expression
EI = “eye”, IE = long “ee”.
ich
I
Buch
book
Front ich-Laut versus back ach-Laut.
Vater
father (F sound)
Wasser
water (V sound)
German V and W trade places compared with English.
Record and compare
Aussprachetrainer
Ich spreche nicht so schnell.
I do not speak so fast.
Mouth position · Keep the ch light and forward in both ich and nicht.
Aussprachetrainer
Der Tag war gut.
The day was good.
Mouth position · Let the final G in Tag land as a K.
Wortschatz
- dieZeit— timePlural: die Zeiten
- dasWasser— waterPlural: die Wässer
- derVater— fatherPlural: die Väter
- dieSchule— schoolPlural: die Schulen
- dasBuch— bookPlural: die Bücher
- dasHaus— housePlural: die Häuser
- spielen— to play
- richtig— correct
Übungen
EI versus IE
Welches Wort klingt wie das englische „mine“?
Which word rhymes with English “mine”?
Optional between-session assignment
Lautdetektiv
Sound detective
Listening · about 12 min · Self-reported completion
- 1.Listen to two minutes of German audio: a news clip, a podcast intro, an announcement.
- 2.Write down three words containing target combinations (EI, IE, SCH, ST, CH, Z).
- 3.Say each one aloud and mark which combination it contains.
In-app alternative · Play the sound cards and minimal pairs in this unit instead, and record three of them with the pronunciation coach.
Willkommen zurück!
Return checkpoint
Two or three quick checks the next time you open this unit. Attempting it is what counts — anything you miss becomes a review recommendation, not a failure.
1. Which word contains the “eye” sound?
2. Which word uses the ich-Laut?
3. How does the D at the end of Hund sound?
Completion summary
Lautverbindungen abgeschlossen
You can now decode written German into sound — the point where reading aloud stops being guesswork.
Unit 5 turns correct sounds into a natural rhythm.
Marking a unit complete adds its Can-Do outcomes to your spaced-repetition queue. Perfect scores are never required.