Words stressed on the last syllable in German

1. 1
   Hotel/hoˈtɛl/

   hotelnoun

   A building where you pay to stay overnight.
2. 2
   Balkon/balˈkɔŋ/iAlso said balˈkoːn.

   balconynoun

   An open platform on the outside of a building.
3. 3
   Restaurant/ʁɛstoˈʁãː/

   restaurantnoun

   A place where you order food at a table and pay for it.
4. 4
   Polizei/poliˈtsaɪ̯/

   policenoun

   The state service that pursues crimes and looks after safety.
5. 5
   Universität/univɛʁziˈtɛːt/

   universitynoun

   A school of higher education where you study.
6. 6
   Reparatur/ʁepaʁaˈtuːɐ̯/

   repairnoun

   The work of making something broken whole again.
7. 7
   Problem/pʁoˈbleːm/

   problemnoun

   A difficulty you have to solve.
8. 8
   telefonieren/telefoˈniːʁən/

   to phoneverb

   To talk to someone on the phone.
9. 9
   probieren/pʁoˈbiːʁən/

   to tryverb

   To eat or drink a small amount of something to see how it tastes.
10. 10
    passieren/paˈsiːʁən/

    to happenverb

    To take place.

The sentences

1. Ich wohne die erste Woche im Hotel.

   I'm staying in a hotel for the first week.

2. Hat das Zimmer einen Balkon zur Straße?

   Does the room have a balcony facing the street?

3. Können Sie mir ein gutes Restaurant in der Nähe empfehlen?

   Could you recommend a good restaurant nearby?

4. Ich glaube, wir sollten die Polizei rufen.

   I think we should call the police.

5. Welcher Bus fährt von hier zur Universität?

   Which bus goes from here to the university?

6. Wie lange dauert die Reparatur meines Fahrrads?

   How long will the repair of my bike take?

7. Es gibt ein Problem mit der Heizung in meinem Zimmer.

   There's a problem with the heating in my room.

8. Kann ich hier kurz mit meiner Familie telefonieren?

   Can I make a quick phone call to my family here?

9. Darf ich den Käse einmal probieren?

   May I try the cheese?

10. Keine Sorge, so etwas kann jedem passieren.

    Don't worry, that can happen to anyone.

Pronunciation

• Hotel/hoˈtɛl/

  The stress falls on -tel at the end, not on Ho-.

• Balkon/balˈkɔŋ/

  The ending sounds like -kong, with the ng of lang and no audible n.

• Restaurant/ʁɛstoˈʁãː/

  The st at the start doesn't begin with sh here, and the end is spoken nasally, with the t staying silent.

• Polizei/poliˈtsaɪ̯/

  The stress falls on the last syllable, and the z in it sounds like ts.

• Universität/univɛʁziˈtɛːt/

  The ä in -tät is long, as in spät.

• Reparatur/ʁepaʁaˈtuːɐ̯/

  The stress is on the long u in -tur, and the r after it sounds almost like a short a.

• Problem/pʁoˈbleːm/

  The e in -blem is long, as in Lehm, and the stress falls there.

• telefonieren/telefoˈniːʁən/

  The stress is on -nie- with a long i as in Liebe, not on the beginning.

• passieren/paˈsiːʁən/

  The ss is a sharp s as in Wasser, not a buzzing one.

Good to know

Trinkgeld

In restaurants the service is included in the price, but most guests still round up or add about 5 to 10 %. You say the amount when you pay instead of leaving money on the table.

Semesterbeitrag

Anyone enrolled at a university pays a fee every semester. It often includes a Semesterticket for buses and trains, which you can use in the region.

Anmeldung

Anyone staying longer in Germany has to register at the residents' registration office. You usually need an appointment and a confirmation from your landlord.

Notruf 110

In an emergency you reach the police at 110. The number 112 is for the fire brigade and ambulance.

Questions

What can I say if there is a problem with the heating in my room?

You can say "Es gibt ein Problem mit der Heizung in meinem Zimmer." The stress in Problem falls on the long e in -blem.

How do I ask which bus goes to the university?

Say "Welcher Bus fährt von hier zur Universität?" In Universität the ä in -tät is long, as in spät.

How do I ask for a restaurant recommendation in German?

Say "Können Sie mir ein gutes Restaurant in der Nähe empfehlen?" In Restaurant the st at the start does not begin with sch, and the ending is nasal.