Talking English

English Pronunciation for German Speakers

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Die auf dieser Website verwendete Aussprache orientiert sich am britischen Englisch (RP / General British), wie es im internationalen Unterricht und in Prüfungen üblich ist.

How to Check Pronunciation Consistency (2-Minute Test)

For German Speakers

Purpose: Make sure your pronunciation stays stable and predictable, even when you speak freely.

Step 1 – Record Yourself (30–60 seconds)

Answer a simple question, for example:

  • “What did you do yesterday?”

  • “What kind of work do you do?”

  • “What are your plans for next week?”

Speak naturally.
Do not slow down or restart.

Step 2 – Listen Only for These Key Sounds

Do not listen to everything.
Listen only for the sounds below.

These are the sounds that most often change under pressure for German speakers.

1. R Sound (/r/ vs no /r/)

Listen for words like:

  • car, hard, work, for, better

Ask:

  • Do I pronounce R every time in the same way?

  • Or does it sometimes disappear and sometimes come back?

Typical problem:

  • British-style vowels + sudden American R (or the other way around)

2. WALK vs WORK

(/wɔːk/ vs /wɜːk/ or /wɝːk/)

Listen for words like:

  • walk / work

  • talk / work

  • law / world

Ask:

  • Do walk and work sound clearly different?

  • Or do they sound almost the same when I speak quickly?

Typical problem:

  • Both words drift toward something like wok or werk

3. Long vs Short Vowels

(/iː – ɪ/, /uː – ʊ/)

Listen for words like:

  • ship / sheep

  • sit / seat

  • full / fool

  • live / leave

Ask:

  • Do these vowels stay clearly different?

  • Or do they collapse into one sound under speed?

Typical problem:

  • Long and short vowels merge when speaking freely

4. /æ/ vs /ɛ/

(German Ä vs E confusion)

Listen for words like:

  • bad / bed

  • man / men

  • land / lend

Ask:

  • Can I clearly hear the difference?

  • Or do both words sound like bed?

Typical problem:

  • /æ/ becomes too closed and sounds like /ɛ/

5. TH Sounds

(/θ/ and /ð/)

Listen for words like:

  • think, three, thanks

  • this, that, other

Ask:

  • Do I really hear a TH sound?

  • Or does it turn into s / z / d / t?

Typical problem:

  • think → sink

  • this → dis

6. S Sound – Beginning, Middle, End

Listen for words like:

  • Beginning: see, sun, start

  • Middle: reason, music, busy

  • End: bus, jobs, rise

Ask:

  • Does S stay clear in all positions?

  • Or does it disappear, soften, or turn into z / sh / t?

Typical problems:

  • Final s disappears (jobs → job)

  • Confusion between s and z (rise / rice)

7. Final Consonants

(especially d / t / z / v)

Listen for words like:

  • need, worked, jobs, lived, passed

Ask:

  • Can I hear the word ending clearly?

  • Or does it disappear at the end of the sentence?

Typical problem:

  • Final consonants dropped or devoiced
    (need → neet, jobs → chops)

8. Voiced vs Voiceless Pairs

(b/p, d/t, g/k, v/f, z/s)

Listen for words like:

  • back / bag

  • bet / bed

  • leaf / leave

  • rice / rise

Ask:

  • Do these pairs sound clearly different?

  • Or do they sound almost the same?

Typical problem:

  • Voicing disappears, especially at the end of words

9. G vs J

(/g/ vs /dʒ/)

Listen for words like:

  • go / Joe

  • bag / badge

  • anger / angel

Ask:

  • Can I clearly hear a hard G vs a soft J sound?

  • Or do they drift toward the same sound?

Typical problem:

  • g becomes too soft or j becomes too hard

10. W vs V

Listen for words like:

  • west / vest

  • wine / vine

  • work / very

Ask:

  • Is W clearly a rounded lip sound?

  • Or does it sound like V?

Typical problem:

  • wine → vine

  • west → vest

11. Schwa /ə/ in Weak Syllables

Listen for words like:

  • about, teacher, support, problem

  • to, of, for, a

Ask:

  • Do weak syllables sound light and relaxed?

  • Or do I pronounce every vowel clearly and strongly?

Typical problem:

  • Over-pronouncing every vowel (German rhythm transfer)

12. Word Stress Consistency

Listen for words like:

  • present, record, project

  • longer words you used yourself

Ask:

  • Is the stress always on the same syllable?

  • Or does it move when I speak faster?

Typical problem:

  • Stress shifts or disappears under pressure

Step 3 – One Simple Decision

Ask yourself:

Do these sounds stay the same every time I hear them?

  • Yes → pronunciation is consistent and exam-safe

  • No → simplify

Step 4 – Simplify (Most Important Rule)

If things change:

  • Do not try to fix everything

  • Pick one pronunciation model

  • Accept it

  • Use it consistently

Consistency scores higher than perfection.

One-Sentence Self-Test

“Would a tired English listener understand me easily, without concentrating?”

If yes, your pronunciation is working.

Tip for Daily Use

Each day, focus on only one group:

  • Day 1: vowels + walk/work

  • Day 2: final consonants

  • Day 3: TH + s sounds

  • Day 4: stress + schwa

  • Day 5: w/v + g/j

Rotate — don’t overload.

Business English

Individueller Unterricht mit muttersprachlichen Lehrern, flexibel anpassbar an Ihre Lernziele.

Englisch Grammatik

Berufsspezifischer Englischkurs, um Ihre Kommunikationsfähigkeiten im Geschäftsleben zu