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German Introduction to German Language Syllabus

The Introduction to German Language syllabus for German in full: 2 chapters and 6 topics, every one listed below, plus 50 Introduction to German Language flashcards with answers.

2Chapters
6Topics
50Flashcards

Introduction to German Language syllabus: all 2 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Understanding the German Alphabet

     3 topics
    • Learn the German Alphabet
    • Pronunciation of German Letters
    • Special Characters and Umlauts

  2. Basic German Greetings and Phrases

     3 topics
    • Common Greetings
    • Polite Expressions
    • Introducing Yourself

German Introduction to German Language flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. How is the German letter 'W' pronounced?

    Like the English 'v' sound (as in 'van'). For example, 'Wasser' (water) sounds like 'VAH-ser'.

  5. 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'.

  6. How is the German letter 'J' pronounced?

    Like the English 'y' in 'yes', e.g. 'ja' (yes) = 'yah'.

  7. How is the German letter 'Z' pronounced?

    Like 'ts' (as in 'cats'), e.g. 'Zeit' (time) = 'tsaint'.

  8. 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.

  9. 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'.

  10. 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'.

  11. How is a long German 'I' pronounced?

    Like the 'ee' in 'see', e.g. 'Kino' (cinema) = 'KEE-no'.

  12. 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'.

  13. 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'.

  14. 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'.)

  15. What sound does the combination 'au' make in German?

    Like 'ow' in 'house', e.g. 'Haus' (house) = 'howss'.

  16. 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'.

  17. How is the combination 'sch' pronounced in German?

    Like the English 'sh' sound (as in 'ship'), e.g. 'Schule' (school) = 'SHOO-le'.

  18. How are 'sp' and 'st' pronounced at the beginning of a German word?

    As 'shp' and 'sht', e.g. 'Sport' = 'SHPORT', 'Stadt' (city) = 'SHTAT'.

  19. 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).

  20. How is the umlaut 'a' pronounced?

    Like the 'e' in 'bed' (a fronted 'a'), e.g. 'Madchen' (girl) = 'MED-shen'.

Show the other 30 Introduction to German Language flashcards

  1. 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).

  2. How is the umlaut 'u' pronounced?

    Round your lips as for 'oo' but say 'ee' (like the French 'u'), e.g. 'uber' (over/above).

  3. 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'.

  4. Why does German capitalize more words than English?

    In German, ALL nouns are capitalized, not just proper nouns, e.g. 'der Hund' (the dog), 'das Buch' (the book).

  5. When was the capital sharp S (s) officially adopted, and when is s NOT used?

    The capital s was officially added to German orthography in 2017. The eszett is never used in Switzerland (which writes 'ss' instead) and never appears at the beginning of a word.

  6. What does the greeting 'Hallo' mean and when is it used?

    'Hallo' means 'Hello'. It is an informal, all-purpose greeting suitable for friends and casual situations at any time of day.

  7. What does 'Guten Morgen' mean and when is it used?

    It means 'Good morning' and is used as a greeting in the morning hours (roughly until about 11 a.m.).

  8. What does 'Guten Tag' mean and when is it appropriate?

    It means 'Good day' and is a polite, formal greeting used during the daytime. It is the standard neutral greeting for strangers and formal settings.

  9. What do 'Guten Abend' and 'Gute Nacht' mean, and how do they differ?

    'Guten Abend' means 'Good evening' and is used as a greeting in the evening. 'Gute Nacht' means 'Good night' and is used only when parting/going to bed, not as a greeting.

  10. What is the informal southern-German/Austrian greeting equivalent to 'hi/hello'?

    'Servus' (used in Bavaria and Austria) and 'Gruss Gott' (a more formal 'God greet you' used in the south). 'Moin' is a common informal greeting in northern Germany.

  11. What is the difference between 'Tschuss' and 'Auf Wiedersehen'?

    'Tschuss' means 'Bye' and is informal. 'Auf Wiedersehen' means 'Goodbye' (literally 'until we see again') and is formal/polite.

  12. What does 'Auf Wiederhoren' mean and in what context is it used?

    It means 'goodbye' literally 'until we hear each other again' and is used specifically when ending a telephone conversation.

  13. How do you say 'please' and 'thank you' in German?

    'Bitte' means 'please' and 'Danke' means 'thank you'. 'Danke schon' or 'Vielen Dank' means 'thank you very much'.

  14. What are the two meanings of the word 'Bitte' in German?

    'Bitte' means both 'please' and 'you're welcome'. It is also used to mean 'here you go' when handing something over, or 'pardon?' when asking someone to repeat.

  15. How do you say 'excuse me' or 'sorry' in German?

    'Entschuldigung' means 'excuse me' / 'sorry' (to get attention or apologize). 'Es tut mir leid' means 'I am sorry' (a sincere apology).

  16. What is the key difference between the pronouns 'du' and 'Sie'?

    'du' is the informal 'you' used with friends, family, children, and peers. 'Sie' (always capitalized) is the formal/polite 'you' used with strangers, elders, and in professional settings. 'Sie' takes the same verb form as the third-person plural.

  17. How do you politely ask 'How are you?' in formal and informal German?

    Formal: 'Wie geht es Ihnen?' Informal: 'Wie geht es dir?' or simply 'Wie geht's?'

  18. How might you answer 'Wie geht es dir?' (How are you?) in German?

    'Mir geht es gut, danke' (I'm well, thank you), 'Sehr gut' (very good), 'Es geht' (so-so), or 'Nicht so gut' (not so good). Often followed by 'Und dir?' / 'Und Ihnen?' (And you?).

  19. How do you say 'My name is...' in German (two common ways)?

    'Ich heisse...' (literally 'I am called...') or 'Mein Name ist...' ('My name is...'). Example: 'Ich heisse Anna.'

  20. How do you ask someone's name formally and informally in German?

    Formal: 'Wie heissen Sie?' or 'Wie ist Ihr Name?' Informal: 'Wie heisst du?'

  21. How do you say 'I come from...' / 'Where are you from?' in German?

    'Ich komme aus...' means 'I come from...' (e.g. 'Ich komme aus Deutschland'). To ask formally: 'Woher kommen Sie?'; informally: 'Woher kommst du?'

  22. How do you say 'Nice to meet you' in German?

    'Freut mich' (short form) or 'Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen' (formal, 'I'm pleased to meet you'). A common response is 'Freut mich auch' ('nice to meet you too').

  23. How do you state your age and ask someone's age in German?

    'Ich bin ... Jahre alt' ('I am ... years old', e.g. 'Ich bin 20 Jahre alt'). To ask: 'Wie alt bist du?' (informal) or 'Wie alt sind Sie?' (formal).

  24. How do you say 'I live in...' and ask where someone lives in German?

    'Ich wohne in...' means 'I live in...' (e.g. 'Ich wohne in Berlin'). To ask: 'Wo wohnst du?' (informal) or 'Wo wohnen Sie?' (formal).

  25. How do you say 'I speak a little German' and 'I don't understand' in German?

    'Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch' means 'I speak a little German'. 'Ich verstehe nicht' means 'I don't understand'.

  26. How do you ask 'Do you speak English?' politely in German?

    'Sprechen Sie Englisch?' (formal) or 'Sprichst du Englisch?' (informal).

  27. How do you say 'yes', 'no', and the useful particle 'doch' in German?

    'Ja' = yes, 'Nein' = no. 'Doch' is used to contradict a negative statement or question, meaning 'yes, on the contrary' (e.g. answering 'yes I do' to 'Don't you...?').

  28. What does 'Ich bin' mean and how is it used when introducing yourself?

    'Ich bin' means 'I am'. It is used with a name or a description, e.g. 'Ich bin Thomas' (I am Thomas) or 'Ich bin Student' (I am a student).

  29. How do you say 'What is your job/profession?' and answer it in German?

    Ask: 'Was sind Sie von Beruf?' (formal) or 'Was machst du beruflich?' (informal). Answer: 'Ich bin...' + profession, e.g. 'Ich bin Lehrer' (I am a teacher) note German drops the article for professions.

  30. What formal phrase can you use to greet someone and introduce yourself in one polite exchange?

    'Guten Tag, mein Name ist ... . Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen.' meaning 'Good day, my name is ... . Pleased to meet you.'

German Introduction to German Language FAQ

What is in the German Introduction to German Language syllabus?

German Introduction to German Language is split into 2 chapters: Understanding the German Alphabet and Basic German Greetings and Phrases. Together they contain 6 topics.

How many chapters are in German Introduction to German Language?

2 chapters, containing 6 topics. The largest chapter is Understanding the German Alphabet, with 3 topics.

Are there flashcards for German Introduction to German Language?

Yes — a 50-card Introduction to German Language deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.