German alphabet with transcription in Russian. Pronunciation of German letters and letter combinations - German online - Start Deutsch

A - pronounced like Russian a.

Please note that at the end b reads like a deaf Russian p.

C - used extremely rarely and usually in words of foreign origin. It is most often used in the letter combination CH, which sounds like the Russian Х after the German vowels A, O, U and the diphthong (letter combination) AU, in other cases it is pronounced as Хь. It should be noted that German CH- very soft.

But there is still a difference from the Russian X. It is usually very faint and similar to English H. In Russian, a similar sound is observed in the word verse, fur.

In very few foreign words CH can be read as Russian Ш or Ш.

  • Chef[chief] - chief, boss
  • Chic[chic] - chic

Letter C often used in words of foreign origin. It can be read like Russian K, but not always.

Example:

  • Сristus[cristus] - Christ
  • Camping[campin] - camping

The letter combination CK is read like Russian K.

Nota bene! You may be a little confused by so many possible readings, but almost always you will only encounter phrases CH And CK, which are read strictly according to the rules. Remember just one very frequently used word in the language.

Here we hear a voiced D at the beginning of a word and a voiceless T at the end of a word.

Sometimes you will come across the phrase -dt, it is usually read as a simple Russian T.

E - pronounced like a weak Russian E. According to experts, this letter in pronunciation is something between Russian E and I. The main thing in pronunciation E Don't overdo it with emphasis. German E is always pronounced weakly, not at all like the Russian E in the words “this”, “era”.

endlichfinally
engnarrow

In German there is also a combination of two vowels. The combination of two vowels in German is called a diphthong. We have already seen such combinations with the letter AA.I., AU. But there they were read clearly and predictably. However, there are also differences.

What is a diphthong? This is the pronunciation of two vowels one after the other as a transition from one vowel to another. You pronounce the first vowel and, as if gradually, move on to the second.

Diphthong is a smooth transition from one vowel to another

So, diphthongs:

EI - pronounced close to Russian AI. Remember!

Not HEY, but HAY! BUT!

F - pronounced like Russian F.

H - reads like a Russian Х (only very dull, approximately like a simple exhalation) only at the beginning of a word, root syllables and
some suffixes. Try to pronounce this sound only with your throat, like a normal exhalation.

In all other cases, this letter is not readable, but after a vowel it indicates the length of the vowel. In the transcription we will indicate longitude with the colon symbol - :

The letter combination IE is read as a long Russian I.

Attention! The length of a vowel in German is very important because... this often changes the meaning of the word. Therefore, try to “stretch” long vowels longer.

K - reads like Russian K.

L - usually rendered as Russian L', although it is somewhat harder than the usual Russian L'. Those. This is a soft L. Look at the example with the word Liebe using IE as an example. Double LL is pronounced the same as single L.

Attention! Remember that doubling a consonant (LL, TT, MM) is an indication that the vowel sound preceding it is short.

M - reads like Russian M.

N - reads like Russian N. There is also the phrase NG, which is pronounced like a nasal N. At the same time, G is not even close! Only long, nasal Russian N.

O - reads like Russian O.

P - reads like Russian P. The letter combination PH is read like Russian F.

The letter combination PF is read as the diphthong PF. Those. a sound in which the letter P smoothly turns into the letter F.

Q - ALWAYS used as a letter combination QU, which is read as Russian KV.

Quarkcottage cheese
queracross, transverse

R - but here we have big problems. This letter is still read differently. We will give our expert interpretation.

So! At the beginning of a word or before a vowel, the German R is read as a voiceless R. NO Russian R! Remember burring Lenin if you find it difficult
imagine it. But after the vowel A, the German R is not actually pronounced, although it is heard. Press your tongue against your lower teeth and WITHOUT THE HELP of your tongue, try to QUIETLY pronounce R with your throat only. This will be approximately what you need.

The letter combination RH is read like the usual German R.

There are also phrases -AR, -ER, -OR, -IER. Remember a simple rule.

At the end of a word/syllable, the R sound drops out and the vowel sound becomes more open. In the middle of a word/syllable, the R sound is pronounced like a regular German R. And in the case of -ER, at the end of the word/syllable we hear a subtle guttural A.

S - problems again. But it's quite easy to remember. Before and between vowels - pronounced as Russian Z, at the end of a word - as Russian S. Double SS is read as short Russian S, sometimes it is displayed as the letter es-tset (ß) - which is written similar to the small capital Russian letter V.

The letter combination SCH is read like the Russian Ш

T - reads like Russian T (a little aspirated). The letter combination TH is read like a regular German T. The letter combination TSCH is read like Russian
H, but a little harder.

W - reads like Russian V.

Great news! On our website there is an opportunity pronunciationthere is any German text. To do this simply highlight German text or word anywhere on our site And Click the "Play" button at the bottom right(white triangle in black circle). You will then hear the text spoken in German. We recommend using this function in the Phrasebook section of our website.

Features of reading consonants:

1) The letter h at the beginning of a word or root is read as an aspirated x: Herz (heart). In the middle and at the end of words, it is not read, but serves to lengthen the previous vowel: fahren (to ride), froh (cheerful, joyful).

2) The letter j is pronounced like y, and in combinations ja and ju the Russian ear hears ya and yu: Jahr (year), Juni (June).

3) The letter I always softens when reading: Blume (flower).

4) The sound r is pronounced by most Germans with a burr: Regen (rain).

5) The letter s before or between vowels is read as z: Sonne (sun), lesen (read).

6) The letter ß is read as s: groß (big).

7) Consonants k,p, t are pronounced with some aspiration: Park (park), Torte (cake), Ko†fer (suitcase).

8) The letter v is pronounced like f: Vater (father). Only in rare cases (most often in borrowed words) is it pronounced as in: Vase (vase).

9) The letter w is read like the Russian sound in: Wort (word).

10) Double consonants are read as single consonants, but at the same time they shorten the vowel in front: Sommer (summer), Mutter (mother).

In German, not every consonant sound has a corresponding letter. In some cases, they resort to letter combinations:

1) The letter combination sp at the beginning of words and roots is read as sp: Sport (sport).

2) The letter combination st at the beginning of words and roots is read as pc: Stern (star).

3) The letter combination ck is read as k: backen (oven).

4) The letter combination chs is read as ks: sechs (six).

5) The letter combination ch is read as x: Buch (book), machen (to do).

6) The letter combination sch is read as sh: Schule (school), Schwester (sister).

7) The letter combination tsch is read as h: deutsch (German).

8) The letter combination qu is read as kv: Quark (cottage cheese).

The German alphabet has specific letters with two dots on top (Umlaut):

1) The letter ä is closest to the Russian e: Mädchen (girl).

2) The letter ö is read approximately like ё: schön (beautiful).

3) The letter ü is read almost like yu: Müll (garbage).

Vowel letter combinations:

1) The letter combination ie is read as long and: Bier (beer).

2) The letter combination ei is read as ay: Heimat (Homeland).

3) The letter combination eu is read as oh: heute (today).\

4) The letter combination äu is read as oh: Bäume (trees).

5) Doubling a vowel indicates the length of the sound: Tee (tea), Paar (pair), Boot (boat).

In some ways, the German language is similar to Russian. In German, voiced consonants at the end of words are also muted during pronunciation, despite possible misunderstandings. So, for example, it is impossible to distinguish a (Rad) wheel from a (Rat) tip by ear.

Features of reading at the ends of words:

1) The ending -er is pronounced rather slurred in some regions of Germany: Kinder (children).

2) At the end of words -ig is read as their: wichtig (important).

Accent Features:

1) The stress in German usually falls on the first syllable: Ausländer (foreigner), aufmachen (open). The exception is words borrowed from other languages: Computer. There are quite a lot of such borrowings in the German language.

2) If a word has an unstressed prefix (be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, miss-), then the stress shifts to the next syllable: verkaufen (to sell), bekommen (to receive).

3) The suffix -tion (read as tion) always pulls the emphasis onto itself: Kommunikation (communication, connection).

Exercise 1

Practice pronouncing the following words and learn their meanings at the same time:

Strand (beach), Reise (travel), Leute (people), Zeit (time), Frühling (spring), Herbst (autumn), Fleisch (meat), Fisch (fish), Wein (wine), Kaffee (coffee), Zwieback (cracker), Radieschen (radish), richtig (correct), Schule (school), Volk (people)

Julia Grosche, "German for Beginners"

The German alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet with diacritics for vowels ( ä , ö , ü ) and a letter ß , not used in other languages. There are alternative spellings for these letters: ae, oe, ue, ss, but when using them, the uniqueness is lost.

2. Transliteration

Part german letters is transmitted into Russian unambiguously:

b b n n t T
d d p P w V
f f q To x ks
g G r R y And
m m ß With z ts

3. J

Combinations j + vowel transmitted this way:

At the beginning of a word and after vowels jaI, (je) → e, joyo, joyo, juYu, juyu: JahnsJens, JulyYule;

After consonants jaya, (je) → ye, joyo, joyo, ju (ju)→ yu: LiljeLilje.

Before a consonant and at the end of a word jth.

4. Vowels and their combinations

German diphthongs are transcribed according to the following rules: euOuch, eiah, ieAnd. A common tradition is to transmit eu (ei) → Hey (to her) today is considered obsolete, although many first and last names are transmitted precisely according to these rules: ReutersReuters, GeigerGeiger.

After vowels e (ä ) → uh, ith. At the beginning of the word e (ä , ö ) → uh, ü And.

In other cases, vowels are transmitted by transliteration: aA, e (ä ) → e, iAnd, oO, ö e, uat, ü Yu, yAnd.

5. S, C, H

Letter combinations sch, chh, ch, ph, rh, th in transcription are transmitted, respectively: schw, chhxg, chX, phf, rhR, thT.

Combinations tsch, zsch And chs entirely belonging to one syllable are transmitted according to the rules tsch (zsch) → h, chsks: AchslachAkslah, ZschopauChopau. Sometimes the components of these letter combinations belong to different syllables, in which case they are transmitted independently: AltschulAltshul.

Before front vowels ( i, e, in borrowings also y) Withts: CilliCilli. In other contexts cTo: CarlCharles.

Before letters p And t at the beginning of a word or part compound word sw: SpreeSpree. Single before vowels sh, otherwise sWith.

In the position between a vowel and a consonant (or between a vowel and e) h omitted in transcription. In other positions hX.

The tradition is to transmit everywhere hG today it is considered outdated, but many first and last names are transmitted precisely according to this rule: TannhauserTannhäuser, HeisenbergHeisenberg.

The “transcriptor” does not know how to divide German words into syllables and compound words into parts.

6. Consonants

Letter combinations gk And tz transmitted according to the rules gkG, tzts.

Doubled ll is transmitted differently, depending on the position in the word:

Between vowels llll: EllerbachEllerbach;

At the end of a word and between consonants llll: TellkoppeTellkoppe;

In other positions lll or l.

Before vowels ll, before consonants and at the end of words ll.

IN German names and names vf: VolkmarVolkmar. But in names of foreign origin v can be transmitted through V: CrivitzKrivitz.

The "transcriptor" always conveys v How f.

7. Double letters

Doubled (long) German vowels are always rendered as one: KlopeinerseeKlopeinersee.

Doubled German consonants are also translated as doubled in transcription if they are located between vowels or at the end of a word. In other positions, doubled German consonants correspond to one consonant letter of the transcription: BlattBlatt, SchaffranSaffron.

Letter combination ck corresponds kk in the position between vowels, otherwise ckTo: BeckerBecker, DickDick.

Learning any language begins with the basics, namely its alphabet. Some people have been familiar with it since school, but even for those who have never learned it but have some knowledge of English, it will not be difficult to figure it out. The fact is that these two languages ​​are similar in many ways, moreover, they contain the same characters as English, but their pronunciation is different. Therefore, phonetics will not seem too difficult.

All characters are based on the Latin alphabet. In total it has 26 letters. It is worth noting that the German alphabet and pronunciation are easier than English. Grammar may be difficult to understand at first, but this will not be a big problem.

For Russian-speaking citizens, it is comfortable to study in Russian, the table of which is presented below.

Why is it worth learning German?

Connection with tourism

As you know, in countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, people speak predominantly German. However, knowing the German alphabet with pronunciation in Russian, you can also easily communicate with people from Liechtenstein, Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, northern Italy, eastern Belgium and some other countries.

German important for tourism

New useful acquaintances

You should be more confident in a foreign country. Knowing the language will greatly simplify communication with local residents. Knowing the language for beginners with pronunciation, you can easily meet new people, learn their character and interests.

Education and self-development

Many people strive to become more educated, expand the range of their knowledge and skills, and what can happen in this matter? better study one or more foreign languages? It is worth noting that not only the quantity is taken into account, but also the level of mastery of them. The alphabet in German with pronunciation will help solve this problem.

Work abroad

It's no secret that even the minimum wage in Europe can exceed Russian standards. With knowledge of at least one foreign language You can choose more than one prestigious profession, or try to open your own. Russian-speaking citizens will benefit from the German alphabet with Russian pronunciation.

Educational literature

Approximately 18% of the world's books are published in German. Of these, only a tiny part has been translated into Russian. Reading works in original form allows a person to enrich himself with invaluable knowledge, learn more about the culture of a given country, and better understand the specifics of its language. Appreciate the fullness works of art The German alphabet will help with pronunciation.

Consonants. Pronunciation

For beginners with pronunciation, it is advisable to remember such an important nuance that all German consonants are hard. The voiced ones are slightly muffled in pronunciation. The final consonant of the word is completely deafened.

Phonetics offers for analysis illustrative examples. The word dieb is thief. As can be seen from the transcription, the letter “d” is semi-voiced, and “b”, since it is at the very end, is significantly muted.

  1. The letter “h” at the root or the first one in a word is read as “x” with a little aspiration. For example, herz, which translates as heart. Inside and at the end, it lengthens the vowel that comes before it: fahren - to go; froh – cheerful or joyful.
  2. The letter "j" is similar to the Russian "y". It is worth remembering the phrases “ja” and “ju”, which sound like “ya” and “yu”. For example, jahr, which translates as year or juni - June.
  3. The letter “l” is always slightly softened: blume – flower.
  4. The letter “s” preceding the vowel is converted into the sound “z”: sonne - sun, verb lesen - read.
  5. The letter "ß" is pronounced like "s". For example, groß – big.
  6. The consonants k, p, t should be pronounced with a slight aspiration: park - park, torte - cake, ko†fer - suitcase.
  7. It is important to note that the letter “v” is read not as “v”, but as “f”: vater - father. However, in borrowed words it can be pronounced as “in”: vase - vase.
  8. The letter “w” should be pronounced by analogy with the Russian “v”: wort – word.
  9. Something to remember small rule: double consonants sound like single consonants, shortening the vowel in front of them: rennen - rush, sommer - summer, mutter - mother.

Letter "r". Pronunciation Features

The German alphabet with pronunciation will help you master the alternative pronunciation of "r".

  • If she begins a word, the sound will be a little burry and drawn out, like the Russian sound [x], but in this case the voice will play a direct role.
  • Another pronunciation option is possible if the letter is at the beginning of the word. The sound will become more rolling and front-lingual [r].
  • Toward the middle of the word, the [r] becomes much quieter, but still audible.
  • It is worth noting that at the tail of the word the letter loses its original sound and is transformed into a vocalized [α], which is closer to a vowel.

The German alphabet with pronunciation in Russian provides an opportunity to practice comparative analysis. For example, in the word der rabe, which means raven, the sound [r] is predominantly loud and rolling. In the verb to teach – lehren, this sound will be more muffled, but will not lose its color. As for the word spectator - der zuschauer, in its example you can see how [r] turns into a vocalized [α].

Pronunciation of vowels

To convey the Russian letters ya, ё and yu, the German language uses special letter combinations ja, jo, ju. They are able to most accurately convey the sound of analogue letters. For example, we can consider a couple of Russian names: Yura - Jura and Yasha - Jascha.

As for double vowels, they are read with one long sound. For example, eel – der Aal [a:l]. In the transcription you can see that the sound [a] is prolonged. The remaining vowels are read using the same principle: tee – tea; raar – pair; boot - boat.

If the vowel is located at the beginning or at the root of the word, the sound will be much sharper and harder, giving German speech a rougher character, abrupt phrases in comparison with the usual Russian speech. You can trace this intonation in the word der Alter [altә].

Letter combinations in vowels and consonants

The alphabet in German with pronunciation has its disadvantages. Not every sound is optimally described by a letter. Sometimes, to achieve the desired result, you have to resort to combining certain characters of the alphabet:

  1. The combination of letters “ie” is converted into the drawn-out sound “i”. For example: bier – . And if you swap these symbols - “ei”, you get a short sound “ai”: heimat - homeland.
  2. In combination with “u” the letter “e” makes the sound “oh”: heute – today. The same sound can be obtained by combining the letter “ä” with “u”: bäume – trees. The features of this symbol will be discussed further.
  3. The letter combination “sp” at the root or beginning of a word should be pronounced as “shp”: sport, which in translation means sport.
  4. There is another sound similar to this - “piece”. It is formed by combining the letters "s" and "t" by analogy at the beginning or root. Example word: stern – star.
  5. The pure sound “sh” is formed using three letters at once: s, c, h, coming in a row one after another. As an example: schule - school, schwester - sister.
  6. The letter combination “ck” is pronounced like a short “k”: backen – oven. This sound also has variations: “ks” and “kv”. The first of them is formed by three letters: c, h, s. For example: sechs – six. And the sound “kv” can be obtained by combining two elements “q” with “u”: quark - cottage cheese.
  7. It is impossible not to note such sounds as “x” and “ch”. They are an integral basis of the German language. As a rule, combining “c” and “h” you can get a dull “x”: buch - book, machen - to do. And to get a short “h” you will need 4 letters at once: t, s, c, h. This combination is used in one very useful word: deutsch – German.

Unusual characters and their pronunciation

The German alphabet with pronunciation in Russian, the table of which is shown below, has specific letters that have a cap in the form of two dots. These characters also have their own pronunciation. For example, the sound of the letter “ä” is more similar to the Russian sound “e”: mädchen - girl.

The next letter is ö. It is very reminiscent of “ё” from the Russian alphabet and is read exactly like it. Example word: schön – beautiful.

And the last character is “ü”, by analogy with “yu”: müll - garbage.

Features of stress

In German, stress usually falls on the first syllable. In words with an unstressed prefix, the stress moves to the next syllable. As an example, consider the suffix –tion. It will always be stressed and pronounced like, where “i” is a short slipping sound, and the emphasis falls on “o”.

As for the letter combinations “ts”, they form the sound “ts”. For example, you can take the foreign word kommunikation, which means connection or communication.

Words where the stress falls on the first syllable: ausländer - foreigner or aufmachen - to open. An exception to the rule is the common borrowing from foreigners of the word computer and others.

It is worth noting words with an unstressed prefix, these include: be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, miss-. The stress in words with such prefixes will be shifted to the next syllable. For example: verkaufen – sell, bekommen – receive.

Simple words to practice pronunciation

German alphabet with pronunciation in Russian, table for practice simple words which is presented below, allows you to practice reading them, at the same time expanding your vocabulary.

  • strand – beach;
  • reise – journey;
  • leute – people;
  • zeit – time;
  • frühling – spring;
  • herbst – autumn;
  • fleisch – meat;
  • fisch – fish;
  • wein – wine;
  • kaffee – coffee;
  • zwieback – cracker;
  • radieschen - radish;
  • richtig – correct;
  • schule – school;
  • volk ​​- people.

German alphabet with pronunciation in Russian: table, phonetics updated: June 3, 2019 by: Amazing-world!

German is one of the European languages ​​spoken by 120 million people. If you know him, you can communicate freely with Germans, Austrians, Swiss, residents of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. These are not all countries where many speak the language of Heine and Nietzsche. Learning any language begins with the alphabet, and German will be no exception.

How many letters are in the German alphabet?

The German alphabet consists of 26 letters. It is also based on Latin, but has its own characteristics. What makes the language special are symbols such as umlauts (vowel letters with dots, for example: Ä-ä, Ü-ü, Ö-ö) and the ligature ß.

The language of Kafka and Mann has a phonetic basis. If you study the sound system, it will be clear how the word is written, and its graphic image will not cause obstacles in pronunciation.

How many vowels are there in the German alphabet?

There are 8 vowels in German, they form twice as many sounds.

Vowels in German can be long or short, the duration of vowels can change semantic meaning fully. Like most European languages, German also has diphthongs:

  • Ei - (ai);
  • Ai - (ai);
  • Ie - long(s);
  • Eu - (oh);
  • Äu - (oh);
  • Au - (ay).

Vowels in words create open and closed syllables. In an open syllable or a conditionally closed one, when the form of the word changes, the syllable can again become open.

How many consonants are there in German writing?

There are 21 consonant letters in the German alphabet.

Letter Name Pronunciation Note
Bb (bae) Subject to the same orthoepic norms as a similar sound in Russian (b)
Cc (tse) Participates in combinations ch and chs; before e and i in some cases one “c” is pronounced as (ts). In borrowings it can appear as (c)
Dd (de) Similar to Russian (d)
Ff (ef) Gives sound (ph) The letter “v” makes a similar sound in German.
Gg (ge) Sounds like (g) At the end of a word in the vicinity of ig it sounds like (хь), close to (ш)
Hh (Ha) Sounds like (x) Often in words it is indicated only in writing, one of the unpronounceable consonants of the language. It is often reduced in the position between vowels and at the absolute end of a word
Jj (yot) Sometimes like (dz) or (z)
Kk (ka) Pronounced traditionally as (k) The -ck remains a sound (k)
Ll (el) Pronunciation is similar to Russian (l)
mm (Em) Gives sound (m)
Nn (en) Gives sound (n)
Pp (peh) Gives sound (p)
Qq (ku) Usually like (k) If combined with qu, the sound (kv) comes out
Rr (er) Slightly burry (r) At the end of a word it can transform into (a)
Ss (es) (h) at the beginning of a word At the end of the word it is deafened to (s)
Tt (te) Gives sound (t)
Vv (ugh) Gives sound(ph) In borrowings gives sound (in)
Ww (ve) Gives sound(s)
Xx (X) (ks)
Yy (upsilon) Gives sounds (y) and (y:)
Zz (tset) Traditionally gives a combination of sounds (ts)

Features of consonants and their combinations in German

  • The letter C forms an affricate with h – ch (хь) or (с);
  • chs gives sound (ks);
  • before e and i in some cases one “c” is pronounced as (ts).

Other cases are no less interesting:

  1. The juxtaposition of the letters Sch gives the sound (sh).
  2. The affricate ph gives rise to the sound (f).
  3. The letter combination ts is pronounced (ts). A special feature is the ligature ß (esset), which expresses the short sound of a sound similar to Russian (c). It traditionally stands in the middle of a word or at its end.
  4. DT or TH produce the same sound (t).
  5. The letter combinations tsch are similar to the sound (ch).
  6. And Z or TZ give rise to sound (ts).

German alphabet and speech. 15 interesting facts

  1. Until about the 12th century, runic writing was widespread in Germany.
  2. Since the 15th century, the Schwabacher font has spread, which belongs to gothic style letters. It was widespread until the beginning of the last century. However, in the century before last it began to be supplanted, first by Fraktura, and later by Antiqua. They were officially recognized only after the 1918 Revolution.
  3. Since the 20s of the twentieth century, the Sütterlin font has become popular.
  4. In 1903, a special telephone directory for reading was published german words by sounds. Initially, they tried to convey the letters in numbers, but this was difficult to remember.
  5. In military affairs, when encrypting, the ligature ß and affricate ch were replaced by letter combinations.
  6. During Hitler's reign, they tried to revive the imperial font, but the idea did not take root.
  7. The stress in German usually falls on the first syllable. When a word has an unstressed prefix, the stress shifts to the second syllable.
  8. All nouns in German writing, regardless of their place in a sentence, are written with a capital letter.
  9. The word "girl" in German is neuter. And this is not an isolated case: similar inconsistencies often occur in language.
  10. Some phraseological units in German are funny when translated directly. The phrase, which we would translate as “You have a pig!” means that the person was called lucky. With the words “This is not your beer!” Germans remind each other not to meddle in other people's affairs.
  11. The word "fraer", which is considered jargon in Russian speech, comes from German. They call it the groom.
  12. The longest word in the German language, which is still used in speech and writing, consists of 63 letters.
  13. Germans often use the words “treasure”, “Romeo” and even “stallion” as endearing words for their lovers.
  14. John Guttenberg printed the first book on his press not in German, but in Latin. Famous Bible in German translation appeared 10 years later.
  15. German could become the official language in the United States. After civil war English won by chance at the Congress meeting. It received one more vote than the German language.

Video on the topic