What do Germans struggle with when learning English?

What do Germans struggle with when learning English?

On the whole, I think there are two things that make German somewhat harder for English speakers: the grammar and the phonological changes. On the whole, I think there are two things that make German somewhat harder for English speakers: the grammar and the phonological changes.

What English sounds are difficult for German speakers?

10 English Pronunciation Errors by German Speakers

  • 1. / e/ and /æ/
  • 2. /ɔ:/ and /ɒ/ Because the open-back vowel /ɒ/ does not exist in German, many German speakers of English instead reach for the mid-open vowel /ɔ/.
  • 3. /əʊ/
  • 4. /ɜ:/
  • ‘th’ sounds.
  • 6. /v/ and /w/
  • Voicing.
  • ‘r’

What are the difficulties in learning German?

The more specific problem areas that are the source of most common mistakes English speakers make when learning German include any of those described below.

  1. Grammar.
  2. Word Order.
  3. Pronunciation.
  4. Spelling.
  5. False Friends.
  6. Speaking.
  7. Accents and Dialects.

What sounds are difficult for English learners?

5 Difficult sounds in English

  • 1 – The “TH” sound. This is one of the trickiest sounds and to add insult to injury, there are two distinct ways to pronounce it!
  • 2 – the “W” and “V” sounds.
  • 3 – the “b” and “v” sounds.
  • 4 – The “ed” sound.
  • 5 – The “l” and “r” sounds.
  • 2 comments.

Is English easier than German?

Some parts of German grammar are particularly tricky for English speakers to get to grips with, but German grammar is actually arguably easier to learn than English grammar because it follows set rules that are laid down by the three regional authorities, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (with small differences …

Is it easier for Germans to learn English?

German might not be as familiar to English speakers as Spanish, but it’s still one of the easiest languages to learn. Like Spanish, it’s also a phonetic language, which makes pronunciation easy to figure out. All of these things can make learning German easier in the beginning.

What words are hard for Germans to say?

Take the challenge and have a go at some of these hard to pronounce German words.

  • Streichholzschächtelchen. Pronounced (Schtraeyechholtsschaicktelchen)
  • Brötchen. Pronounced (Broetchen)
  • Eichhörnchen. Pronounced (Eyechhoernchen)
  • Fünfhundertfünfundfünfzig.
  • Frucht.
  • Regisseur.
  • Schlittschuhlaufen.
  • Röntgen.

What is the hardest language in the world?

Mandarin
As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the toughest language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.

What is the hardest sound to make in English?

DescriptionThe “TH” sound is the hardest sound in the English language. It is made by placing your tongue through your teeth.

What are the five areas of phonology?

Five Difficult Areas of Phonology

  • Stress on words.
  • Vowel and consonant sounds.
  • Combined sounds.
  • Physical attributes.
  • Translation between languages.

Which is more difficult to learn English or German?

This causes many more difficulties for English native-speakers learning German than for Germans learning English, which is largely uninflected. German has three features of word order than do not exist in English: Firstly, the main verb must be the second element in the independent clause.

Why do German speakers use high falling intonation?

German speakers tend to use a lot of rising patterns, which in English can imply a question, or uncertainty if used in the wrong context. English, by contrast, most commonly uses high falling intonation: Well, it’s really rather interesting.

Why do German speakers not use the diphthong sound?

German does not use the diphthong /əʊ/ as in ‘so’ or ‘coat’. German speakers of English often replace this sound with a monophthong sound which is closer to the English /ɔ:/. This can cause confusion between words such as ‘coat’ and ‘caught’ and ‘bone’ and ‘born’:

What are some common errors made by German speakers?

Here we present to you some of the common errors made by German-speaking students at Pronunciation Studio: Some German speakers of English confuse the sounds /e/ and /æ/ which can cause words like ‘pet’ and ‘pat’ and ‘met’ and ‘mat’ to sound almost the same.