Leseregeln: ie, ei, eu, äu
Reading: ie, ei, eu, äu
ie, ei
Reading ie and ei
ie [iː] — a long “ee”
- liegen — to lie (lying down)
ei [aɪ̯] — sounds like “eye”
- nein — no
Wörter — more words
die Biene — bee
der Brief — letter
die Zwiebel — onion
das Ei — egg
das Eis — ice cream
die Geige — violin
Watch out: Don't mix them up: ie is “ee” (liegen), ei is “eye” (nein).
eu, äu
Reading eu and äu
eu [ɔɪ̯] — sounds like “oy” in “boy”
- neun — nine
äu [ɔɪ̯] — sounds like “oy” in “boy”
- die Bäume — trees
Wörter — more words
die Eule — owl
die Träume — dreams
Tip: eu and äu sound the same: “oy”.
Check yourself
Choose the sound
Wie klingt ei in „nein“?
[iː][aɪ̯][eː]
Answer
[aɪ̯] — ei sounds like “eye”: nein — “nine”. [iː] is ie.
Check yourself
Choose the sound
Wie klingt äu in „Bäume“?
[aʊ̯][ɛu][ɔɪ̯]
Answer
[ɔɪ̯] — äu sounds like “oy”, just like eu: Bäume — “boy-muh”.