Pronunciation and spelling
Stress, rhythm and question intonation
Learn each new word with its stressed syllable. Many simple German words stress an early syllable, but do not assume the first syllable always wins: beZAHlen differs from EINkaufen. Separable prefixes often carry stress; many inseparable prefixes do not. Sentence stress signals the information you are contrasting: ICH komme morgen answers “who?”; Ich komme MORGEN answers “when?”.
Unstressed endings can be reduced in natural speech: the written e in bitte is not an emphatic English “ay”. Yes/no questions often have a rising contour; information questions often fall, but real intonation depends on intention. Aim for intelligibility and meaningful phrasing, not imitation of one accent.
- Example
- Nicht am Montag, sondern am Dienstag.
- English
- Not on Monday, but on Tuesday.
- Hinglish
- Monday ko nahin, balki Tuesday ko.
Am MONTAG, nicht am Dienstag. contrasts days. Um ZEHN, nicht um elf. contrasts times.
Hinglish: Monday ko, Tuesday ko nahin. / Das baje, gyaarah baje nahin.