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German Introduction to German Language Syllabus
Every chapter and topic of Introduction to German Language examined in German — 2 chapters, 6 topics, plus 50 flashcards written against it.
Introduction to German Language syllabus — full chapter and topic list
Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Introduction to German Language in German, not a summary of it.
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Understanding the German Alphabet
3 topics- Learn the German Alphabet
- Pronunciation of German Letters
- Special Characters and Umlauts
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Basic German Greetings and Phrases
3 topics- Common Greetings
- Polite Expressions
- Introducing Yourself
Introduction to German Language flashcards for German
23 of 50 cards from the Introduction to German Language deck — real questions with worked answers.
How many letters are in the standard German alphabet, and how does it relate to the English alphabet?
The standard German alphabet has 26 letters, the same A-Z as English. In addition it uses four special characters (a, o, u and s), which are not counted as separate alphabet letters.
What are the four special characters used in written German beyond the 26 basic letters?
The three umlauted vowels a (a-umlaut), o (o-umlaut), u (u-umlaut), and the eszett/sharp s: s.
What is the German name for the letter combination 'ss' (s) and what sound does it represent?
It is called the Eszett or scharfes S (sharp s). It represents a voiceless /s/ sound and never begins a word.
How is the German letter 'W' pronounced?
Like the English 'v' sound (as in 'van'). For example, 'Wasser' (water) sounds like 'VAH-ser'.
How is the German letter 'V' typically pronounced?
Usually like the English 'f' sound (as in 'father'), e.g. 'Vater' = 'FAH-ter'. In some loanwords it sounds like English 'v'.
How is the German letter 'J' pronounced?
Like the English 'y' in 'yes', e.g. 'ja' (yes) = 'yah'.
How is the German letter 'Z' pronounced?
Like 'ts' (as in 'cats'), e.g. 'Zeit' (time) = 'tsaint'.
What sound does the German letter 'R' commonly make?
A guttural sound produced at the back of the throat (uvular R), unlike the English rolled or retroflex R. At the end of syllables it often softens toward an 'ah' vowel sound.
How is the German letter 'S' pronounced when it appears before a vowel at the start of a word?
Like the English 'z' sound, e.g. 'Sonne' (sun) = 'ZON-ne'.
How is the letter 'E' pronounced in German, and how does it differ from English?
Long E sounds like the 'ay' in 'day' (but without the glide), e.g. 'Tee' (tea). Short E sounds like the 'e' in 'bed'.
How is a long German 'I' pronounced?
Like the 'ee' in 'see', e.g. 'Kino' (cinema) = 'KEE-no'.
What sound does the letter combination 'ei' make in German?
It is pronounced like the English word 'eye' / long 'i', e.g. 'nein' (no) = 'nine'.
What sound does the letter combination 'ie' make in German?
It is pronounced like a long 'ee' as in 'see', e.g. 'Liebe' (love) = 'LEE-be'.
What sound does the combination 'eu' (or 'au') make in German?
'eu' and 'au' are both pronounced like 'oy' in 'boy', e.g. 'Deutsch' = 'DOYTCH', 'Hauser' = 'HOY-zer'. (Note: 'au' alone is 'ow' as in 'house'.)
What sound does the combination 'au' make in German?
Like 'ow' in 'house', e.g. 'Haus' (house) = 'howss'.
What are the two main pronunciations of the German 'ch' sound?
After a, o, u, au it is a hard, throaty sound (like Scottish 'loch'), e.g. 'Buch'. After e, i and consonants it is a soft, hissing sound (like a whispered 'h'), e.g. 'ich'.
How is the combination 'sch' pronounced in German?
Like the English 'sh' sound (as in 'ship'), e.g. 'Schule' (school) = 'SHOO-le'.
How are 'sp' and 'st' pronounced at the beginning of a German word?
As 'shp' and 'sht', e.g. 'Sport' = 'SHPORT', 'Stadt' (city) = 'SHTAT'.
What is an umlaut and what does it do to a vowel?
An umlaut is the pair of dots placed over a, o, or u (a, o, u). It changes the vowel's pronunciation to a fronted sound and can also change a word's meaning or grammatical form (e.g. plural).
How is the umlaut 'a' pronounced?
Like the 'e' in 'bed' (a fronted 'a'), e.g. 'Madchen' (girl) = 'MED-shen'.
How is the umlaut 'o' pronounced?
Similar to the 'i' in 'bird' or the French 'eu'; round your lips as for 'o' but say 'e'. Example: 'schon' (beautiful).
How is the umlaut 'u' pronounced?
Round your lips as for 'oo' but say 'ee' (like the French 'u'), e.g. 'uber' (over/above).
How can umlauts and s be typed when a German keyboard is unavailable?
Replace them with vowel + e or ss: a to ae, o to oe, u to ue, and s to ss. For example, 'Madchen' becomes 'Maedchen' and 'Fuss' becomes 'Fuss'/'Fuss'.
Planning Introduction to German Language for German
Introduction to German Language is about 17% of the German syllabus by topic count — 6 of 35 topics, spread over 2 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 5 hours.
Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.
Introduction to German Language (German) FAQ
What is in the German Introduction to German Language syllabus?
Introduction to German Language is split into 2 chapters — Understanding the German Alphabet and Basic German Greetings and Phrases, containing 6 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.
How many chapters are there in Introduction to German Language for German?
2 chapters. Introduction to German Language accounts for about 17% of the topics in the whole German syllabus (6 of 35).
How long should I spend on Introduction to German Language for German?
Budget around 5 hours for a first pass through Introduction to German Language — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 6 topics. Add revision cycles on top.
Are there flashcards for German Introduction to German Language?
Yes — a 50-card Introduction to German Language deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.