A2 → Pronunciation

German A2 Pronunciation — Beyond the Basics

You already know the individual sounds from A1. At A2, the focus shifts to longer words and natural, connected speech — the kind of German you'll actually hear.

Compound word stress

In a German compound noun, the main stress almost always falls on the first part, even in very long words.

Word	Note	Listen
das Krankenhaus	the hospital — stress on KRAN-ken-hows
die Hausaufgabe	homework — stress on HOWS-owf-gah-beh
der Kühlschrank	the fridge — stress on KOOL-shrahnk
das Vorstellungsgespräch	the job interview — stress on FOR-shtel-oongs-geh-shpraykh

Connected, casual speech

In fast, everyday German, sounds often blend or drop — recognizing this is a listening skill as much as a speaking one.

Casual	What it really is
Ich hab's schon gemacht.	Ich habe es schon gemacht — casual speech drops sounds
Was'n los?	Was ist denn los? — very casual, common in fast speech
Kannste mal helfen?	Kannst du mal helfen? — du often shortens to -ste in speech

⚠ Common A2 mistake: Stressing every syllable equally, the way beginners sometimes do — German sentence rhythm gives clear stress to the most important word (usually the new information) and speeds through the rest.