German SSC�(symbol-sound correspondences)

Source Words

Date updated: 21/11/19�

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Vowels�

• German vowels can be short or long.

• Vowels are short when followed by more than one consonant, e.g., Mann, Gast.

• Vowels are long when:
• there is a double vowel, e.g. Paar,
• or when followed by the letter ‘h’, e.g., fahren,
• or by a single consonant, e.g., sagen.

• NB: German final ‘e’is not silent, but very short, e.g. danke, Klasse.

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a�

sagen

[a:]

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a�

[a]

kalt

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e�

[e:]

geben

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e�

[ɛ]

denken

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ei�

frei

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Nouns

All German nouns start with a capital letter, wherever they are in the sentence.

For example:�Der Mann ist kalt.

Which nouns do this in English?

Proper nouns, e.g. London, September, Monday.

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w�

Welt

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z�

Zug

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i

[i:]

wir

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i�

[ɪ]

finden

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ie�

Liebe

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ch�

[ç]

ich

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ch�

[x]

Buch

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sch

schreiben

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o�

[o:]

wo?

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o�

[ɔ]

Kopf

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u

[u:]

du

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u�

[ʊ]

Punkt

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er

er

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er�

wieder

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r

reden

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r�

Uhr

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v�

vor

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s

sollen

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�

groß

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ü�

[y:]

Tür

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ü�

[Y]

fünf

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ö�

[ø:]

schön

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ö�

[ø]

plötzlich

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ä�

[ɛ:]

spät

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ä

[ɛ]

lächeln

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au�

Haus

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eu�

Deutschland

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äu�

Mäuse

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-d�

und

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-ig�

richtig

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st-�

stark

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sp-�

spielen

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j

ja

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th�

Theater

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