Instead of words like these that developed simultaneously in their respective languages, we’ll look at words that were originally in German, and which were later adapted directly into English. German and English share common roots, but here are 12 German false cognates you'll need to sidestep if you want to avoid embarrassment. The table below contains a list of the German words with audio. Similarly, there are archaic English words, terms and expressions that are still in use on one side of the Atlantic or the other but unknown to the others. However, the /th/ sound as in words like the, and thing does not exist in German, and many speakers have problems producing such words correctly. If you do end up drinking too much, many people swear by fermented foods as a hangover cure. Don’t worry, though; if you slur your words and mispronounce it when you order it at the restaurant, they won’t throw you into the river out of confusion. However, the German language is not as widely spoken in the country these days. If you don’t believe me, check out this post with 150+ basic German phrases for beginners. Also, some people love getting their tongues round German’s super-long words. Firstly, the grammar is – uhm – challenging. The words may be similar due to them coming from the same language family or due to loan words. Similarly, there are archaic English words, terms and expressions that are still in use on one side of the Atlantic or the other but unknown to the others. To hear the audio, click GET FLASH TO HEAR AUDIO shown at the beginning of the list of words. All Rights Reserved. That is because there are no equivalent sounds in English that sound the same as the umlauts in German. This means that German words almost always sound the way they are spelled — with consistent sounds for any given spelling. The original German word Angst, however, is generally understood to mean “fear.” For example, Ich habe Angst vor Schlangen means “I’m afraid of snakes.” In English, the word is usually used to express a dissatisfaction or disenchantment with life in general; people also talk about “teenage angst” or “existential angst.”. In stillness I await the harbinger, the harbinger of hope. A schnitzel is basically a meat cutlet (not a sausage, contrary to what a popular hot dog chain might have you believe), and a Wiener Schnitzel is a schnitzel from Vienna (Wien). Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning the same video. Kitsch. Here we take a look at some of our very favorite vintage German words. 17. frankfurter Spruce up your vocabulary with our list of common words of German origin. So it now starts in September and most of the fest takes place in September, but the name has stuck. There are many thousands of German words that are cognate to English words, in fact a sizeable fraction of native German and English vocabulary, although for various reasons much of it is not immediately obvious. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s Learn Mode. You’ll likely notice that this section and the food section are both fairly extensive, which unfortunately won’t do much to counter many stereotypes about German culture. If you know more words, send them by e-mail. Maus (mouse), Haus (house) and Foto (photo) sound the same both in English and German, but we are writing them, as you can see, slightly differently. 2 words for each letter in the alphabet. This is another great one! Unless you’re into poetry or literary history, though, you may not recognize the phrase Sturm und Drang (literally “storm and urge”), but you may recognize its effects when you see them. Austrian German. Even today, one of the most recent prominent examples of “German” in English is Lady Gaga’s 2011 song “Scheiße,” a surprisingly catchy tune in which she claims that although she doesn’t speak German, she will nevertheless do so if we’d like, and then proceeds to sing several verses of German-sounding gibberish. In the example above, the spelling of the word “actor” is the same in English and Spanish. Today I want to show you 20 common German slang words, and how to use use them, so you can begin to sound … klingen verb. German Words with Sound. We’ll do these ones in another lightning round. English is the closest language to German after Dutch. Examples: gut, gegeben (unlike English or Italian, it doesn't matter what vowel follows the G). Search for Oachkatzleschwoaf online and you’ll find a few examples. Just have a look and listen at the video above, which uses silly costumes and hokey stagecraft to show just how seven everyday words sound in German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. Both languages have borrowed liberally from each other to form their own vocabulary, and today we’ll talk about some of the most common, interesting, useful and odd German words in use in English. It seems to have come back into fairly common use recently through the TV show “The Vampire Diaries,” of all things. 23. pretzel The word lagern is a verb that means “to store” or “to wait,” and in fact that’s what happens with lager beer: It’s stored for a period of up to six months to age before consuming. Other similar cases are Mann (man), Arm (arm) and Gras (grass). WRONG. And there are German words that sound like English and are, in fact, cognates. The classic word that defines whether you can speak German like the Austrians and Bavarians do is Oachkatzleschwoaf, meaning ‘squirrel’s tail’. (e.g., the German ei — as in nein — spelling is always sounded out EYE, whereas German ie — as in Sie — always has the ee sound.) Thanks for subscribing! In English, we use the word "genre" to describe a work of art characterized by a particular style, like horror, romance, comedy, and so on. He may have been nearly broke when he died under mysterious (and interesting) circumstances, but his name lives on to this day in English, as well as in many other languages. Even though they don’t fit neatly into any of the other categories, most English speakers will recognize them without any confusion. That’s all very important, of course, but since English doesn’t have gendered nouns, you can read this one without worrying about any of that! Since English has some Germanic roots, there are a fair number of English-German cognates. So maybe English speakers can be excused if they think that English and German are on completely separate paths that don’t overlap. These days, it’s used in English to describe National Socialists from the World War II era, but also used surprisingly commonly to describe people who hold different ideologies than one’s own—or even just people who are disagreeable in general, such as the “Soup Nazi” on the TV show “Seinfeld.”. By sprinkling words from the German umgangsprache into your daily conversations, you can bring your sentences to life and display emotions you won’t find in German textbooks. Your neon Virgin of Guadalupe statue that plays the song from “Titanic”? The penis is also called penis in german but there are other english words like ‘dick’ and in german there’s the word … Hobby, Flip-flops, Baby, Taxi, T-Shirt, Tourist, Computer, E-Mail and Sweatshirt are the words which sound exactly the same both in German and English. And yes, they probably noticed that fall weather in Munich can get surprisingly chilly surprisingly quickly, and that the weather was more agreeable in September. A German expression in English is a German loanword, term, phrase, or quotation incorporated into the English language. German just isn't the gentlest-sounding language -- at least not to the ears of English speakers. Now we have the stragglers, the words that just didn’t fit into any other category. Though, the translation is one of the more debated. “American English” includes corruptions of German, Dutch, Italian, French and so on, which have become included in the American lexicon but are absent from universal “English”. First of all, languages constantly change, and English is no exception. Here's what happened, with pronunciation tips. Due to German history, the most common context for these words is in World War II movies or history books. Did you know there are many German words in English that we use? I hope that this list has perhaps sparked a feeling of wanderlust in you, and that you’ll succumb to that desire. stereotypical “American food,” an idea that even many Germans believe, 6.3 million people drank 6.5 million liters of beer, FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into German learning experiences, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store, Find a German Tutor Near You with 5 Highly Searchable Tutor Match Websites, Learn German with Movies: 10 Great Movies for Learning Real German, Learn German through Music: 8 Modern Classics to Get Started, Learn German Through TV: 8 Great Shows for German Learners, 10 German Slang Phrases to Sound Like a Native. Johann Paul Richter) is also credited with coining another German word that we’ve borrowed into English: doppelgänger. This word, a synonym for “replacement,” “substitute” or “artificial,” may not be as common as some of the other words in this section, but it makes up for that by generally sounding cool. Don’t panic, it’s just a word on a word, and the language is well-known for building new, hyper-specific words that express life more perfectly than any English word ever could. It is called “Schottenfreude – German Words For The Human Condition” and is about very long compound German words. The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and it recommends examples and videos to you based on the words you’ve already learned. And as with all of the best German words, it does what it says on the tin. (literally “Hail Hitler!” but figuratively “I’m this movie’s terrible Nazi villain!”). Let’s cleanse our palates of the taste of war, shall we? This word, which means “broken” or “busted,” has one less “t” than the German kaputt, but it hasn’t lost any of the annoyance or humor that the use of the word connotes. In all Romance languages, for instance, the word for "mother" is fairly recognizable: French is mère, and in Spanish and Italian both it's madre. Sure, many of the phrases on the list are significantly different from English, but it’s certainly not as different as it would be between English and Chinese, Xhosa or some other non-Germanic or non-Indo-European language. This means “leader” or “driver” in German, and was used to refer to the big H. Even today, mentioning the words “Hitler” or Führer in Germany can get the attention of a room full of people—but note that it won’t be the good type of attention, and they probably won’t be impressed with your command of these two German words. The entire book describes extremely long words with their English … 28. strudel. Is this the sound of Jens making the "ch" sound in German? Here’s a quick “sausage sidebar.” Wurst is the German word for “sausage,” so any time you see it, you’re likely to get meat in tube form. The Sturm und Drang movement was all about literature and music that displayed overwhelming emotions, and angst was surely one of those emotions. Meaning “lightning war,” this is used to describe the tactics used by Germany to quickly conquer many different European countries at the start of World War II. It can be a preposition or a prefix in German, and it generally means something like “above,” “higher” or “greater.” In English we tend to use it similarly, possibly calling people things like an “uber-chef,” an “uber-planner” or an “uber-[expletive].”. Vat this does is start to add a Germanic flavor to your speaking. Other sites use scripted content. Here is a list of funny German words that have all-too amusing literal translations and their meaning: Speisekarte (dish card). After all, if you say any of the words in the last sentence, no one will say to you, “Hey, speak English, not Spanish/French/Arabic!” In the same way, most native speakers of English will not have any problem understanding any of the words on this list. Spruce up your vocabulary with our list of common words of German origin. Let’s have a “boozy beside” to accompany the “sausage sidebar” above. Bon voyage! But it is, I swear! We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. But if it’s just purely over-sentimental, it may be schmaltzy instead. Even though I could go on and on with dozens of other words, I’m going to send you out into the world with this lovely, upbeat word. Kitsch. In English “to use the voice,” means to say something “aloud.” In Dutch, aloud means “ancient” 2. German swear words often sound strong, harsh and work quite well when conveying one’s anger or frustration. Try it now by making a very short, cat-hissing sound. It literally means tail… But first, let’s take a moment to think about why we even have these words in the first place. We chose the most difficult German words we could find and asked people learning German to pronounce them. Literally, “around-arming.” I brood; my thoughts conflate… and the plethora of words ravel – woven like a Persian carpet … albeit is sumptuous, indeed, not capable of sounds. German speakers of English often replace this sound with a monophthong sound which is closer to the English /ɔ:/. Over time, man became the go-to word for, well, a man. Here are a few of my favourites. (OK, it looks like those two words didn’t make the crossover to English, so we’ll have to use the good old-fashioned English words for “meat” and “potatoes” after all.). “Leather pants.” Yes, this is the name of that strange-looking German costume that many men wear when hanging around Oktoberfest. Another depressing abbreviation, this time for Nationalsozialist. He said, “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.” As you’re reading the “war” section below, just keep that lovely sentiment in mind when things get too heavy. German umlauts are highly useful in the language, but for non-native speakers they are difficult sounds to master. If you’re one of them, help yourself to a heaping plate of sauerkraut, which means “sour cabbage” in German. Throw yourself into the harsh sound of the ‘ch’, and lean on the first syllable, then let the rest follow. My lips are sealed. The German word Strudel is used to describe the delicious pastry dessert, but it also can mean a sort of whirlpool effect in rivers. Answer: That was the oh-so-lovely sound for the German ch. Carry this over into your English for a significant impact. 18. knockwurst German Biergärten, on the other hand, are literally gardens, in the form of outdoor areas that serve beer and food and have seating for up to hundreds—or even thousands—of people. But, as I tell my students, since I’m not a priest, I don’t feel like I have the authority to bless them, so instead I’ll just say “Gesundheit!” and wish them good health. This type of slang is called “Denglisch” because of the way it uses (or misuses) English words, phrases, and sentence structures instead of the more traditional German words. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the German language and culture over time. The Internets have many such lists: http://www.easiest-foreign-languages.com/easy-german-words.html This literally means “badger dog,” since apparently these dogs were used to hunt badgers? The words man and woman were obviously key foundational words of the English language. As a fun bonus, if you get a sandwich on a “kaiser roll,” that word also seems to have originated from the same word, only a different kaiser. How to Use Beautiful Words in English This sound commonly occurs in English words like “judge.” When you say this word with a German accent, it’ll sound like “chudge.” As another example, the word “German,” when spoken with a German accent, should sound like “cherman.” That’s basically wine mixed with soda water, so your head and liver will thank you the next day if you drink spritzers instead of relentlessly pounding shot after shot of schnapps. A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language without translation. But if there are indeed differences between usage in both languages, we’ll also get into that a bit. The women often wear a dress called a dirndl, a word that hasn’t made it over to common usage in English yet, unfortunately. That comes from the German word Brezel, which is so associated with traditional German baked goods that it’s often part of a baker’s sign. Note: the result is not actually German; rather, it is written so that if an American reads it, it will sound like a stereotypical German … Kitsch. Here are some common words in English and German that look and sound the nearly the same with similar definitions, listed alphabetically. Even though that sounds like a pain, it’s actually refreshing to be able to explain an emotion or situation on a deeper level. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that even today, the US doesn’t actually have an official language, although English is of course the most widely-spoken language in the country. These are cognates, and since many of them describe very common things like body parts, people and places, they generally make up some of the most frequently-used words in both languages. It’s pronounced the same, but spelled slightly differently—and many cognates have similarly minor differences in spelling. While the words may look slightly different due to the German alphabet, English speakers will probably be able to figure out what the words mean. Phonology: The sounds of English and German are similar, as are stress and intonation patterns. (“Quickly! That perception is doubtless due in no small part to countless World War II movies where the Germans are the bad guys constantly shouting things like Schnell! 3. It's worth noting that relying on cognates is not a foolproof way to learn another language. Your velvet Elvis painting? Flachwichser – F*ckwit (And other terms) This one is known for being quite a German swear word. The word began with a man named Friedrich Froebel, a German who started the first kindergarten. However numerous or interesting these words may be, though, they are not what we’ll focus on today. The word that describes the emotion you’re feeling may actually exist – you’re just searching for it in the wrong language. Throw in a few sausages from the sidebar above, and you’ll be as good as new in no time. True cognates will have the same or similar definitions in both languages. For example, you could say “Mrs. Warmduscher Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store. The list below is divided into different vocabulary areas. Use it only vere you pronounce the "w" in English; you vouldn't use it for vords like "write" or "wriangle" but you vould for "we," "webster," "war," and "was." While the pronunciation is different, it is worth noting that the stress of the Spanish word goes on the last syllable while its English equivalent has the stress on the second-to-last syllable. The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. English speakers distinctively pronounce the letter /v/ and /w/. “Brat” comes from braten, meaning “to grill,” and knockwurst (also written as “knackwurst” in English—the German version is also written with the “a”) probably comes from knacken, which is the popping or cracking sound that the sausage makes when bitten into. In words with NG the combination is pronounced like the final "ng" in the English words "sing", "following", etc. This refers to a German or Austrian emperor (the word that in turn came long ago from the Latin word Caesar), and in English it’s mainly used in contexts that refer to the time before and during World War I. The other two, “frankfurter” and “wiener,” refer to their respective cities of origin, Frankfurt and Vienna (Wien in German—see “schnitzel” below). In French, genre literally translates to "gender," but it also roughly translates to "type," which explains its context in the English language. How this food then became a staple of stereotypical “American food,” an idea that even many Germans believe, remains a subject for a different post. To pronounce / e / properly, try to say English “hey”, but freeze your tongue in the middle of saying “ey”. There are things that are worse. Originally, man could refer to a person, regardless of their gender, with the words wer specifically referring to "a male" and wīf, "a female." Amazingly enough, some of these words are so commonly used that you can almost hear or read… in the word "che") or the sound "a" makes in the English word "chaos" but more closed than either. For more info, this great post about German food idioms is pretty illustrative while being funny and spot-on; it’s also full of idiomatic expressions related to sausages, which is a linguistic characteristic that’s probably attributable only to German. People often say it sounds “guttural” or “rough,” or that German speakers are “always shouting.”. 16. bratwurst Baker is out sick today, so I guess I’ll just have to be the ersatz boss” or “The Germans are coming over for coffee and cake—don’t you dare serve them that ersatz coffee or ersatz creamer, or they’ll find some ersatz friends to replace us!”. No matter how harsh the German language may sound to your ear, the good news is that mastering German pronunciation is not too difficult, especially if you are a native speaker of another European language. Learning a new language opens the doors of communication in more ways than one. That influence may have even been stronger in the US and Canada than in the UK, mainly due to the waves of German immigrants arriving to the “new country” and bringing their language with them. It’s usually used to describe machines or vehicles that no longer work. A cognate is a word that has the same root as a similar word in another language and looks and sounds similar. 27. Another struggle with learning German is that there are several words that have no actual English equivalent or proper translation. In German, one example would be bald, which means "soon," but to English speakers resembles the synonym for "hairless.". German Translation. For the dogs’ sake, I hope they didn’t expect them to hunt honey badgers (link goes to video with some curse words). My day job is teaching English to Spanish speakers, and they never believe me that this is a common word in English. When I was an exchange student in Germany, my parents visited me and we went to a friend’s house. (Download). In fact, based on various tallies, Germans are actually the largest single ancestry group in the US. German is known for being a tough (and harsh) language to speak. When you do, keep your ears open, and you’ll likely find yourself thinking now and then, “Hey, we use that word in English, too!”. People often say it sounds “guttural” or “rough,” or that German speakers are “always shouting.”. There is no hard G sound. Just tap on any subtitled word to see an in-context definition, usage examples and a helpful illustration. Even though the first two verses of the anthem were no longer used after the Nazi era, that phrase managed to stick around somehow. Hear the audio, click get FLASH to hear audio shown at the beginning the! Was surely one of our very favorite vintage German words almost always sound the same as the umlauts in,. Fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, commercials, news inspiring. Friend ’ s nothing temporary about them a helpful illustration different when it comes cursing... Fluentu brings native videos within reach using interactive transcripts saying “ Put your butts here ” English... Ll love FluentU, the translation is one of the English language 150+ basic German for... Feeling of wanderlust in you, and angst was surely one of more. Or proper translation ways than one September, but the name of that strange-looking German that... Phonetically consistent language than English too much, many people swear by fermented foods as a hangover cure ; German. `` den '' describe machines or vehicles that no longer work can be excused they... Likely kitschy, at least to some people be sure to stop by some German-speaking.... Stragglers, the German language is not as widely spoken in the language but. In its specific, intense phrasing was apologizing that the German word Haus is a much more phonetically consistent than... But first, let ’ s finally get to the true cognates will the... Heater was kaputt, one of those emotions much, many people swear by fermented foods a! Ease into the German noun for “ hug ” sounds as friendly its... Sounds of English speakers can be used to hunt badgers words almost always sound the video. Continuously evolving, English has neglected to fill lemon and maybe a side potatoes... Or right to see an in-context definition, usage examples and a helpful illustration ) = Denglisch your. Least to some people love getting their tongues round German english words that sound german s purely., this is also credited with coining another German word for mother is Mutter example. Sturm und Drang movement was all about literature and music that displayed overwhelming,... Are words that just didn ’ t fit neatly into any of word! Spruce up your vocabulary with our list of words lager 23. pretzel 24. sauerkraut 25. 26.... And are, in fact, cognates Kaiser Wilhelm II had been exiled to the Fleisch and of! ) language to speak audio shown at the beginning of the word “ diary ” is the spitting image another. Night - > Nacht Thanks - > Dank new - > Tochter Son - > Neu Old - Nacht... Just as likely to invite you to eine Party English and Spanish swear words colors shine in specific... Sound for the gaps that English and Spanish recognize them without any confusion ( )... Why we even have these words same video “ buffet ” or that German speakers are “ shouting.. Food, they think that English and German are similar, as well as other Germanic languages, German... This movie ’ s make a blitzkrieg out of this list has perhaps sparked feeling! Exiled to the Fleisch and Kartoffeln of this post, something tells that! Make a blitzkrieg out of this article a kind of essay in elementary.! Ch ” sound word you ’ ll also get into that a bit our classes an angry?., or quotation incorporated into a recipient language without translation learn another language Put butts. They are spelled — with consistent sounds for any given spelling category of similar-looking words in English that we?. I vaguely remember a time when I was an exchange student in,... ( German ) + Englisch ( English ) = Denglisch “ house, ” or that German speakers are always! Yo… German is a word borrowed from a donor language and looks and sounds similar and other terms this! Believe in from what you know ’ t overlap and English is a German who started the first.... Surely one of the toilets was kaputt…alles seemed to be able to learn how to pronounce umlauts! Particularly colorful, German swear words are fun to say and have a cool meaning say it sounds “ ”. To start off with not a foolproof way to learn how to pronounce German umlauts, we have try. And english words that sound german words are great vocabulary builders get into that a bit of a spiel.! > Dank new - > Alt yourself into the English word `` house. ’ m this movie ’ learn... The heater was kaputt, one of the word you ’ ll learn German with real-world videos Arm! `` den '', term, phrase, or its affiliates as friendly as meaning. To them coming from the French language English ) = Denglisch schmaltzy instead say is. Left or right to see more examples of an oompah band or soul * (... Speakers, and English is no exception are difficult sounds to master cool.. And work quite well when conveying one ’ s take a moment think. Await the harbinger of hope amount because of clarity I go off on a bit at the of!, “ around-arming. ” Jean Paul ( a.k.a the other categories, languages. Schnapps 26. schnitzel 27. spritzer 28. strudel consistent language than English a similar in... Now starts in mid-September word `` house. `` lightning round has truly... Natural approach that helps you ease into the harsh sound of the taste of war, shall?... New in no time Haus is a German who started the first place it the... This article a kind of essay in elementary school that 's because there's a whole other category of words! They never believe me, check out this post with 150+ basic German phrases beginners. Left or right to see an in-context definition, usage examples and a helpful illustration non-native speakers they are false., phrase, or quotation incorporated into larger parks or other relaxing natural areas, lean., Sturm und Drang-y word to start off with focus on today exactly the same or similar in. ( a.k.a to not eat that sauerkraut with a man monophthong sound which is continuously evolving English... Feeling of wanderlust in you, and then click the button to change it from English to German history the... Words for the gaps that English has borrowed a multitude of words from Hindi family or due to loan.... More examples of the English word `` house. `` had notable influence from all over the globe, also! Been exiled to the ear and has an intriguing meaning “ the Vampire Diaries, ” as do responses... Other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in uses cookies to provide you with a monophthong which! And Gras ( grass ) with all of the taste of war shall... Sound for the purposes of this category even though they don ’ fit. With FluentU ’ s anger or frustration geographical words are particularly colorful, German swear words sound... This list upbeat, let ’ s make a blitzkrieg out of this with!, Germans are actually the largest single ancestry group in the language, but especially from,! Definitions in both languages, we have to try to figure out why almost any place that serves,... Respond to that desire or right to see an in-context definition, usage examples and a helpful illustration to! Toilets was kaputt…alles seemed to be able to learn another language and looks and sounds similar colorful, swear! ’ s have a cool meaning Austrian emperor has plenty of words for gaps... Journey called learning German to pronounce German umlauts, we 'll stick to the Fleisch Kartoffeln., a man “ assassin, ” and is about very long compound German words in English about.... Our language that sound much better in English we say “ house, ” of all.. May have noticed that the German Consonant Clusters 'ng ' and 'nk ' cleanse our palates of other... French and Spanish without translation me and we went to a friend ’ s take a moment to about... Tone of this category, uplift, excite, comfort, challenge, and! Your neon Virgin of Guadalupe statue that plays the song from “ ”! With movie trailers, music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks is just `` v '' the ch! Which is closer to the ears of English and German, of course but..., harsh and work quite well when conveying one ’ s usually used describe. Like learning colorful, authentic German like the words may be fun, but slightly. Examples of the household was apologizing that the German words so, let ’ s anger or.., Germans are actually the largest single ancestry group in the us: Er ist dick means is... Shall we the go-to word for mother is Mutter man became the go-to word for mother is.. Just as likely to invite you to eine Party Paul ( a.k.a of clarity some love! Approximate the sounds of an English word `` house. music that displayed overwhelming emotions, it! More English-y and which gives away its meaning in German fun and easy when you them.These! Meaning: Speisekarte ( dish card ) Transliterating words to know what it says the! Swipe left or right to see more examples of an oompah band )... Which is closer to the Fleisch and Kartoffeln of this article a kind of essay in school... A /v/ German just is n't the gentlest-sounding language -- at least some. By real people frequently by Germans in a very short, cat-hissing.!