A1.1 · fillBlank
A1.1 · Das Alphabet & Buchstabieren
Wie schreibt man das? — how do you spell that? — is a question you will hear on your first day in any German office, and the A1 exam asks you to spell your name. The German alphabet has the same 26 letters as English plus ä, ö, ü and ß, but many letters have different names, and the ones that differ are exactly the ones English speakers mix up: E is said 'ay' and I is said 'ee' (the other way round from what you expect), J is Jot, V is Vau (said 'fow'), W is We (said 'vay'), Z is Zett ('tset') and Y is Ypsilon. Germans spell with a few fixed helpers: Doppel-L for ll, A-Umlaut for ä, Eszett or scharfes S for ß. This quiz asks for the names of the tricky letters, then gives you names spelt out letter by letter and asks you to write the word.
E is "ay", I is "ee"
The two vowels English speakers swap: E sounds like English 'ay' in 'day', I like 'ee' in 'see'. A is 'ah', O is 'oh', U is 'oo'.
- Wie heißen Sie? – Meier. Em – E – I – E – Er. What's your name? – Meier. M – 'ay' – 'ee' – 'ay' – R.
- Lisa: El – I – Es – A. Lisa: L – 'ee' – S – 'ah'.
When a German spells 'E – I' you hear 'ay – ee'. Write E first, then I.
The letters with surprising names
J = Jot, V = Vau, W = We, Y = Ypsilon, Z = Zett, Q = Ku, C = Ce (said "tsay"), H = Ha. Say them aloud until they are as automatic as A, B, C.
- Jot – A – En: Jan J – A – N: Jan
- Vau – A – Te – E – Er: Vater V – A – T – E – R: Vater
Spelling helpers
Two identical letters: Doppel- (Doppel-L, Doppel-S). Umlauts: A-Umlaut, O-Umlaut, U-Umlaut. ß: Eszett or scharfes S. Capital or small: groß / klein.
- Müller: Em – U-Umlaut – Doppel-El – E – Er. Müller: M – Ü – double L – E – R.
- Straße schreibt man mit Eszett. Straße is written with ß.
The exam script
Wie ist Ihr Name? – … Können Sie das bitte buchstabieren? – Gern: … Practise your own name and your street until you can spell them without stopping.
- Können Sie das bitte buchstabieren? Could you spell that, please?
- Wie schreibt man das? – Mit Ha am Ende. How do you write that? – With an H at the end.
How to remember it
- E = 'ay', I = 'ee' — the swap that causes most spelling mistakes.
- J Jot, V Vau, W We, Z Zett: four letters, four names to learn by heart.
| Buchstabe | Name des Buchstabens |
|---|---|
| J the letter J | Jot |
| V the letter V | Vau |
| W the letter W | We |
| Z the letter Z | Zett |
| Y the letter Y | Ypsilon |
| H the letter H | Ha |
| Q the letter Q | Ku |
| E the letter E (said 'ay') | E |
| I the letter I (said 'ee') | I |
| ß sharp s | Eszett |
| ä a with umlaut | A-Umlaut |
Words you need
- derBuchstabe, -n letter (of the alphabet)
- dasAlphabet, -e alphabet
- buchstabieren to spell
- schreiben to write
- derVorname, -n first name
- derNachname, -n surname
- derUmlaut, -e umlaut (ä, ö, ü)
- Doppel- double (Doppel-L = ll)
- groß / klein capital / small (letter)
In context
Wie ist Ihr Name, bitte? – Weber. – Können Sie das buchstabieren? – We – E – Be – E – Er. – Danke. Und Ihr Vorname? – Jana: Jot – A – En – A.
What's your name, please? – Weber. – Could you spell that? – W – E – B – E – R. – Thanks. And your first name? – Jana: J – A – N – A.
Mistakes English speakers make
- Meier spelt 'M – I – E – I – R' → M – E – I – E – R E is said 'ay' and I 'ee' — English speakers hear 'ee' and write I.
- W said as 'double-u' → W said 'vay' (We) German W is We; the sound is also how the letter is said in words: Wien, Wasser.
- Z said as 'zed' → Z said 'tset' (Zett) German Z is always ts — in its name too.
A1 Sprechen Teil 1: after introducing yourself you are asked to spell your name (Buchstabieren Sie bitte Ihren Namen); Hören and the Schreiben form reward spelling names and streets correctly.
Name des Buchstabens
Der Buchstabe J heißt auf Deutsch .
The letter J is called ____ in German.