Week 1: Survival Mode

Master the sounds of German and your first interactions.

The Special Characters

German has 4 special characters you need to know. Pronunciation is key!

The Umlauts & Eszett

Ä ä
Like 'a' in 'melon'
e.g. Äpfel (Apples)
Ö ö
Lips rounded, say 'ay'
e.g. Öl (Oil)
Ü ü
Lips rounded, say 'ee'
e.g. Über (Over)
ß
Sharp 's' (ss)
e.g. Straße (Street)

Essential Greetings

  • HalloHello (Universal)
  • Guten TagGood Day (Formal)
  • Guten MorgenGood Morning
  • TschüssBye (Informal)
  • Auf WiedersehenGoodbye (Formal)

Practice: The Big 4

Danke
Bitte
Entschuldigung
Ja / Nein