Satzmelodie & Intonation
Sentence Intonation (Satzmelodie)
German intonation patterns: statements fall ↘ at the end, yes/no questions rise ↗, W-questions (wer, was, wo) fall ↘, lists rise on each item then fall on the last. German sounds more assertive than English due to the strong falling pattern.
Sounds
| IPA | Beispiel | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ↘ Statement | Ich gehe nach Hause. | I'm going home. |
| ↗ Yes/No | Gehst du nach Hause? | Are you going home? |
| ↘ W-question | Wo gehst du hin? | Where are you going? |
Minimal Pairs
Du kommst. ↘
statement (falling)
Du kommst? ↗
question (rising)
Tips
Exaggerate the falling pattern at first — German sounds more assertive than English.
In long sentences, keep pitch up until the very last phrase, then drop.
Common Mistakes
Using rising intonation on statements
Related Sounds
Explore More
Helpful tools for anyone learning German. No signup required.
See how de-de works alongside popular German learning tools.
Master German sounds with IPA guides and practice tips.
German courses tailored to your goals.
Conjugation tables for the 100 most important German verbs.
10 daily news from Germany, adapted to your language level
Ready to speak German?
Start your AI-powered German course today. No subscription — just your OpenAI API key (~$0.50/week).