This first lesson teaches the alphabet in German. This includes the script and pronunciation. If you stay with me from start to finish, I promise you that you will learn a lot. I will try to give examples using both words and sound. That way it will be easy for you to see the letters when they are separate and when they are in a word. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at German Classes.
Alphabet
The alphabet is the building block of the German language. Usually it is the first thing a person should start learning, because without it, you can neither read nor write. This means that the following 30 min are going to be the most important in your learning quest. The German alphabet contains 26 letters just like English but contains 4 unofficial extra letters (ä, ö, ö and ß).
Below is the German alphabet in a table containing 3 columns: The sound of the German letters, the alphabet, examples which include the letter at the beginning, middle and at the end.
Alphabet in German
Sound
Alphabet
Examples
a
Alaska, Maria, Panama
b
Bravo, Alabama, Lab
c
Canada, Cicilia
d
David, Granada, Ted
e
Emma, Ted
f (sounds like v)
Vatican, Bravo
g
Golf, Gym, Logo
h
Hi, Bahamas, Mitzvah
i
Iglo, mini
j (sounds like y)
Yoyo, okay
k
Kiwi, Okay, Mark
l
Laura, Claudia, Brazil
m
Maria, Amsterdam
n
New York, Anita, John
o
Okay, Hotel, Paulo
p
Panama, Filipa, Top
q
Qatar, Iraq
r
Robert, Portugal, Qatar
s (sounds like z)
Zulu, Amazon, Jazz
t
Taiwan, Ontario, Janet
u
Uzbekistan, Lulu
v (sounds like f)
Franco, Cafe, Ralf
w
Wow, Hawaii
x
Xray, Alexandria, Alex
y
Yoyo, okay
z (sounds like s)
Sam, Eskimo, Paris
ä (sounds like e)
Emma, Ted
ö (sounds like oo)
ü (sounds like uu)
Uzbekistan, Lulu
ß (sounds like ss)
Sam, Eskimo, Paris
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please German contact form on the header above.
The following is a table showing common sentences. We recommend for you to click on the audio of each expression to hear how it is pronounced. That way you will be able to familiarize yourself with the German alphabet.
Pronunciation in German
Pronunciation
German
Audio
In The Morning
am Morgen
In the evening
am Abend
At Night
bei Nacht
Really!
Wirklich!
Look!
Sieh!
Hurry up!
Beeile dich!
Some languages are hard
Einige Sprachen sind schwer
Many students speak Korean
Viele Schüler sprechen Koreanisch
How old is your sister?
Wie alt ist deine Schwester?
I love my husband
Ich liebe meinen Ehemann
This is my wife
Dies ist meine Ehefrau
What's your brother called?
Wie heisst dein Bruder?
Where does your father work?
Wo kommt dein Vater zu arbeiten?
Your daughter is very cute
Deine Tochter ist sehr hübsch
What time is it?
Wie Uhr ist es?
It's 10 o'clock
Es ist 10.00 Uhr
Give me this!
Gibt mir das!
I love you
Ich liebe dich
Are you free tomorrow evening?
Bist du frei morgen Abend?
I would like to invite you for dinner
Ich möchte du zum Abendessen einladen
Are you married?
Bist du verheiratet?
I'm single
Ich bin ledig
Would you marry me?
Willst du mich heiraten?
Can I have your phone number?
Kann ich deine Telefonnummer haben?
Can I have your email?
Kann ich deine E-mail haben?
Are you okay?
Geht es?
Call a doctor!
Ruf einen Arzt!
Call the ambulance!
Ruf einen Krankenwagen
Call the police!
Ruf die Polizei
Calm down!
Beruhigen Sie sich!
Fire!
Feuer!
I feel sick
Mir ist schlecht
It hurts here
Es tut weh, hier
It's urgent!
Es ist dringend!
Stop!
Halt!
Thief!
Dieb!
Where is the closest pharmacy?
Wo ist die nächste Apotheke?
Fun Facts
Language Quote ❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ ‒Nelson Mandela
Congratulations! You finished your first alphabet lesson in German. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend German Lesson 2. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn German homepage.