How to Count to 10 in German

Maybe you need to learn how to count to 10 in German for travel, work, or just plain curiosity. Learning how to count in German is as easy as eins, zwei, drei! German is a very popular language spoken by more than 100 million people around the world, so this knowledge may be useful to you.

Table of Contents

Learn how to pronounce German

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Tighten your mouth while speaking. Learning German won’t work if you don’t pronounce it correctly. Remember that Germans put a lot of pressure on their cheeks when they speak. To sound like a German, you need to keep your mouth shut.

When you open your mouth, your mouth looks like a big “o” or a small “u”. ^{[1] X Research Source}
Try looking for German pronunciation videos to learn how to keep your mouth shut while speaking. Some consonants and vowels in German are also pronounced differently from Vietnamese.

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Learn how to pronounce German vowels. Although German has similarities with Vietnamese, some vowels are spoken differently. This is very important when you practice counting in German. ^{[2] X Research Source}

In German, the diphthong “ei” is pronounced “ai.” For example, the German word “drei” means three. However, the word is pronounced “drai”. Likewise, the German word “frei” means freedom. This word is pronounced “frai”.
The opposite applies to the diphthong “ie”. This vowel is pronounced like “i”. Hence the diphthong in the word “vier” (four) is pronounced as “i”.
The diphthong “eu” is pronounced “oy” in German.
If you see two dots on a vowel, you need to pronounce it differently. ^{[3] X Research Source} The word “year” in German has two dots: fünf. The ü sound is pronounced like “i” but with rounded lips.

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Learn how to pronounce German consonants. One of the important differences between German and Vietnamese pronunciation is the consonants. Some consonants will be pronounced similarly to Vietnamese, but others will not.

The consonant “v” is pronounced as “f”. So you should pronounce “f” instead of “v” when pronouncing the German word four. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
In German, the consonant “s” is pronounced “z” at the beginning of a word, like “sieben” (the number seven in German).
When there is an “r” at the end of a word, make it sound “uh”. The letter “r” is also pronounced very softly in the middle of a word. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth when pronouncing this consonant. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
So the German number four “vier” is pronounced “fia.” When the consonant “z” starts a word, pronounce it as “ts”.

Count in German

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Start counting from 1 to 10 with the word “eins” (one). “Eins” is pronounced “ainz”. To pronounce this word, say the word “ai” and add nz to the end. Counting to 10 in German is easy if you know how to pronounce some major consonants and vowels.

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Count two as “zwei”. In German, “zwei” is pronounced “tsvy”. The “zw” consonant is pronounced “ts”, instead of the usual “z” sound.

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Count three as “drei”. Pronounced “drai”, with the pharynx “r”.

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Use the word “vier” for the number four. The pronunciation of consonants in this word is also different from Vietnamese. Pronounce “vier” as “fia”, which does not end with a strong “r” sound.

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Say “fünf” for the number of years. Read as “fuunf,” and emphasize “u” to lengthen the vowel.

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Using the word “sechs” means six in German. This time, you use the “z” sound. Pronounced “zecks”.

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Say the word “sieben” for the number seven. Pronounced “zibhen”. The “s” sound at the beginning of a word is pronounced “z.”

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Use the word “acht” for the number eight. Pronounce this word as “ahkt”.

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Say “neun” to the number nine. Pronounced “noyn.”

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Complete the count with the word ten, “zehn”. Don’t forget in German the “z” sound at the beginning of a sentence is pronounced “ts”; so the pronunciation of “zehn” is “tsehn”.

You’ll also need to know how to say zero in German after mastering counting from 1 to 10. Zero is “null”, but pronounced “nuul”.

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Learn how to count numbers greater than 10 in German. If you’ve mastered basic German pronunciation and how to count greater than 10, you should try counting higher! This is quite easy.

Add the word “zehn” after each number starting from 13-19. For example, 19 is “neunzehn” and 18 is “achtzehn”, etc. Eleven is pronounced “elf” and 12 is “zwölf”. ^{[6] X Research Source}
Twenty is “zwanzig”. To count numbers greater than 20, start with 1-10, then add the word “und” followed by “zwanzig”. Thus, the number 21 is “einundzwanzig”, which literally means “1 and 20” (“s” in “eins” are omitted). Similarly, the number 22 is “zweiundzwanzig”. And so on until number 29.
Follow the same procedure until the number 100. However, instead of zwanzig, add the word 30 (“dreißig” – ß is “ss” in German and pronounced like “s” in Vietnamese), 40 (” vierzig” – pronounced “fiahtsig’), 50 (“funfzig”), 60 (“sechzig”), 70 (“siebzig”), 80 (“achtzig”), and 90 (“neunzig”). German is “(ein)hundert” (the “d” sound is pronounced “t” and the “u” sound is pronounced “uu”).

Methods of learning German

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Find native speakers. One advantage of the Internet is that you can find native speakers of different languages to practice with, including German.

Different language sites will connect you with native speakers. Some let you hear the pronunciation by placing the pointer over the letter. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Find German videos on You Tube, including counting videos from 1 to 10 so you can hear the correct pronunciation before you speak. ^{[8] X Research Resources} Some websites use music and songs to teach children and adults how to count numbers in German. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Advice

Try memorizing the first five numbers, then continue with the last five.
German numerals are not capitalized, unless they are changed to nouns, for example “Three…”, or “Die Drei…”
If you are serious about learning how to add numbers in German, you can find a German teacher or teaching software.
You can use vocabulary cards.

Steps

Learn how to pronounce German

Count in German

Methods of learning German

Advice

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