You're probably familiar with the saying "But there's a catch..." According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it means that there is a "concealed difficulty or complication" in a situation. There is a similar saying in German, but instead of the noun for "catch," it uses the German word for the noun "hook": der Haken. 

First, let's take a look at the pronunciation. You want to really open your mouth wide with an "ah" sound when pronouncing this word:

Im Wort „Haken“ ist das „A“ lang.

In the word “hook,” the “A” is long.

Caption 32, Deutsch mit Eylin: Das Alphabet

 Play Caption

banner PLACEHOLDER

Now let's take a look at how  der Haken  is used idiomatically in the form einen Haken haben:

Dieses Kompliment seiner Frau ist schön, hat allerdings auch einen Haken.

This compliment by his wife is nice, however, it also has a catch.

Caption 19, Theater: Mörderische Phantasien

 Play Caption

Die Sache hat einen Haken.

In this matter, there's a catch.

Caption 24, Küss mich, Frosch: Die Zeiten haben sich geändert

 Play Caption

You can also use the form ein Haken an etwas sein:

Ein Haken an der Sache ist der Preis: In der Hauptsaison zahlt eine vierköpfige Familie für die Lodgesuite am Gardasee pro Woche 1.400 Euro.

One catch with the whole thing is the price: During the peak season, a family of four pays 1,400 euros per week for the lodge suite on Lake Garda.

Captions 36-38, Glamping: Camping mit Stil

 Play Caption

Of course, ein Haken is also used in the literal sense to mean "a hook":

Unten am Fluss hängte er zuerst einen Wurm an den Haken und dann die Angel ins Wasser.

Down by the river, he first hung a worm on the hook and then cast the line into the water.

Captions 14-15, Janoschs Traumstunde: Post für den Tiger

 Play Caption

Ein solcher Fall ereignete sich, als sich ein Delfin in den Gewässern von Kona, Hawaii, einem Taucher näherte, weil ein Haken an seiner Flosse hing.

One such case occurred when a dolphin approached a diver in the waters of Kona, Hawaii, because a hook was attached to its fin.

Captions 14-16, Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt

 Play Caption

Der Delfin positionierte sich so vor dem Taucher, dass dieser den Haken entfernen konnte.

The dolphin positioned itself in front of the diver so that he could remove the hook.

Captions 17-18, Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt

 Play Caption

You'll note that "hook" is related to fishing. One easy way to remember this idiom is that "catch" is related to catching fish, which can be done with a hook. And that, dear Yabla readers, is der Haken!

Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and see the above examples in context. You can also make up some sentences of the saying using the forms einen Haken haben and ein Haken an etwas sein and have your teacher check them.

When it comes to German pronunciation, Yabla has you covered. In the videos, you hear German spoken exclusively by native speakers, and have the ability to slow down their speech. Additionally, Yabla has videos that point out the rules and tackle particularly tricky aspects of pronunciation. This week, we'll look at one topic for beginners and one that's a bit more advanced. In the examples, vocabulary related to pronunciation is highlighted.

In the German alphabet, there are standard pronunciations for the vowels—actually more so than in English. However, it's very important to know the following rule:

Wenn in einem Wort ein doppelter Konsonant vorkommt, werden die Vokale, die davor stehen, kurz ausgesprochen.

When a double consonant occurs in a word, the vowels that precede it are pronounced short.

Captions 24-25, Deutsch mit Eylin: Alphabet, Betonung und Aussprache

 Play Caption

An example of this is provided here:

Zum Beispiel „Ebbe“: Das „E“ wird kurz ausgesprochen. „Eben“: Das „E“ wird lang ausgesprochen.

For example, "ebb": The "E" is pronounced short. “Even”: The “E” is pronounced long.

Captions 26-27, Deutsch mit Eylin: Alphabet, Betonung und Aussprache

 Play Caption

banner PLACEHOLDER

Another topic that can be tricky is the "ich" and "ach" sounds that are so common in German words. Luckily, the following two-part video explains the rules for when they are used and how to make each sound:

Wenn das „CH“ nach „ä", „ö", „ü", „e“, „i“, „l“, „n“ und „r“ erscheint, ist es der „Ich“-Laut.

If the "CH" appears after "ä," "ö," "ü," "e," "i," "l," "n," or "r," it's the "ich" sound.

Captions 33-34, Deutsch mit Eylin Aussprache: Ich- und Ach-Laute - Part 1

 Play Caption

It's worth noting that like the vowel "e," the vowel combinations "ei" und "eu" are also followed by the "ich" sound. 

Wenn das „CH“ auf „a“, „o“, „u“ und „au“ folgt, dann ist es der „Ach“-Laut.

If the "CH" follows "a," "o," "u," or "au," then it's the "ach" sound.

Captions 14-15, Deutsch mit Eylin Aussprache: Ich- und Ach-Laute - Part 2

 Play Caption

Listening to the following example is a good way to understand the difference: 

In dem Wort „Töchter“ hörst du den „Ich“-Laut. Im Wort „Tochter“ den „Ach“-Laut.

In the word “daughters," you hear the “ich” sound. In the word “daughter," the “ach” sound.

Captions 11-12, Deutsch mit Eylin Aussprache: Ich- und Ach-Laute - Part 1

 Play Caption

Further Learning
We will be back with more tips on pronunciation and references to helpful Yabla videos in the future. To learn more about the topics in this lesson, watch the three videos mentioned above on German Yabla in their entirety. The first video contains a guide to the entire alphabet. The other two look at many more examples of "ich" and "ach" sounds and explain how to make these sounds like a real native speaker!