The German Consonant 'm' 

The German 'm' is a nasal consonant, which means that when it is made, the airsream escapes through the nose and not the mouth. To prove this to yourself, try making an extended 'mmmmm' sound and then squeezing your nose with your fingers. The air can no longer escape and the sound cannot be articulated. Note too that your vocal cords vibrate when the consonant is formed, which means that /m/ is a 'voiced/ sound.

Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say six German words that begin with the letter 'm'. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:

Sounds 1: 'm' in initial position Mann (man)    Maus (mouse) Musik (music)    mehr (more) Minute (minute)    modern (modern)

Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words in which the letter 'm' appears in medial position. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with their English translation:

Sounds 2: 'm' in medial position kommen (to come)    Name (name) Sommer (summer)    Bäume (trees) Zimmer (room)    Riemen (strap)

Finally, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the letter 'm' appears at the end of a word. As before, the words are supplied in the box below along with their English translation:

Sounds 3: 'd' in final position Lamm (lamb)    Dom (cathedral) Baum (tree)    Reichtum (wealth)

 How to pronounce German 'm' + another consonant

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