English Pronunciation for German Speakers
Your strengths first, then the fixes that change how clearly you are understood.
PDF · 112 KB
First language
If your first language is German
These are the patterns German speakers bring most often. Nothing here is a mistake — it is your first language doing exactly what it always does. Each row says where the fix lives.
| The challenge | What often happens | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| W becomes V | 'west' → 'vest'; 'very' → 'fery' | W vs V |
| Final devoicing | 'dog' → 'dok', 'bad' → 'bat' | The -S Ending |
| The TH sounds | 'think' → 'sink', 'this' → 'zis' | The TH Sound |
| S vs Z at the start | 'sun' → 'zun', 'see' → 'zee' | The -S Ending |
| Not 'sht-' or 'shp-' | 'street' → 'shtreet', 'sport' → 'shport' | CH vs SH |
| The English R | the throat R stands in for the floating tongue | The English R |
| A vs E vowels | 'cat' → 'ket', 'bad' → 'bed' | Short Vowels |
| J and Y swap | 'job' → 'yob', 'juice' → 'yuice' | J vs Y |
Free
The German guide
The full guide: what you already do well, the fixes that matter most, and minimal pairs to practise out loud. Free, and yours without giving us anything.
Want to know when the next guide lands?
Every guide on this site is free to download right now — you do not need to give us anything. If you would like a note when we publish a new one, leave your email.
If you want more