Turn German spelling into sound
German spelling is regular once you know ten rules. Learn what w, v, s and z really say, why a final d sounds like t, and the free gift of a capital letter on every naming word.
German lessons
Learn to read German.
We’ll turn the spelling into sound, read some real words, and see where the pieces of a sentence sit.
Then you can try two short stories and see how much you understand.
13 core chapters · 4 optional references · Free, at your own pace
Starting from scratch
Start with the sounds, then read nine real words, then the sentence patterns. The cards below let you try a greeting or look at the spelling first.
Start with the sounds →Try saying helloA first hello
A first hello
in German.
Start with good morning, then say who you are. The pronunciation and English are there to help.
Try the lesson A reading-first approachRead nine real words.
Ten spelling rules are all these nine words need. Work each one out, reveal it, and say it aloud.
See how the spelling worksChapter 1 of 17 · Explore the German path
Start here · Chapter 1 of 17
How these lessons work
See how the German, the pronunciation and the English sit together on the page, and learn the three plain names this path uses for the kinds of word. Nothing to memorise yet.
≈ 2 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- Thirteen steps in the main path, plus four reference sections you open only when something blocks you.
- You decode nine real German words in step three, before any tables of grammar.
- At a checkpoint you attempt the German first: the pronunciation and English stay hidden until you reveal them.
- It ends with a story whose help begins concealed, and then a real book.
This is short preparation for reading a book, not a grammar course: how German spelling turns into sound, where the pieces of a sentence sit, and enough recurring words for a first page.
the dog
der Hund
dair hoont
The large text is the spelling, “dair hoont” the pronunciation guide, the English the meaning. At checkpoints the last two stay hidden until you reveal them.
What we call the three kinds of word
Grammar books use words like noun and verb. This path uses plain names instead. Read across each row to see what each name covers.
| We call it | It is | For example |
|---|---|---|
| a naming word | a thing, a place | Hund |
| a doing word | what happens | ist |
| a describing word | what a thing is like | groß |
How to use a checkpoint
Try the German aloud, then reveal.
- das Haus
The au is the “ow” of “cow”.
Show answer +Hide answer −
das Hausdass howss “the house”
The chapters
What do you want to work on?
If you’re starting from scratch, follow the chapters in order. Otherwise, pick the bit you need. You can skip the reference pages and come back to them.
Say who somebody is, and say no
Say who somebody is with six short standing-in words and four forms of “to be”. Then learn the two words for “not”, three greetings, and how to ask a name and give your own.
The words a fable is made of
Sixteen naming words and six describing words furnish almost every scene in a first book. You also meet im and zum, two short pairs that German squeezes into one word.
Doing words for now and for the past
Books tell a story in the one-word past: war, kam, sah, sagte. Learn nine doing words in both their now and their then shapes, and see how German prints somebody speaking.
Read a story with help
Read a short story about Mina the mouse one line at a time, with the pronunciation and the English staying visible. Every word in it has appeared earlier in the path.
Come back to these chapters whenever you need them.All German chapters ↗