The German short 'i' vowel 

The short German 'i' sound is similar to the vowel articulated in the English words 'bit' and 'lip'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel at the start of a word:

Sounds 1: Short German 'i' in initial position ich (I)    Interesse (interest) Irland (Ireland)    Insekt (insect) immer (always)    illegal (illegal)

Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel in the middle of a word. Note that this sound can only be written as an 'i'.

Sounds 2: Short German 'i' in medial position bitte (please)    Mitte (middle) Tisch (table)    Fisch (fish) Winter (winter)    sitzen (to sit)

The German long /i:/ vowel 

The long German /i:/ vowel - which can be written 'i', 'ih', 'ie' or 'ieh' - sounds a little like the vowel articulated in the English words 'bee' and 'team'. The German sound however is more open, with the lips widely spread, and the tongue should be further forward during articulation. You should also ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same position in your mouth throughout articulation - English sounds can tend to glide off into a diphthong. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words containing this long /i:/ vowel at the start of a word:

Sounds 3: Long German 'i' in initial position ihnen (to them)    ihr (her) irisch (Irish)    Iris (iris) Igel (hedgehog)

Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three German words in which the long /i:/ vowel appears in medial position. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation.

Sounds 4: Long German vowel 'i' in medial position Krise (crisis)    politisch (political) Linie (line)

When long /i:/ appears in an unstressed syllable in a word, then the same sound is made but with a reduced length. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three reduced length long /i:/ vowel sounds.

Sounds 5: Reduced length German long 'i' sounds Idee (idea)    ideal (ideal) Mikrofon (microphone)

When 'i' occurs before a vowel, it does not constitute a separate syllable, but is instead pronounced very short. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two German words in which the 'i' vowel appears before another vowel. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation.

Sounds 6: German 'i' before another vowel Station (station)    finanziell (financial)

 How to pronounce German 'ie'

 Print This Page