How to Pronounce German Consonants l and r Correctly

Most consonants in German are pronounced differently than in English. It is quite obvious with the consonants l and r.

Difficulty Level: Average

Time Required: 20 min

Here’s How:

1. Pronouncing l (like in “million”), place the tip of the tongue to the ridge behind the upper teeth.
2. Flatten it to produce the German l sound which is much lighter and softer than its English namesake.
3. Exercise pronouncing the l sound in German words “viel”, “lang”, “wollen”, “kalt”, “Bild”, etc.
4. Pronouncing r, gargle slightly with uvula at back of mouth when r stands before a vowel like in German words “Rolle”, “beraten”, “Frau”, “Rad”, etc.
5. When r is followed by a consonant, simply swallow it, using the neutral sound like in British English pronunciation of the word “here”.
6. Exercise pronouncing the r sound in pre-consonant position in German words “vier”, “mir”, “studiert”, “Karte”, etc.

Tips:

1. You should exaggerate certain lip and mouth configurations in order to pronounce German words correctly.
2. Muscles of the mouth, lips, tongue, throat and neck must be much tenser for producing German sounds than English sounds.
3. At the beginner’s level exaggerate the articulation until it becomes a habit.