Ä, ö, ü: the dotted letters in German
You're standing at the bakery early in the morning, it's still cool outside, and you tell the person at the counter what you'd like to take for breakfast.
The phrase
Beim Bäcker gibt es morgens frische Brötchen und Kuchen.10 words10 sentences
The ten words
- Bäcker/ˈbɛkɐ/
bakernoun
Someone who bakes and sells bread and cakes.
- Brötchen/ˈbʁøːtçən/
bread rollnoun
A small round piece of bread usually eaten fresh for breakfast.
- Käse/ˈkɛːzə/Also said ˈkeːzɛ.
cheesenoun
A firm food made from milk that you put in slices on bread.
- Mütze/ˈmʏtsə/
beanienoun
Something soft you pull onto your head to keep it warm.
- früh/fʁyː/
earlyadjective
Near the beginning of the day or of a period of time.
- kühl/kyːl/
cooladjective
Slightly cold, but not really cold.
- müssen/ˈmʏsən/
mustverb
To do something because it is necessary or because someone demands it.
- wünschen/ˈvʏnʃən/
to wishverb
To want something or hope for something.
- zählen/ˈtsɛːlən/
to countverb
To find out or say how many things there are.
- natürlich/naˈtyːɐ̯lɪç/
of courseadverb
A word used to say that something goes without saying.
The sentences
Beim Bäcker gibt es morgens frische Brötchen und Kuchen.
At the bakery there are fresh rolls and cakes in the morning.
Ich möchte bitte vier Brötchen und ein Stück Kuchen.
I'd like four rolls and a piece of cake, please.
Haben Sie noch Brötchen mit Käse und Schinken?
Do you still have rolls with cheese and ham?
Draußen ist es kühl, nehmen Sie eine Mütze mit.
It's cool outside, take a hat with you.
Sie sind heute aber früh unterwegs, guten Morgen.
You're out early today, good morning.
Morgens ist es hier noch ziemlich kühl draußen.
It's still fairly cool out here in the mornings.
Wir müssen noch schnell Brötchen für das Frühstück holen.
We still need to quickly get rolls for breakfast.
Wünschen Sie noch etwas dazu, vielleicht einen Kaffee?
Would you like anything else, maybe a coffee?
Können Sie das Wechselgeld bitte noch einmal zählen?
Could you count the change again, please?
Natürlich können Sie hier auch mit Karte zahlen.
Of course you can pay by card here too.
Pronunciation
Bäcker/ˈbɛkɐ/
The ä here is short, like the e in Bett; the -er ending at the end sounds like a short a.
Brötchen/ˈbʁøːtçən/
The ö is long, and the ending -chen sounds soft, as in ich.
Käse/ˈkɛːzə/
The ä is long, the s in between sounds soft, as in Rose.
Mütze/ˈmʏtsə/
The ü is short, and tz is a single sound made of t and s.
früh/fʁyː/
The ü is long, the h after it is silent.
müssen/ˈmʏsən/
The ü is short and the s is sharp.
wünschen/ˈvʏnʃən/
The ü is short, sch is a single sound.
zählen/ˈtsɛːlən/
The z at the start sounds like ts, the ä after it is long.
natürlich/naˈtyːɐ̯lɪç/
The stress is on the second syllable, the ü is long, and the r after it sounds almost like a short a.
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Past days are part of the Pass. Practice the first 3 of the 10 words free, or all of them with the Pass.
Get the Pass7 days free, then USD 5.99 a monthToday's words are freeQuestions
- How do you say 'bread roll' in German?
- Brötchen is the German word for a small bread roll, as in 'Ich möchte bitte vier Brötchen und ein Stück Kuchen.'
- How do you say 'of course' in German?
- Natürlich means 'of course', as in 'Natürlich können Sie hier auch mit Karte zahlen.'
- What does kühl mean?
- Kühl means slightly cold, but not really cold.