English for German Speakers

Vowel Problems

1. ship vs sheep (/ɪ/ vs /iː/)
2. full vs fool (/ʊ/ vs /uː/)
3. bed vs bad (/e/ vs /æ/)
4. man vs men (/æ/ vs /e/)
5. hat vs heart (/æ/ vs /ɑː/)
6. not vs note (/ɒ/ vs /əʊ/)
7. cut vs cart (/ʌ/ vs /ɑː/)
8. pull vs pool (/ʊ/ vs /uː/)
9. live vs leave (/ɪ/ vs /iː/)
10. long vs short vowels (bit vs beat)
11. English pronunciation /a:r/ ("car") for German Speakers

Diphthong Problems

1. face /eɪ/ (German "e" interference)
2. go /əʊ/ (German "o" interference)
3. time /aɪ/ too flat
4. now /aʊ/ too narrow
5. near /ɪə/ (German speakers avoid glide)
6. square /eə/
7. pure /ʊə/
8. player /eɪə/
9. fire /aɪə/
10. lower /əʊə/

Consonant Problems

1. w vs v (wine vs vine)
2. v vs f (very vs ferry)
3. b vs p (cap vs cab)
4. d vs t (bad vs bat)
5. g vs k (bag vs back)
6. s vs z (rice vs rise)
7. j /dʒ/ (job, jump)
8. G & J - Sounds
9. ch vs sh (cheap vs sheep)
10. English r (very difficult)
11. silent h (honest, hour)

Final Consonant Problems (German devoicing)

1. bad → bat
2. dog → dock
3. leave → leaf
4. move → moof
5. rise → rice
6. lose → loose
7. eyes → ice
8. live → lif
9. please → pleas
10. has → hass

TH Sound Problems

1. /θ/ think, three, throw
2. /ð/ this, that, those
3. s instead of th (think → sink)
4. z instead of th (this → zis)
5. t instead of th (think → tink)
6. d instead of th (this → dis)

R Sound Problems

1. German R vs English R
2. r after vowels (car, door, teacher)
3. r in clusters (green, drive, train)
4. r + vowel linking (far away)
5. very /ˈveri/ mispronounced

L Sound Problems

1. dark L (full, milk, people)
2. final L too strong
3. little /ˈlɪtl/
4. world /wɜːld/
5. people /ˈpiːpl/

Consonant Cluster Problems

1. texts
2. sixths
3. months
4. asked
5. worked
6. glimpsed
7. strengths
8. crisps
9. twelfths
10. nexts

Word Stress Problems

1. comfortable
2. interesting
3. vegetable
4. chocolate
5. different
6. family
7. camera
8. every
9. separate
10. temperature

Schwa / Weak Sound Problems

1. about /əˈbaʊt/
2. support /səˈpɔːt/
3. problem /ˈprɒbləm/
4. teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/
5. doctor /ˈdɒktə/
6. better /ˈbetə/
7. sofa /ˈsəʊfə/
8. today /təˈdeɪ/
9. police /pəˈliːs/
10. around /əˈraʊnd/

Ending Problems

1. -ed endings (worked / played / wanted)
2. plural -s vs -z (cats / dogs)
3. -es endings (washes / changes)
4. third person -s (works vs work)
5. -ing endings (working vs workin)

Intonation Problems

1. flat intonation
2. every word stressed
3. no weak forms
4. rising tone missing in questions
5. contrast stress missing
6. sentence stress too even
7. rhythm not stress-timed
8. function words stressed too strongly

Other

1. Problem Zones
2. Typical English Pronunciation Problems for German Speakers
3. Pronunciation Check List 1
4. Pronunciation Check List (Cambridge Exams)
5. Check Pronunciation Consistency
6. TOEFL & Pronunciation.
7. English Certificates and Exam