German z is always ts
German z is pronounced ts: a crisp t glued onto an s. Not the buzzing z of English zoo. You already own the sound: it is the end of cats, bits and pizza. The only new skill is saying it at the start of a word, where English never puts it.
Move the sound to the front
Z at the start of a word
zehn
[tsayn]
ten
zwei
[tsvy]
two
die Zeit
[tsyte]
the time
der Zug
[tsook]
the train
das Zimmer
[TSIM-ma]
the room
Three spellings, one sound
Everything here is pronounced ts
| Spelling | Where it appears | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| z | anywhere in a word | zehn, Zeit, kurz, Salz |
| tz | inside a word or at its end | Katze, Platz, Satz |
| tion | at the end of many international words | Nation, Station, Portion |
In -tion English says -shun. German keeps a real ts, and the stress falls on the last syllable: Station = shta-tsi-OHN.
tz, -tion and z at the end of a word
die Katze
[KAT-se]
the cat
der Platz
[plats]
the square, the seat
jetzt
[yetst]
now
die Station
[shta-tsi-OHN]
the station, the stop
kurz
[koorts]
short
das Salz
[zalts]
the salt
s or z? Different words
Say z with the buzz of zoo and you may produce a different word. Listen for the t.
Two pairs to compare
seit
[zyte]
since
Zeit
[tsyte]
time
der Saal
[zahl]
the hall
die Zahl
[tsahl]
the number
In everyday sentences
Ich habe keine Zeit.
I don't have time.
Der Zug fährt um zwei.
The train leaves at two.
Das Zimmer ist zu klein.
The room is too small.
zu is also pronounced with ts: tsoo
Die Katze ist jetzt zu Hause.
The cat is at home now.
Ist hier noch ein Platz frei?
Is this seat still free?
