Word stress and capital letters
Most words are stressed on the first syllable, and every noun has a capital
Part of the free A0 German course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
Word stress: usually the first syllable
Most German words are stressed on the first syllable, the part that carries the meaning:
- VA-ter (father), MUT-ter (mother), AR-bei-ten (to work), SPIE-len (to play)
In compound nouns (two or more words joined into one), the first part takes the stress: BAHN-hof (station), HAUS-tür (front door).
Prefixes that are never stressed
The prefixes be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp- are never stressed. The stress moves to the next syllable:
- be-SU-chen (to visit), ver-STE-hen (to understand), be-ZAH-len (to pay), ge-NAU (exactly), er-ZÄH-len (to tell)
Borrowed words
Many words from French, Latin or English keep the stress near the end: Ho-TEL, Mu-SIK, Stu-DENT, Pro-BLEM, In-for-ma-TION, U-ni-ver-si-TÄT.
Capital letters
German has one big spelling rule that English doesn't have: every noun starts with a capital letter, wherever it is in the sentence.
| English | German |
|---|---|
| I have a dog. | Ich habe einen Hund. |
| The water is cold. | Das Wasser ist kalt. |
| We are learning German. | Wir lernen Deutsch. |
Two more rules:
- The polite Sie (you) and its forms always have a capital: Haben Sie Zeit? (Do you have time?). See du, ihr or Sie: which you?.
- The word ich (I) has a small letter, unless it starts the sentence.
Verbs (wohnen), adjectives (groß) and pronouns (ich, wir) are written small. Capitals actually help you read: a capital in the middle of a sentence tells you "this is a noun".
- Mein Bruder hat einen Hund.My brother has a dog.
- Ich verstehe das nicht.I don't understand that.
- Wir besuchen heute Oma.We're visiting grandma today.
- Die Musik ist laut.The music is loud.
- Das Hotel ist am Bahnhof.The hotel is at the station.
- Ich trinke morgens Kaffee.I drink coffee in the mornings.
- Kommen Sie aus Hamburg?Are you from Hamburg?
- Am Montag lerne ich Deutsch.On Monday I learn German.
When you learn a new noun, write it with its capital and its article: der Hund, die Musik, das Hotel. See der, die, das: gender and articles.
Common mistakes
Ich habe eine katze.Nouns always take a capital: Ich habe eine Katze.Wo wohnen sie, Herr Weber?The polite Sie needs a capital: Wo wohnen Sie, Herr Weber? With a small s, sie means "she" or "they".Morgen arbeite Ich.ich is small in the middle of a sentence: Morgen arbeite ich.- Stressing the prefix: not VER-ste-hen but ver-STE-hen.
- Capitalising every word in a title the English way. German capitalises only nouns (and the first word).
Practice
- Where is the stress in 'Vater' (father)?Options: On va: VA-ter · On ter: va-TER · Both syllables equally
Show the answer
On va: VA-ter
- Where is the stress in 'verstehen' (to understand)?Options: On ste: ver-STE-hen · On ver: VER-ste-hen · On hen: ver-ste-HEN
Show the answer
On ste: ver-STE-hen — The prefix ver- is never stressed.
- Where is the stress in 'bezahlen' (to pay)?Options: On zah: be-ZAH-len · On be: BE-zah-len · On len: be-zah-LEN
Show the answer
On zah: be-ZAH-len — The prefix be- is never stressed.
- Where is the stress in 'Musik' (music)?Options: On sik: mu-SIK · On mu: MU-sik · Both syllables equally
Show the answer
On sik: mu-SIK — Many borrowed words keep the stress at the end.