There are occasions, however, when it matters a bit more. Most of the time, this wonвЂ™t really matter much and you really canвЂ™t tell the difference unless you are really paying attention. The German short вЂњAвЂќ sound is just a short burst of sound, while the German long вЂњAвЂќ sound is a bit longer. The sound is the same for both the short and long вЂњAвЂќ sounds in German, but the length of the sound is different. In this vowel pronunciation guide, you will see examples of each of these for each vowel. The long vowel sound can be formed in many different ways including: before single consonants, before the letter вЂњHвЂќ, and when the vowel is doubled.

Short vowel sounds are used before multiple consonants. German Vowel Pronunciation Long Vowel vs Short Vowel RulesДЇor every vowel in German there are two pronunciation options. #15 вЂ“ The Ultimate Guide to German Numbers.#7 вЂ“ 24 Most Common Verbs with Example Sentences.Lessons within вЂњBeginner German with Herr AntrimвЂќ You will also get access to online flashcards and a whole lot more. Within the e-book, each lesson includes a worksheet and answer key to practice the skills in that lesson. Herr AntrimвЂ™s new e-book вЂњ Beginner German with Herr AntrimвЂњ is your guide to having your first conversation in German.

mp3 downloads to help you practice your pronunciation.worksheets for all of the lessons (except the pronunciation chapters).When you purchase the e-book, you also gain access to a ton of extra materials including: German Pronunciation Practice with Tongue TwistersД«eginner German with Herr Antrim E-Book Sample from the Pronunciation ChapterД«elow you can see a couple of pages out of Herr AntrimвЂ™s new e-book вЂњBeginner German with Herr AntrimвЂќ.German Consonant Combination Pronunciation.Lessons within вЂњBeginner German with Herr AntrimвЂќ.Beginner German with Herr Antrim E-Book Sample from the Pronunciation Chapter.If you find other ones, please add them in the comments. ThereвЂ™s also a quick listening exercise at the end.Дo you know any more examples? IвЂ™m sure I havenвЂ™t found all of them. If you watch the video, you can hear me pronounce all those words. Furth (town in Austria) вЂ“ FГјrth (town in Germany).benutzen (to use/ German) вЂ“ benГјtzen (to use/ Austrian).Ich musste meine Hausaufgaben machen (I had to do my homework) вЂ“ Ich mГјsste eigentlich meine Hausaufgaben machen (I should be doing my homework).Ich konnte Klavier spielen (I could/ was able to play the piano) вЂ“ Ich wГјnschte, ich kГ¶nnte Klavier spielen (I wish I could play the piano).Ich durfte Schokolade essen (I was allowed to eat chocolate) вЂ“ Ich wГјnschte, ich dГјrfte Schokolade essen (I wish I was to be allowed to eat chocolade).Wahrung (protection) вЂ“ WГ¤hrung (currency).Haufen (heap/ pile) вЂ“ hГ¤ufen вЂ“ (to pile up).Schussel (scatterbrain) вЂ“ SchГјssel (bowl)Дifferent words (could be nouns, verbs, adjectives etcвЂ¦).Handler (handler) вЂ“ HГ¤ndler (dealer/ salesperson).Achtung (dignity/ attention) вЂ“ Г„chtung (condemnation).futtern (to munch/ scoff) вЂ“ fГјttern (to feed).erkalten (go cold) вЂ“ erkГ¤lten (get a cold).On the other hand, itвЂ™s good to know and distinguish between words which are spelled almost identically, but thanks to an umlaut above the a, o, or u, change the meaning slightly or completely. As an example, if I said вЂich habe einen BruderвЂ™ or вЂich habe zwei BrГјderвЂ™, even if I pronounced Bruder/ BrГјder wrong, the вЂeinenвЂ™ or вЂzweiвЂ™ would make people understand. So, even if a German learner pronounces the word without the required umlaut, a German would still understand what is meant.

The good news is that most of the time the rest of the sentence gives away which word is required. When new studenst learn the German alphabet and come across the umlauts for the first time, they often ask if it matters whether they get the different pronunciation right.

Pronunciation of a with umlaut