The German R sounds a lot like me breathing when I have asthma attack ; ). Thank you for the video, this is very helpful. After a month and a half studying German I still can not pronounce the "r" :).
@Kapuzina1337 Ich bin aus Dresden und hab auch nie woanders gewohnt. Und Muttersprachler sagen hin und wieder doch, dass ich nen Akzent hätte. Amis halten mich gern für nen Briten, Briten für nen Australier, und manche sagen sogar, ich hätte doch ne Spur von nem deutschen Akzent. :)
I'm from Brazil... and I like the German R... it's quite like the French R, though it's trilled.... well, since I'm from Rio de Janeiro it's easier for me, lol. Congrats!
@masacatior Not at all. The French "ch" equals the German "sch". And in German, the "ch" can have two very different sounds, depending on what vowel or diphtong precedes it. I feature it in my German Pronunciation Tutorial video. In short: after A O U AU or a consonant, the "ch" sounds like a voiceless German R (the raspy sound that is sometimes transliterared as "kh" in English, where the German R would be "gh"), otherwise it is a sounds produced like "sch" but with a smiling mouth.
Note though that when a words starts with "Ch", it arbitrarily is either pronounced like in "ich" (China) or like a "Sch" (Champagner) or like a "K" (Stadt Chemnitz), depending on its etymological origin.
IBut in the situation when R ist right after " i, ü, ie, e "or consonant, it really drive me crazy. ><" For example, grün, rechts, richtig, Dresden and so many other words.
Wow, you really know a lot. ^^ I have only little progress for my allergic caught recently. Now I can pronounce those words in which the vowels" o, a, " sometimes "ei, au and u" come after the letter R. And I can not make it good when tring to speak a complete sentence. For instance, "Die Blumen sind rot. " I have to well-prepare for prouncing them. XD
@sakuraopi The R in Herbst ist pronounced by many people like at the end of words (or the end of syllables in general, i.e. when no vowel is following), which usually is only a schwa, i.e. the "er" then practically becomes the diphthong "ea", thus you say "Heabst". Only when people try to speak very clearly, they may stress such Rs by rolling them. In the southern dialects - Bavarian, Austrian and so on, the R is always rolled.
Ich kann schon sagen du kommst nicht aus Bayern oder B-W, da hat man das Zwungen R, und es ist für viele Norddeutsche schwer zu lernen. Man kann doch das R mit einem D ersetzen und beispielsweise "Pdinz von Pdeußen" und mit der Zeit kommt das Zungen R. Aber berlinerisch ist was anders, ich denke da hätten die gern, dass das Alphabet kein R hätte: Ick komm oos Balin.
Danke sehr fuer dein "tips." Ich spreche deutsch-lisch (deutsch + englisch = deutsch-lisch) aber ich lerne! "Someday" ich werde voll deutsch sprechen. ach, "someday."
@paintsun Hi paintsun, I hope you don't mind, rather appreciate, corrections. It should be "Danke sehr für deine Tips." [deine with e]. Someday is "eines Tages" in German. And you would say "richtig Deutsch sprechen" (even though "full" expresses what you want so say much better in a literal way).
@sallykim1111 Hi sallykim1111, your throat shouldn't hurt. The physical stress on the vocal tract is not worse than when pronouncing a G, normally. But at a learning stage one quite often does extra work that usually gets dropped automatically the longer one keeps practising. A wee grammar correction: "lerne ich schon Deutsch." would be the correct word order.
@sallykim1111 Oh, and by the way. I never remember which Chinese variant you speak in Taiwan. Anyway, there's the chance you know the string instrument called Erhu. For the German R, take the "erhu" R, and then slide your tongue tip forward until it almost touches your lower teeth. Then just press slightly more air for a little more 'rasp" (but just a little is enough, no throat hurting!). - I think that could be an exercise for at least some Chinese speakers (I am aware of the variants though).
Thanks, this was helpful. I've just started learning German and I'm having trouble with the r's. Especially when preceded by a 'g' (ie: grün). I just make this horrible gurgling sound that doesn't sound right at all :/
@solvrn Hello solvrn, with such consonant clusters, it is always a good idea to slip in a schwa or short E. Thus, instead of twisting your tongue with "grün", simply say "gerün" with a very short unstressed E. Professional German speakers often practise this way, for instance actors, newsreaders and the like. Also when people talk very slowly or want to really stress a word, they do this little "trick", often unconsciously.
@TheCawOfTheCrow Err, what shall that mean, "to look like a cloud"? To me, this sounds like Chomsky's famous colorless green ideas sleeping furiously...
@itekisan I'm sorry, my brother hacked my account yesterday, and he's has a dull, random sense of humor. Sorry about that. But you don't look anything like a cloud. I don't know what my brother was thinking... but he probably thought his comment was hilarious.
Das hat mich sehr geholfen ! Aber meine Deutsche ist noch nicht gut genueg, deshalb muess ich immer mehr Tips auf YouTube fernsehen. Jedesmal, als ich "r" pronunzieren versuche, fuehle ich krank mit Rabies oder etwas. Soll man duzen oder seizen auf YouTube? Ich wuensche, dass jemand mein schlechtes Deutschfehleren gerichtigen kann, weil ich bin ganz gekieft.
@stickernation Hi stickernation, sorry for the truly belated reaction. On the internet, people in Germany usually use the informal Du, the formal Sie is used almost only for business contacts and correspondence. I shall also correct your whole posting, as you wished. But if the last word says what It appears to say, I cannot resist but say that learning is imho better done with a clear head. ;)
@stickernation CORRECTION: Das hat mir sehr geholfen! Aber mein Deutsch ist noch nicht gut genug, deshalb muss ich mir noch mehr Tips auf YouTube anschauen. Jedesmal, wenn ich ein "r" auszusprechen versuche, komme ich mir vor, als hätte ich Tollwut oder sowas. Duzt oder siezt man sich auf YouTube eigentlich? Ich hoffe, dass jemand mein schlechtes und fehlerhaftes Deutsch berichtigen kann, denn ich bin gerade ziemlich zugekifft.
Das hat mich sehr geholfen ! Aber meine Deutsche ist noch nicht gut genueg, deshalb muess ich immer mehr YouTube fernsehen. Jedesmal, als ich "r" pronunzieren versuche, fuehle ich krank mit Rabies oder etwas. Soll man duzen oder seizen auf YouTube? Ich wuensche, dass jemand mein schlechtes Deutschfehleren gerichtigen kann, weil ich bin ganz gekieft.
Ich hab zuviel mit Bayern und Ösis zu tun - dort unten wird das -ig nämlich als -ik ausgesprochen. Versuch ich mir derzeit aber schon wieder abzugewöhnen. ;)
jaja, die bayern und die ösis... dabei sprechen die bayern und franken und ösis die ältere deutsche aussprache vom R. das zäpfchen-R verbreitete sich durch französischen einfluss. wohl auch ein grund weshalb das zäpfchen-R für einen bayern immer etwas affektiert klingt. die meisten englischen nativ-speakers denen ich den tipp mit dem rollenden R gegeben habe, hatten ein aha-erlebnis. und fingen an zu rollen...
Great topic. This is the hardest part about German diction for me. If I really commit to it, then I think I sound like an idiot. If I say everything with my American R, then it sounds wrong but I don't sound as strange. I wish your video quality had more fps so I could see more about how you pronounce it.
I recently found out that a key point may be where to place the tip of your tongue. While in English, I curve my tongue up, in German I point it down, touching the soft tissue in front of the lower teeth. Does that help, perhaps?
this is not a good idea to use the american R sound. trust me it sounds totally strange and completely false and even totally FUNNY (we are making jokes about that) in german.
Hi, thanks for the compliments! :) I was born in the GDR (East Germany), and am still living there (now FRG), and have no English speaking relatives. I've not even been to any English speaking country so far.
Thanks for the video man. I could never understand how to pronounce the German "R". When I was in Germany we always said "prost" to each other at dinner and I could never figure out how to say because it sounded like "post" to me but now I think I can say it right. Danke schoen.
Bei vielen Wörtern wird das "r" bei uns einfach weggelassen. Es ist einfacher auszusprechen. Da ich als Muttersprache Deutsch habe, kenne ich das. Und Ja, fast jede Region in Deutschland hat eine andere Betonung. Dadurch wird es sehr schwer ein eingeitliches Deutsch zu schreiben und zu betonen^^ (Wenn ihr das lesen könnt, dann könnt ihr sehr gut deutsch ;D)
To the people that are saying this vid doesn't teach you where to put your tongue: Position your tongue as if saying the "ch" sound (the back of your tongue touching the soft palate, the same position as for the letter "k"), and then, leaving a small gap between the roof of the mouth and the tongue, make a voiced sound (i.e. your vocal cords are vibrating). Try it at the start of a word and it'll be easier.
Even though the sounds are similiar, this is not the "r", this is a voiced "ch". The "r" is deeper down. The grating sound is not made between the soft palate and tongue, but between the uvula and tongue. Moreover, there are german people who makes the ch in the soft palate and there are people who makes it in the uvula (it sounds softer). If the latter is your case, then you should make it voiced and then you´ll get the "r"
You're right, but I was explaining it that way for people that have no idea where their tongues should be. The 'r' is slightly further back but with practice, the proper sound should come easily.
in german "the dog" is "der Hund", but "the dogs" is "die Hunde". even if you lived in germany for several years, you would still have problems with the words "der, die, das" (=the) and "ein, eine" (=a). but of course everyone could understand what you were saying.
Therefore, when I learn a German word, I not only learn its meaning in Dutch (I am Dutch), but also the definite article and the plural form. I not only learn that "Hund" means "hond" in Dutch, but that the article to be used is "der": Der Hund, and that the plural form is "Hunde". There are plural rules for making a plural form of a given noun, but there are way too many exceptions. Learning the plural form of each word turns out be easier for me.
I'm afraid the gender (der, die, das) needs to be learnt always together with the noun as a union. As far as I know there is no way to tell from the structure of a word what gender it is. They are arbitrary. A linguistic theory is, that they came from ancient Indian religions where all objects belonged to a god or goddess each, and derived from them the gender. But this doesn't help in learning, of course. So instead of learning just "Hund" for instance, always learn "der Hund"!
He had his own particular rhetoric style, with a very accentuated pronunciation and guttural characteristics. Sort of a talking fashion, comparable perhaps to some famous sports commentators on tv, which also develop their own style.
And one more thing Sir. Do germans pronounce "r" silently at the end of a word like Jahr = Jaaa..... Meer = Meya....... Tier = Teeya .... vor = vo.... ?
> Do germans pronounce "r" silently at the end of a word [...]?
I think many do, because it is more convenient to pronounce. It is also a matter of local dialect. For instance, the word "Kinder" (children) sounds in Berlin like "Kinda" and in Saxony like "Kindo" (with a very short "o").
viel dank, Herr Itekisan! Guess Germany was the real Fatherland of England coz Brits have silent 'r' at the end of a word like 'center'= centaa unlike the Romans with flapping 'r' = 'rrr'.
There are a few rules to tell. Words ending in -ung, -heit, and -keit are always feminine words. There are some other hints for der and das...but there aren't rules for every word, so, like you said, one has to learn the word with the article and plural form together.
While -heit and -keit are sort of word stems in themselves (female), the -ung rule only applies to nouns derived from verbs. Eg "verbessern" = "to improve" becomes "die Verbesserung" = "the improvement". Other words literally ending in -ung may be non-feminine, though. Der Dung, der Sprung...
Well, the only way to know if you're doing it right is if it SOUNDS right. ;) So maybe you just record yourself talking German and compare it with German movies or YT vids etc.
Ok, that's a way to put it. But tell me one more thing before I commence speaking anymore German lol...is the German "r" pronounced like the French "r"? If so, I might be able to get it right.
Well, you simply voice the D or G and then the R, as if the word was "rei" or "rün". It's like saying "glitch" in English, where you first voice the G and then the "litch".
If that DR, GR and so on sounds are difficult to pronounce first, you may practise by saying "derei", "gerün" with a short(!) added E between the consonants. Most people will not even notice it. In fact, it may sound especially well pronounced, since some newsspeakers talk this way.
Your English sounds like it has an Austrailian or British accent. However, your english is excellent and your videos are very helpful to a native yank interested in the German language.
Well Mittwoch certainly ends with the raspy CH sound, similar to an unvoiced German R. I am currently over-busy, but as I find time again, I might do some vocabulary videos.
I am shocked to learn you are not a native english speaker. I honestly thought you were Australian at first.
Halopedian 1 month ago
The German R sounds a lot like me breathing when I have asthma attack ; ). Thank you for the video, this is very helpful. After a month and a half studying German I still can not pronounce the "r" :).
GraceMcKagan 2 months ago
was zur hölle beide sprachen ohne jeglichen akzent einer anderen sprache! wahnsinn! könnte nicht sagen wo du aufgewachsen bist! :D
Kapuzina1337 4 months ago
@Kapuzina1337 Ich bin aus Dresden und hab auch nie woanders gewohnt. Und Muttersprachler sagen hin und wieder doch, dass ich nen Akzent hätte. Amis halten mich gern für nen Briten, Briten für nen Australier, und manche sagen sogar, ich hätte doch ne Spur von nem deutschen Akzent. :)
itekisan 4 months ago
The music was totally distracting. XD But ok...
shockingreality 5 months ago
@shockingreality Yeah, I know ... Yours btw is great. :) (I just don't subscribe to music-only channels, except for the few wo I know personally.)
itekisan 5 months ago
I'm from Brazil... and I like the German R... it's quite like the French R, though it's trilled.... well, since I'm from Rio de Janeiro it's easier for me, lol. Congrats!
leochu100 5 months ago
The 'ch' in Drache, brechen, kriechen sounds a lot like French's "ch", is that right?
masacatior 7 months ago
@masacatior Not at all. The French "ch" equals the German "sch". And in German, the "ch" can have two very different sounds, depending on what vowel or diphtong precedes it. I feature it in my German Pronunciation Tutorial video. In short: after A O U AU or a consonant, the "ch" sounds like a voiceless German R (the raspy sound that is sometimes transliterared as "kh" in English, where the German R would be "gh"), otherwise it is a sounds produced like "sch" but with a smiling mouth.
itekisan 7 months ago
Note though that when a words starts with "Ch", it arbitrarily is either pronounced like in "ich" (China) or like a "Sch" (Champagner) or like a "K" (Stadt Chemnitz), depending on its etymological origin.
itekisan 7 months ago
@itekisan Thanks, very helpful, luckly i've got some of 'ch' phonems in my language hehe
Doch denken zu dir! ^^
masacatior 6 months ago
du lebst in england oder ? ;D
Herastheblackwolf 1 year ago
@Herastheblackwolf Nein, ich bin noch nie in einem englischsprachigen Land gewesen, ehrlich.
itekisan 1 year ago
The music sucks and is distracting and the audio levels are awful to listen to.
LordShandor 1 year ago
IBut in the situation when R ist right after " i, ü, ie, e "or consonant, it really drive me crazy. ><" For example, grün, rechts, richtig, Dresden and so many other words.
Anyway, i will keep on working.
sallykim1111 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Wow, you really know a lot. ^^ I have only little progress for my allergic caught recently. Now I can pronounce those words in which the vowels" o, a, " sometimes "ei, au and u" come after the letter R. And I can not make it good when tring to speak a complete sentence. For instance, "Die Blumen sind rot. " I have to well-prepare for prouncing them. XD
sallykim1111 1 year ago
Comment removed
sallykim1111 1 year ago
sorry i have a quick question! im having trouble with words like "herbst".. do you really say the r in the middle or is it like a "light" r?
and my mom is austrian , is there a large difference in the way germans and austrians use their r's?
sakuraopi 1 year ago
@sakuraopi The R in Herbst ist pronounced by many people like at the end of words (or the end of syllables in general, i.e. when no vowel is following), which usually is only a schwa, i.e. the "er" then practically becomes the diphthong "ea", thus you say "Heabst". Only when people try to speak very clearly, they may stress such Rs by rolling them. In the southern dialects - Bavarian, Austrian and so on, the R is always rolled.
itekisan 1 year ago
Ich kann schon sagen du kommst nicht aus Bayern oder B-W, da hat man das Zwungen R, und es ist für viele Norddeutsche schwer zu lernen. Man kann doch das R mit einem D ersetzen und beispielsweise "Pdinz von Pdeußen" und mit der Zeit kommt das Zungen R. Aber berlinerisch ist was anders, ich denke da hätten die gern, dass das Alphabet kein R hätte: Ick komm oos Balin.
JGAL95 1 year ago
wait .... he's German?
he doesnt sound it when he talks english
avetowagnim123 1 year ago
@avetowagnim123 I am. German, that is. :)
itekisan 1 year ago
@itekisan
whoa. lol your accent is REALLY good (both languages)
:D
avetowagnim123 1 year ago
Danke sehr fuer dein "tips." Ich spreche deutsch-lisch (deutsch + englisch = deutsch-lisch) aber ich lerne! "Someday" ich werde voll deutsch sprechen. ach, "someday."
paintsun 1 year ago
@paintsun Hi paintsun, I hope you don't mind, rather appreciate, corrections. It should be "Danke sehr für deine Tips." [deine with e]. Someday is "eines Tages" in German. And you would say "richtig Deutsch sprechen" (even though "full" expresses what you want so say much better in a literal way).
itekisan 1 year ago
@itekisan Vielen Dank!
paintsun 1 year ago
tausend dank!!!!!!! (from Taiwan)
seit 3 monaten lerne ich Deutsch schon.
but my throat is really hurt after i practice for a while. it means that i pronounce the letter "r" with wrong position? or i have to used to it.
and when your prounce the "r" your mouth is more like to prounce the german "e", instead of german "o", it help me to do a better job. ^^
sallykim1111 1 year ago
@sallykim1111 Hi sallykim1111, your throat shouldn't hurt. The physical stress on the vocal tract is not worse than when pronouncing a G, normally. But at a learning stage one quite often does extra work that usually gets dropped automatically the longer one keeps practising. A wee grammar correction: "lerne ich schon Deutsch." would be the correct word order.
itekisan 1 year ago
@sallykim1111 Oh, and by the way. I never remember which Chinese variant you speak in Taiwan. Anyway, there's the chance you know the string instrument called Erhu. For the German R, take the "erhu" R, and then slide your tongue tip forward until it almost touches your lower teeth. Then just press slightly more air for a little more 'rasp" (but just a little is enough, no throat hurting!). - I think that could be an exercise for at least some Chinese speakers (I am aware of the variants though).
itekisan 1 year ago
Thanks, this was helpful. I've just started learning German and I'm having trouble with the r's. Especially when preceded by a 'g' (ie: grün). I just make this horrible gurgling sound that doesn't sound right at all :/
solvrn 1 year ago
@solvrn Hello solvrn, with such consonant clusters, it is always a good idea to slip in a schwa or short E. Thus, instead of twisting your tongue with "grün", simply say "gerün" with a very short unstressed E. Professional German speakers often practise this way, for instance actors, newsreaders and the like. Also when people talk very slowly or want to really stress a word, they do this little "trick", often unconsciously.
itekisan 1 year ago
Comment removed
solvrn 1 year ago
You look like a cloud.
TheCawOfTheCrow 1 year ago 2
@TheCawOfTheCrow Err, what shall that mean, "to look like a cloud"? To me, this sounds like Chomsky's famous colorless green ideas sleeping furiously...
itekisan 1 year ago
@itekisan I'm sorry, my brother hacked my account yesterday, and he's has a dull, random sense of humor. Sorry about that. But you don't look anything like a cloud. I don't know what my brother was thinking... but he probably thought his comment was hilarious.
TheCawOfTheCrow 1 year ago
@itekisan what he means is that your appearance is similar compared to a cloud.
Example: A dog looks like a wolf.
A mountain looks like a volcano.
An egg look like a circle.
Counterexamples:
A cat does not look like a dog.
A tree does not look like a desk
An island does not look like a TV.
YOU do NOT look like a cloud.
ZiveelaWillAwaken 1 year ago
Aww, you're cute! Lovely accent. Vielen Dank!
queenjane1234 1 year ago
Das hat mich sehr geholfen ! Aber meine Deutsche ist noch nicht gut genueg, deshalb muess ich immer mehr Tips auf YouTube fernsehen. Jedesmal, als ich "r" pronunzieren versuche, fuehle ich krank mit Rabies oder etwas. Soll man duzen oder seizen auf YouTube? Ich wuensche, dass jemand mein schlechtes Deutschfehleren gerichtigen kann, weil ich bin ganz gekieft.
stickernation 1 year ago
@stickernation Hi stickernation, sorry for the truly belated reaction. On the internet, people in Germany usually use the informal Du, the formal Sie is used almost only for business contacts and correspondence. I shall also correct your whole posting, as you wished. But if the last word says what It appears to say, I cannot resist but say that learning is imho better done with a clear head. ;)
itekisan 1 year ago
@stickernation CORRECTION: Das hat mir sehr geholfen! Aber mein Deutsch ist noch nicht gut genug, deshalb muss ich mir noch mehr Tips auf YouTube anschauen. Jedesmal, wenn ich ein "r" auszusprechen versuche, komme ich mir vor, als hätte ich Tollwut oder sowas. Duzt oder siezt man sich auf YouTube eigentlich? Ich hoffe, dass jemand mein schlechtes und fehlerhaftes Deutsch berichtigen kann, denn ich bin gerade ziemlich zugekifft.
itekisan 1 year ago
Comment removed
stickernation 1 year ago
Das hat mich sehr geholfen ! Aber meine Deutsche ist noch nicht gut genueg, deshalb muess ich immer mehr YouTube fernsehen. Jedesmal, als ich "r" pronunzieren versuche, fuehle ich krank mit Rabies oder etwas. Soll man duzen oder seizen auf YouTube? Ich wuensche, dass jemand mein schlechtes Deutschfehleren gerichtigen kann, weil ich bin ganz gekieft.
stickernation 1 year ago
Comment removed
japonfeudal 1 year ago
I studied German for four years in secondary school and we Americans use even harder "r's" than people who speak British English.
Therefore, our teacher constantly had to remind us to soften our "r's" when we were working on spoken German.
Rexanglorum 2 years ago
richtig
is pronounced "richtich"
pipsch12 2 years ago
Ich hab zuviel mit Bayern und Ösis zu tun - dort unten wird das -ig nämlich als -ik ausgesprochen. Versuch ich mir derzeit aber schon wieder abzugewöhnen. ;)
itekisan 2 years ago 2
@itekisan
hehe ;-) Ich spreche es auch manchmal falsch aus.
pipsch12 2 years ago
@itekisan
jaja, die bayern und die ösis... dabei sprechen die bayern und franken und ösis die ältere deutsche aussprache vom R. das zäpfchen-R verbreitete sich durch französischen einfluss. wohl auch ein grund weshalb das zäpfchen-R für einen bayern immer etwas affektiert klingt. die meisten englischen nativ-speakers denen ich den tipp mit dem rollenden R gegeben habe, hatten ein aha-erlebnis. und fingen an zu rollen...
DrMoonstomper 1 year ago
@pipsch12 nee rischtiiiiiiiisch :)
miregalification 1 year ago
Your english is insanely good, I thought you were british when I first saw this video
Wierdoinc 2 years ago 16
Please, next video without music.
franky1991 2 years ago 3
is the german r like the french r..are they pronunced the same?
hennah99 2 years ago
Mostly. But at the end of words I find French puts quite a lot of hiss to it, while in German we rather make it sound like a shwa or short O.
itekisan 2 years ago
hätte nie gedacht, dass ausländeRRR so viele pRRRobleme mit dem deutschen "R" haben^^
iRRRgendwie lustig lol!
Eichelelch 2 years ago 2
You speak better English than any other native German speaker I've met.
WarnerKrause 2 years ago 15
Great topic. This is the hardest part about German diction for me. If I really commit to it, then I think I sound like an idiot. If I say everything with my American R, then it sounds wrong but I don't sound as strange. I wish your video quality had more fps so I could see more about how you pronounce it.
jaijeffcom 2 years ago
I recently found out that a key point may be where to place the tip of your tongue. While in English, I curve my tongue up, in German I point it down, touching the soft tissue in front of the lower teeth. Does that help, perhaps?
itekisan 2 years ago
this is not a good idea to use the american R sound. trust me it sounds totally strange and completely false and even totally FUNNY (we are making jokes about that) in german.
SaGruenwdt 2 years ago
Great vid! My "r" sound used to be French-influenced and had too much gargling. Your advice is making it sound much better, so thank you!
bluefrue 2 years ago 2
for the "ch" use the first third of ur tongue at the half>first quarter of the palatal.
its a whizzing sound like a fast thing in air.
hard to discribe.
the "r" is more a bubbling sound. its produced by the vocal chords. the rear section of the tongue has to be at the end of the palatal.
hope it helps u
the guy in the vid speaks a flawless german, i think he has brit. parents and live(born?) in germany. if not, iam realy impressed.
bonzai9 2 years ago 2
> the guy in the vid speaks a flawless german, i
> think he has brit. parents and live(born?) in
> germany. if not, iam realy impressed.
Hi, thanks for the compliments! :) I was born in the GDR (East Germany), and am still living there (now FRG), and have no English speaking relatives. I've not even been to any English speaking country so far.
itekisan 2 years ago
Thanks for the video man. I could never understand how to pronounce the German "R". When I was in Germany we always said "prost" to each other at dinner and I could never figure out how to say because it sounded like "post" to me but now I think I can say it right. Danke schoen.
ilikehairbands 2 years ago
Bei vielen Wörtern wird das "r" bei uns einfach weggelassen. Es ist einfacher auszusprechen. Da ich als Muttersprache Deutsch habe, kenne ich das. Und Ja, fast jede Region in Deutschland hat eine andere Betonung. Dadurch wird es sehr schwer ein eingeitliches Deutsch zu schreiben und zu betonen^^ (Wenn ihr das lesen könnt, dann könnt ihr sehr gut deutsch ;D)
ROFLMAOSCHINSKI 3 years ago
To the people that are saying this vid doesn't teach you where to put your tongue: Position your tongue as if saying the "ch" sound (the back of your tongue touching the soft palate, the same position as for the letter "k"), and then, leaving a small gap between the roof of the mouth and the tongue, make a voiced sound (i.e. your vocal cords are vibrating). Try it at the start of a word and it'll be easier.
mauerbluemchen0 3 years ago 2
Even though the sounds are similiar, this is not the "r", this is a voiced "ch". The "r" is deeper down. The grating sound is not made between the soft palate and tongue, but between the uvula and tongue. Moreover, there are german people who makes the ch in the soft palate and there are people who makes it in the uvula (it sounds softer). If the latter is your case, then you should make it voiced and then you´ll get the "r"
rodrigomineiro 2 years ago
You're right, but I was explaining it that way for people that have no idea where their tongues should be. The 'r' is slightly further back but with practice, the proper sound should come easily.
mauerbluemchen0 2 years ago
Thank you. I am getting ready to call a friend I met on a forum named, Gudrun, and I want to pronounce her name correctly. This has been helpful.
IntimacyWithHim 3 years ago
very helpful! the R is something i absolutely couldn't do without sounding ridiculous before this video
ThePereginPigeon 3 years ago 2
@aaaxxxfff
they are no rules which nouns are fem, male or neutral, you just have to learn it as a union like itekisan said (i'm german)
Fischboulette99 3 years ago
in german "the dog" is "der Hund", but "the dogs" is "die Hunde". even if you lived in germany for several years, you would still have problems with the words "der, die, das" (=the) and "ein, eine" (=a). but of course everyone could understand what you were saying.
monoton432 3 years ago
Therefore, when I learn a German word, I not only learn its meaning in Dutch (I am Dutch), but also the definite article and the plural form. I not only learn that "Hund" means "hond" in Dutch, but that the article to be used is "der": Der Hund, and that the plural form is "Hunde". There are plural rules for making a plural form of a given noun, but there are way too many exceptions. Learning the plural form of each word turns out be easier for me.
HANSMKAMP 2 years ago
Vielen Dank!
I wish you make a video about Der, Die and Das and how to know which nouns is: mas, fem and neutral.. I find this very hard to differentiate!
aaaxxxfff 3 years ago
I'm afraid the gender (der, die, das) needs to be learnt always together with the noun as a union. As far as I know there is no way to tell from the structure of a word what gender it is. They are arbitrary. A linguistic theory is, that they came from ancient Indian religions where all objects belonged to a god or goddess each, and derived from them the gender. But this doesn't help in learning, of course. So instead of learning just "Hund" for instance, always learn "der Hund"!
itekisan 3 years ago
Es tut mir leid! but no offence! I've watch alot of vids about Hitler and I find that he speaks different german. Was it his accent or what?
erickgpt 3 years ago
> I've watched a lot of vids about Hitler
> and I find that he speaks a different
> German.
He had his own particular rhetoric style, with a very accentuated pronunciation and guttural characteristics. Sort of a talking fashion, comparable perhaps to some famous sports commentators on tv, which also develop their own style.
itekisan 3 years ago
And one more thing Sir. Do germans pronounce "r" silently at the end of a word like Jahr = Jaaa..... Meer = Meya....... Tier = Teeya .... vor = vo.... ?
erickgpt 3 years ago
> Do germans pronounce "r" silently at the end of a word [...]?
I think many do, because it is more convenient to pronounce. It is also a matter of local dialect. For instance, the word "Kinder" (children) sounds in Berlin like "Kinda" and in Saxony like "Kindo" (with a very short "o").
itekisan 3 years ago
viel dank, Herr Itekisan! Guess Germany was the real Fatherland of England coz Brits have silent 'r' at the end of a word like 'center'= centaa unlike the Romans with flapping 'r' = 'rrr'.
erickgpt 3 years ago
There are a few rules to tell. Words ending in -ung, -heit, and -keit are always feminine words. There are some other hints for der and das...but there aren't rules for every word, so, like you said, one has to learn the word with the article and plural form together.
Smartass8504 2 years ago
While -heit and -keit are sort of word stems in themselves (female), the -ung rule only applies to nouns derived from verbs. Eg "verbessern" = "to improve" becomes "die Verbesserung" = "the improvement". Other words literally ending in -ung may be non-feminine, though. Der Dung, der Sprung...
itekisan 2 years ago
Thanks very much!!!!
now i finally got to know how to pronounce R in German,nd you know im chinese,in chinese,we don't have such the pronounciation...so thank you!
Guotahki 3 years ago
So all I have to do is keep my tongue as it normally is and I'll get the German "R" right?
TheGeneralHimself92 3 years ago
> So all I have to do is keep my tongue as it
> normally is and I'll get the German "R"
> right?
Hmmm... yes, I think that's how you could put it. :) Or maybe you need to thicken or lift the back of the tongue a little bit to get from A to R.
itekisan 3 years ago
Ok, I do that and position my mouth the make an "r" and then do that gargling sound? Just trying to get this right man lol.
TheGeneralHimself92 3 years ago
Well, the only way to know if you're doing it right is if it SOUNDS right. ;) So maybe you just record yourself talking German and compare it with German movies or YT vids etc.
itekisan 3 years ago
Ok, that's a way to put it. But tell me one more thing before I commence speaking anymore German lol...is the German "r" pronounced like the French "r"? If so, I might be able to get it right.
TheGeneralHimself92 3 years ago
I personally find that the French put a lot more air into it, especially at the end of words. But other than that, it should be very similar.
itekisan 3 years ago
Awesome dude, thanks for the info.
TheGeneralHimself92 3 years ago
Hey, I got that "R" locked down man. It's easy now lol.
TheGeneralHimself92 3 years ago
hi, how do you pronounce the dr in drei and the gr in gruen (green)? no umlaute on my computer!
subwaybusker 3 years ago
Well, you simply voice the D or G and then the R, as if the word was "rei" or "rün". It's like saying "glitch" in English, where you first voice the G and then the "litch".
itekisan 3 years ago
If that DR, GR and so on sounds are difficult to pronounce first, you may practise by saying "derei", "gerün" with a short(!) added E between the consonants. Most people will not even notice it. In fact, it may sound especially well pronounced, since some newsspeakers talk this way.
itekisan 3 years ago
woher kommst du?
eisernteufel 3 years ago
Also aufgewachsen bin ich in der DDR (= Ostdeutschland). Und lebe auch heute noch in Deutschland.
itekisan 3 years ago
Your English sounds like it has an Austrailian or British accent. However, your english is excellent and your videos are very helpful to a native yank interested in the German language.
burleykev 3 years ago 2
I am in German 202 and I still have trouble with pronunciation! My R's come out like Spanish thrilled R's!!
kulera 3 years ago
Try to mentally "glue" your tongue down below your lower teeth! Then you cannot trill! :)
itekisan 3 years ago
How do you say Mittwoch ?? Does it end with the sound '' R '' ? Make a video with the day of the week please :)
haive 3 years ago
Well Mittwoch certainly ends with the raspy CH sound, similar to an unvoiced German R. I am currently over-busy, but as I find time again, I might do some vocabulary videos.
itekisan 3 years ago
thx for your videos
HugoJustin 3 years ago
Thanks for the video. Everything else with an R I can pronounce fairly well, except for words like sprechen, brechen, etc.
kronso23 4 years ago
thanks alot!
I think I'm getting the hang of it! =]
I just need some practice, keep your lessons coming! :D
frdrcksncn 4 years ago
thank you for the tutorial, it:s very helpful.
i like your necklace string, can u show it in ur next vid? :>
kittykattykoo 4 years ago
Sorry for the late reply. That necklace is in fact only for my USB stick! :)
itekisan 4 years ago
Keep em coming, these lessons are great!
Danke Schön.
osirisra 4 years ago