Why start with the alphabet?
In Germany you will spell your name again and again: at the Bürgeramt, at the doctor's, on the phone with your bank. People will ask: „Wie schreibt man das?" (How do you write that?). After this lesson, you can answer.
The German alphabet
Most letters look like English, but their names sound different. Say them out loud:
| Letter | Name | Letter | Name | Letter | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | J | jott | S | es |
| B | be | K | ka | T | te |
| C | ze | L | el | U | u |
| D | de | M | em | V | fau |
| E | e | N | en | W | we |
| F | ef | O | o | X | iks |
| G | ge | P | pe | Y | ypsilon |
| H | ha | Q | ku | Z | zet |
| I | i | R | er |
German has four extra letters:
| Letter | Name | Sounds a bit like |
|---|---|---|
| Ä ä | a-Umlaut | "e" in bed |
| Ö ö | o-Umlaut | "u" in fur, with round lips |
| Ü ü | u-Umlaut | say "ee" with round lips |
| ß | eszett | a sharp "s" |
No umlaut keys on your keyboard? You can write ae, oe, ue and ss instead: Tschüss → Tschuess, Straße → Strasse. Everyone will understand.
Sounds that surprise English speakers
- w sounds like English "v": Wasser, wohnen
- v usually sounds like "f": Vater, vier
- j sounds like "y": ja, Januar
- z sounds like "ts": Zahl, zwei
- ei sounds like "eye": drei, heißen
- ie sounds like "ee": vier, Sie
- eu and äu sound like "oy": neu, Häuser
- sch sounds like "sh": Schule, Tschüss
- st and sp at the start of a word sound like "sht" and "shp": Straße, sprechen
Tip: ei and ie are easy to mix up. Say the second letter in English: ei → "i" (eye), ie → "e" (ee).
Spelling your name
When you spell, say each letter name clearly, with a short pause:
„Mein Name ist Okafor. O – ka – a – ef – o – er."
If someone spells too fast, you can say: „Langsam, bitte." (Slowly, please.)