LinguaThirteen more letters, and four surprises
Today you finish the alphabet: N to Z. Most of these letters sound as you expect, but four do not, and they are the ones that give a foreign accent away. V usually sounds like f: Vater is “FAH-ter”. W sounds like English v: Wasser is “VAS-ser”. Z is always “ts”, as in “cats”: Zoo is “tsoh”. And S before a vowel buzzes like the z of “zoo”: Sonne is “ZON-neh”. The German R is made in the throat, and after a vowel it often melts into a short “uh”: Uhr sounds almost like “oo-uh”.
N is “en”, O is “oh”. Capital N: post up, diagonal down, post up. Small n: a short post and one arch. O: one round stroke, starting at the top and going left.
P is “peh”, Q is “koo”. Capital P: the post, then one belly at the top. Small p: the post goes down below the line. Q: an O with a little tail. In German q always comes with u, and qu says “kv”: Quelle.
R is “air” without the English r, S is “ess”. Capital R: a P with a leg. Small r: a short post and a small shoulder. S: one snake stroke, from the top right.
T is “teh”, U is “oo”. Capital T: the post, then the roof across the top. Small t: a post with a short bar near the top. U: down, round the bottom and up; small u adds a short post on the right.
V is “fow” (rhymes with “cow”), W is “veh”. V: two strokes meeting at the bottom. W: four strokes, down-up-down-up, like two Vs side by side.
X is “iks”, Y is “ÜP-see-lon”. X: two crossing strokes. Capital Y: a small V on a post. Small y: a short stroke and a long one that runs below the line. Both letters are rare in German words.
Z is “tset”. Three strokes: the top bar, the diagonal down to the left, the bottom bar. It always sounds “ts”.
| Letter | German name | How it sounds | In a word |
|---|---|---|---|
| N n | en | n | Name |
| O o | o | a pure “oh”, with no w at the end | Oma |
| P p | pe | p, with a puff of air | Papa |
| Q q | ku | only in qu, said “kv” | Quelle |
| R r | er | in the throat; after a vowel, a short “uh” | Rose |
| S s | es | before a vowel like the z of “zoo”; otherwise s | Sonne |
| T t | te | t, with a puff of air | Tee |
| U u | u | “oo”, as in “moon” | Uhr |
| V v | fau | usually f | Vater |
| W w | we | like English v | Wasser |
| X x | ix | “ks”, as in “box” | Taxi |
| Y y | üpsilon | mostly like ü (next lesson) | Typ |
| Z z | zet | always “ts”, as in “cats” | Zoo |
Papa trinkt Wasser.Dad is drinking water.
Oma und Opa sind im Zoo.Grandma and Grandpa are at the zoo.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| der Name | name | Wie ist dein Name? What’s your name? |
| die Oma | grandma, granny | Oma hat eine Katze. Grandma has a cat. |
| der Papa | dad | Papa kommt! Dad’s coming! |
| die Rose | rose | Die Rose ist rot. The rose is red. |
| die Sonne | sun | Die Sonne scheint. The sun is shining. |
| der Tee | tea | Der Tee ist heiß. The tea is hot. |
| die Uhr | clock, watch | Die Uhr ist neu. The watch is new. |
| der Vater | father | Mein Vater heißt Paul. My father’s name is Paul. |
| das Wasser | water | Das Wasser ist kalt. The water is cold. |
| der Zoo | zoo | Wir gehen in den Zoo. We’re going to the zoo. |
| das Taxi | taxi | Das Taxi ist da. The taxi is here. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 3
- fill the gap: 2
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which letter do Germans call “fau”?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.