Where the beat lands
Every word with more than one syllable has one syllable that is louder, longer and higher. In English you learn it word by word. German has rules. In native German words the beat sits on the stem, and that is usually the first syllable. Endings are never stressed. Quiet syllables keep their vowels: do not squash them into an English uh.
ARbeiten
to work
LEHrer
teacher
WOHnung
flat, apartment
Prefixes: the beat tells you what the verb will do
German verbs take prefixes, and the beat shows which kind you have. Some prefixes carry the beat and split off in a sentence. Others are quiet and never leave the verb.
Two kinds of prefix
Stressed: the prefix splits off
an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, vor-, zu-, ab-, nach-, weg- are small words with their own meaning. They carry the beat.
ANrufen
to call (on the phone)
Ich rufe dich an.
AUFstehen
to get up
EINkaufen
to go shopping
Unstressed: the prefix stays
be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp-, miss- are not words on their own. They are quiet, and the beat stays on the stem.
verSTEHen
to understand
Ich verstehe dich.
beZAHlen
to pay
erKLÄren
to explain
Compounds: the first part wins
German glues short nouns together. The beat almost always goes on the first part, while the last part gives the meaning and the gender: die Tür + das Haus makes die HAUStür.
Compound nouns
| Parts | Compound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| die Bahn + der Hof | der BAHNhof | railway station |
| der Apfel + der Saft | der APfelsaft | apple juice |
| das Handy + die Nummer | die HANdynummer | mobile number |
| krank + das Haus | das KRANkenhaus | hospital |
Borrowed words: the beat moves to the end
Many words German borrowed from Latin, Greek and French keep their stress late in the word. Several look like English words, and this is where English stress will mislead you: English says UNiversity, German says UniversiTÄT.
Endings that take the stress
| Ending | German | English stress |
|---|---|---|
| -ion | NatiON, SituatiON | NAtion, situAtion |
| -tät | UniversiTÄT, QualiTÄT | univERsity, QUAlity |
| -ent, -ist | StuDENT, TouRIST | STUdent, TOUrist |
| -ur | KulTUR, NaTUR | CULture, NAture |
| -ieren (verbs) | stuDIEren, telefoNIEren | STUdy, TELephone |
TeleFON
telephone
MuSIK
music
RestoRANT
restaurant
stuDIEren
to study
