The German language is a West Germanic language spoken primarily
in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. While its close linguistic
and developmental relationship with English makes it quite easy
to learn in some aspects, it is, unlike English, very
"grammatical", having much declension and conjugation. This
lesson, one of several to come, will introduce you to the basics
of the German language. The Basics of German  See the wikipedia
page on German phonology if you know your IPA. If not: f, k, l,
m, n, p, t, x, are identical in usage and pronunciation to
English. - b is p at the end of words, b elsewhere. - ch is
"hissed" like a heavy "h" before e, i, ä, ö, ü, ai, ei, oi, eu,
oi and between consonants; and "rasped" like Scottish "loch"
after o, a, u, au - d is t at the end of words, d elsewhere. -
dt is t. - g is always 'hard', like in goat, except for the
suffix "-ig" at the end of words, where it is always "hissed"
like a heavy "h". - h, when after a vowel, is silent and
lengthens the vowel. - j is pronounced