Go to the homepage of our German Course German diphthongs: 'au', 'äu' and 'eu' University of Portsmouth
The German diphthong 'au'  Includes sound files!

Click here to listen to the soundsThe German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. Although there is a similarity with the way that some English speakers would say the vowel sounds in the words 'clown' and 'brown', the German diphthong must have a back starting-point in German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this diphthong.

braun
(brown)
   Zaun
(fence)
auch
(also)
   Haus
(house)
laut
(loud)
   Traum
(dream)



The German diphthong 'äu' or 'eu' Includes sound files!

Click here to listen to the soundsThe German 'eu' diphthong - which can be written as 'eu' and 'äu', and also as 'oi' or 'oy' in imported loan words - can be equated to the /oi/ sound made in the English words 'toiling' and 'boiling'. The difference however is that the German diphthong requires the lips to be rounded throughout articulation. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing this diphthong.

Fräulein
(Miss)
   Räuber
(robbers)
Häuser
(houses)
   Bräuche
(customs)
treu
(loyal)
   Freude
(joy)
scheu
(shy)
   neu
(new)





Differentiating between 'au' and 'äu/eu' Includes sound files!

Click here to listen to the soundsTo practise the distinction between the German 'au' and 'eu/äu' diphthongs, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair is the singular of a German noun that contains the German 'au' diphthong. The second word in each pair is the plural of the same noun and contains an 'äu' diphthong.

Traum
(dream)
   Träume
(dreams)
Baum
(tree)
   Bäume
(trees)
Maus
(mouse)
   Mäuse
(mice)
Haut
(skin)
   Häute
(skins)


Weiter! German long and short 'e'


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