Lessons for English speakers
Learn to read German
A short, active path into reading German: decode nine real words from a ten-rule sound table, learn where the verb goes and why der becomes den, then read a fable whose pronunciation and English begin hidden.
13 core sections · ≈ 33 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 53 min with everything
Start here
1 section1
Start here: what this path does
≈ 2 min
What you'll learn
- 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.
The three kinds of word this path talks about
| We call it | It is | For example |
|---|---|---|
| a naming word | a thing, a place | Hundhoont“dog” |
| a doing word | what happens | istist“is” |
| a describing word | what a thing is like | großgrohss“big” |
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”