TOPIC · Miscellaneous (Anders)

How to Learn German for the First Time

After this lesson, you can name the German alphabet, read simple words aloud, recognise some links to English vocabulary, learn basic nouns with „der, die, das“, and build very simple sentences with the verb in second position.

This lesson is for absolute beginners (A1) and shows how to take your very first steps in German: the alphabet, basic pronunciation, word similarities with English, the first contact with „der, die, das“, and simple verb position.

1The German alphabet – your entry point

German uses the Latin alphabet with 26 letters plus three special vowels (ä, ö, ü) and the letter „ß“. Many letters look like English and are pronounced similarly.

Key letters and sounds

Buchstabe / sound	Approx. pronunciation	Note
A	[aː]	like in „Vater“
E	[eː] or [ɛ]	like in „Beet“ / „Bett“
I	[iː]	like in „Igel“
O	[oː]	like in „Brot“
U	[uː]	like in „Schule“
Ä	[ɛː]	similar to short „E“ in „Bett“
Ö	[øː]/[œ]	round lips, between „E“ and „O“
Ü	[yː]/[ʏ]	round lips, between „I“ and „U“
ß	[s]	like „ss“ in „groß“

Practice saying the letters out loud: A, B, C, D, E … This will help you read and spell your name: „Wie heißt du?“ – „Ich heiße Tom, T – O – M.“

2Relationship with English

Many German words are related to English words. This gives you a head start with vocabulary.

Deutsch	Related English word	Comment
Familie	family	same Latin root
Musik	music	very similar form
Telefon	telephone	same basic word
Kamera	camera	only small sound difference
Problem	problem	identical form

Be careful with „false friends“, for example „Gift“ (in German „Gift“ = „poison“ in English).

3Reading and pronunciation: fairly regular

In German, the spelling usually helps you with pronunciation. Many letter combinations are stable.

Examples:

„Haus“ – H – au – s (a house)
„Mutter“ – M – u – tt – er (a mother)
„lokal“ – lo – kal (local)
„Information“ – In – for – ma – ti – on (information)

When you learn new words, read them aloud. Pay attention to:

„ch“: in „ich“ different from „Buch“
„sch“: as in „Schule“
long vs. short vowels: „Beet“ vs. „Bett“

4„der, die, das“ – your first contact with gender

Every noun in German has a grammatical gender (Genus):

„der“ (masculine)
„die“ (feminine)
„das“ (neuter)

Always learn nouns together with their article:

Article	Noun	Example sentence	Meaning
der	Tisch	„Der Tisch ist groß.“	a table (furniture for eating / working)
die	Lampe	„Die Lampe ist neu.“	a lamp (light in a room)
das	Buch	„Das Buch ist interessant.“	a book

At A1, you mostly need to memorise „der, die, das“. Later, endings like „-ung“ (often „die“: „die Zeitung“) or „-chen“ (often „das“: „das Mädchen“) will help you.

5Verb position in simple sentences

In a basic statement, the conjugated verb usually stands in second position.

Satz	Structure
„Ich lerne Deutsch.“	subject – verb – rest
„Heute lernt Anna.“	time – verb – subject

In a „Verb-second“ sentence, the first slot is one element (a word or phrase); the verb is in slot 2.

With modal verbs (e.g. „können“) or two verbs, the second verb goes to the end:

„Anna kann heute Deutsch lernen.“ (Anna can learn German today.)
„Wir wollen morgen ins Kino gehen.“ (We want to go to the cinema tomorrow.)

Remember: the conjugated verb (kann, wollen) is in position 2; the infinitive (lernen, gehen) is at the end.

6Your next step

Repeat the alphabet out loud, read simple words, and build mini-sentences with „Ich“, „du“, „er/sie“, for example „Ich heiße …“, „Ich komme aus …“, „Ich lerne Deutsch.“ This gives you first confidence with pronunciation and basic word order.