Download Article
Download Article
You may need to learn how to count to 10 in German for travel, work, or just curiosity. Learning how to count in German is as easy as eins, zwei, drei! German is a very common language that is spoken by upwards of 100 million people worldwide, so it can be useful to learn a little of it.
Steps
-
Hold your mouth tightly when you speak. It doesn't do any good to learn words in German if you're not saying them right. Remember that Germans have a lot of tension in their cheeks when they speak. To sound like a German, you need to hold your mouth right.- When you open your mouth, shape it as if you are forming a large "o" or a lowercase "u."
- Try to find videos of people speaking German so you can understand how they keep their mouth when speaking. Germans also pronounce some consonants and vowels differently than English speakers would.
-
Learn how to pronounce German vowels. Although German does share some things in common with English, some of the vowels are pronounced differently. This will be very important when you try to count in German. [1] X Research source- In German, the vowel combination of "ei" is pronounced like the "i" in "lie" or the "y" in "dry." For example, the word "drei" in German means three. However, it's pronounced "dry." Similarly, the word "frei" means free in German. It's pronounced "fry."
- It's the opposite for the vowel combination "ie." This combination is pronounced like the "ee" in the English word "free." So when you say the German word for four ("vier") remember to pronounce the "ie" in it as "ee."
- The vowel combination of "eu" is pronounced "oy" in German.
- If you see an umlaut over a vowel, you pronounce that vowel differently. The German word for "five" has an umlaut: fünf. To make the "ü"-sound, say "ee" as in the English word "see" while pursing your lips as if you were whistling, almost closing them completely. Keep your tongue in the same position as when saying "ee", but change the shape of your mouth as if you were saying "oo".
Advertisement -
Understand how to pronounce German consonants. One of the key ways that speaking German differs from English is how you pronounce some consonants. Some will be pronounced similarly to English, but not all. [2] X Research source- The consonant "v" is pronounced as an "f" sound. So make an "f" sound, not a "v" sound, when you pronounce the German word for four.
- In German, the consonant "s" is pronounced as a "z" when it starts a word, such as "sieben" (the German word for seven).
- When the letter "r" ends a word, it's pronounced lightly, as in "uh." The letter "r" is also pronounced very lightly when it's in the middle of a word. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth as you say it. [3] X Research source
- So, the word in German for four "vier" is pronounced "feeah." When the consonant "z" starts a word, pronounce it as "ts."
Advertisement
-
Start counting from 1 to 10 in German by saying the word "eins" for one. To pronounce "eins," say the word "eye" but pronounce the ending "nz." It's pretty easy to count to 10 in German now that you know how to pronounce some of the key consonants and vowels. [4] X Research source -
Say "zwei" for the number two. In German, "zwei" is pronounced as "tsvy." The "zw" is not pronounced as an English "z" would be, but rather is said as a "ts" sound. [5] X Research source -
Say "drei" for the number three. Pronounce it as "dry," with the "r" pronounced guttural. [6] X Research source -
Use the word "vier" for the number four. This word also has different consonant sounds than English. Pronounce "vier" like the English word "fear," but remember not to end with a hard "r." Say it more like "feeah." [7] X Research source -
Say "fünf" for the number five. Say it like "foonf". [8] X Research source For the "ü"-sound, make the sound "ee" as in the English word "see" while pursing your lips as if you were whistling, almost closing them completely. Keep your tongue in the same position as when saying "ee", but change the shape of your mouth as if you were saying "oo". -
Use the word "sechs" for six in German. In this case, you do use a "z" sound. Pronounce it "zecks." [9] X Research source -
Say the word for seven as "sieben." Pronounce it as "zeebhen." The "s" sound when it starts a sentence sounds like an English "z." [10] X Research source -
Use the word "acht" for the word eight. The pronunciation sounds almost like "ahkt." [11] X Research source The ch is pronounced uniquely in German. It’s best to listen to it. Some have described it as sounding like an angry cat sound! It's a bit like a "kah" sound in English, but more gutteral. -
-
Complete your counting with the word for ten, which is "zehn." Don't forget the German rule that the "z" starting a sentence is pronounced with a "ts" sound; thus, pronounce "zehn" as "tsehn." [13] X Research source- You might also need to know how to say the word for zero in German once you've mastered how to count 1 through 10. Zero is "null," but that's pronounced as "nool."
-
Understand how to count past 10 in German. Once you've mastered basic German pronunciation and how to count past 10, try counting higher! It's easy. [14] X Research source- Put the word "zehn" after each number to indicate you've added 10 when counting from 13-19. So, "neunzehn" is how you say 19 and "achtzehn" is how you say 18, and so on. However, the German word for 16 is "sechzehn" (zekh-tsehn), not "sechs-zehn" (zecks-tsehn). It is best to listen to it to get the German "ch"-sound right. The word for 17 is "siebzehn" (zeeb-tsehn), not "sieben-zehn" (zeebhen-tsehn). Eleven is "elf" and 12 is "zwölf."
- Twenty is "zwanzig." To count past 20, start with the German word for the second number and add the word for the number 1-10 and "und" and then "zwanzig." So, 21 is "einundzwanzig," which literally means "1 and 20" (while dropping the "s" in "eins.") To say 22, follow the same process. The word for 22 is "zweiundzwanzig." And so on through 29.
- Follow the same process all the way up to 100. However, instead of zwanzig, put the words for 30 ("dreißig" - the ß is like a double "s" and pronounced the same as the "s" in English), 40 ("vierzig" - pronounced "feahtsig'), 50 ("fünfzig"), 60 ("sechzig"), 70 ("siebzig"), 80 ("achtzig"), and 90 ("neunzig"). The German word for 100 is "(ein)hundert" (pronounce "u" like "oo.")
Advertisement
-
Find a native speaker. One beauty of the Internet is that it's easier than ever before to find native speakers of foreign languages to practice with. The same is true of German.- Various language sites online will match you with native speakers. Some allow you to hear pronunciation by putting your cursor on a letter. [15] X Research source
- Look up YouTube videos of people speaking German, including counting from 1 to 10, so that you can hear the words before you try speaking them. [16] X Research source Some sites use music and song to teach children and others how to count in German. [17] X Research source
-
Take a language course online or at a university. German is a very common language at universities. It should be pretty easy to find a local school that teaches the language if you live in a big enough city. Otherwise, you could check online. [18] X Research source- You could also record yourself counting to 10 in German, and then play it back. This is one of the best ways to perfect your speech.
- Traveling to or living in Germany is going to greatly enhance your language abilities. Speaking a foreign language repeatedly to native speakers is really the best way to learn it.
Advertisement
Printable Cheat Sheet
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionWhat is the pronunciation of the number 36?Community AnswerSechs und dreizig, pronounced approximately as "secks oond dry-sigg".
-
QuestionHow do you count from 100-1000 in German?Community Answer100= Hundert...101= Hunderteins...102= Hundertzwei. (Always say "Hundert" plus a number.) 200= Zweihundert. (Just put the 2 or 3 or whatever before the 100.) 300= Dreihundert...301= Dreihunderteins; and so forth. 1000= tausend or eintausend. (It's the same with tausend and one tausend.)
-
QuestionHow do I say "want" in German?Community AnswerYou say "will" (vill). For example, Ich will ein glas milch = (I want one glass of milk).
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
- German numbers are not capitalized, unless you turn them into a noun, as in "The three ...", or "Die Drei ..."Thanks
- If you are serious about knowing how to count further in German, consider a German tutor or teaching software.Thanks
- You could try flashcards.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
- ↑ https://web.stanford.edu/~jrb/reference/german.html
- ↑ https://www.learngermanonline.org/pronunciation/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9t9VXxZSRo
- ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/german.htm
- ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/german.htm
- ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/german.htm
- ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/german.htm
- ↑ https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/german.htm
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ https://mylanguages.org/german_numbers.php
- ↑ http://www.languageguide.org/german/numbers/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi2Qg0nBDis
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWXUD_cVRbg
- ↑ https://forvo.com/languages/de/#google_vignette
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To count to 10 in German, start by saying the word "eins" for one and "zwei" for the number two. Say "drei" for the number three and be sure to pronounce it like "dry." Use the word "vier" for the number four and "fünf" for the number five. Say "sechs" for six and "sieben" for seven. Use the word "acht" for the word eight and "neun" for nine. Lastly, use the word "zehn" for 10! To learn more about German pronunciation, read on!
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 987,581 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I studied German and became the president of the German Honor Society in high school. I have since forgotten almost everything I learned those fifteen years ago. I thought it was lost forever. Looking at this site brought back everything and made me remember things that I thought I'd never remember, even some things that I didn't realize I had learned. Thank you. This was very refreshing and fun to see." ..." more
Advertisement
"I studied German and became the president of the German Honor Society in high school. I have since forgotten almost everything I learned those fifteen years ago. I thought it was lost forever. Looking at this site brought back everything and made me remember things that I thought I'd never remember, even some things that I didn't realize I had learned. Thank you. This was very refreshing and fun to see."
..."
more
"I took German in high school and forgot a few of the rules. This article really helped refresh my memory. I came just wanting to see the pronunciation for the word "ten," but was given a great refresher. Tremendous article great for starting basic German."
..."
more
"I have just begin to self teach myself German and I want to begin with numbers. This article gave me helpful tips on how to pronounce the numbers, as well as the spelling and numbers themselves. "
..."
more
"The way it first taught the proper way to pronounce the vowel sounds and then gave detailed, illustrated directions for the pronunciation of each word was very clear and helpful."
..."
more
"I took German in junior high to learn the language because my grandfather was half-German. I couldn't remember how to pronounce a couple numbers. This reminded me."
..."
more
