In last week's lesson, we looked at compound nouns that employ the noun das Zeug. But it doesn't stop there. 

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

In addition to dozens of nouns with the -zeug ending, there are others that use it as a root. One common noun is das Zeugnis, which can refer to a report, a (school) certificate, or a testament/testimony. 

Das ist beim Stand der Dinge heute das älteste authentische Zeugnis für Christentum.

This is, as things stand today, the oldest authentic testimony of Christianity.

Captions 39-40, Archäologie: Der Fund der Frankfurter Silberinschrift

 Play Caption

The word der Zeuge or die Zeugin means "the witness." 

Ja, ich habe eine Zeugin mitgebracht, Frau Vorsitzende.

Yes, I brought along a witness, your honor.

Caption 30, Yabla Gerichtshof: Probleme des Zusammenlebens

 Play Caption

Other words include das Erzeugnis ("the product"), der Erzeuger / die Erzeugerin ("the producer," "the creator," "the procreator"), and das Zeughaus ("the armory").

Verbs include zeugen and erzeugen. The verb zeugen is used to describe procreation, and also for testifying or bearing evidence in a formal or abstract sense. When it comes to bearing witness or testifying to something specific, the verb bezeugen may be used. The verb erzeugen, on the other hand, is used for the production, creation, or generation of something other than humans or animals. 

Wehranlagen zeugen von der kriegerischen Vergangenheit.

Fortifications testify to its war-torn past.

Caption 13, Die Alpen von oben S1 E1: Von den Karawanken nach Graz

 Play Caption

Ich möchte bezeugen, dass meine Schwester mich und meine kleinen Geschwister schlecht erzogen hat.

I would like to testify that my sister raised me and my little siblings badly.

Captions 7-8, Yabla Gerichtshof: Das verzogene Hündchen

 Play Caption

Das heißt, man erzeugt dabei keinen Ton.

That means when you make them, you don't produce any sort of tone.

Caption 9, Deutsch mit Eylin: Ich- und Ach-Laute

 Play Caption

Finally, let's look at two expressions with das Zeug: was das Zeug hält and ins Zeug legen. 

Trotz vollen Terminplänen und Stress strahlt die deutsch-amerikanische Sängerin, was das Zeug hält.

Despite the full agenda and the stress, the German-American singer beams as much as possible.

Captions 4-5, Cassandra Steen Geheimnis für positive Energie

 Play Caption

Das ist Ansporn für den Hahn, sich erst recht ins Zeug zu legen [Redewendung].

This is an incentive for the male grouse to really put in a lot of effort.

Caption 32, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 1

 Play Caption

Further Learning
Try looking for additional examples of the verbs in use on Yabla German and building your own sentences with these two expressions. 

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!