One of the very first verbs you'll learn when studying German is sprechen ("to speak"). While watching videos on Yabla, however, you may have noticed that there are many verbs that consist of sprechen and a prefix. 

Some separable verbs include the words for "to say out loud" and "to repeat out loud":

Ich spreche vor und du kannst sie nachsprechen.

I'll say them out loud, and you can repeat them.

Caption 35, Deutsch mit Eylin: Umlaute

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The verb aussprechen can mean "to express" or "to pronounce" depending on the context. 

Und lassen Sie mich auch hier Dank aussprechen an Menschen, denen zu selten gedankt wird. 

And let me at this point also express gratitude to people who are too rarely thanked. 

Captions 1-2, Coronavirus: Fernsehansprache von Angela Merkel

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Das deutsche „Z“ wird immer so ausgesprochen.

The German "Z" is always pronounced like this.

Caption 21, Deutsch mit Eylin: S und Z

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The verb ansprechen means "to address." Like in English, you can address a person or address a topic:

Ich war mir nicht sicher, wie ich es ansprechen sollte.

I was not sure how to address it.

Caption 11, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Probleme

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Sie ist sofort abgehauen, als Frau Lenz die Sache angesprochen hat.

She immediately took off when Ms. Lenz raised the matter.

Caption 65, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt

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There are also some inseparable verbs that you have likely already encountered. For a topic that's being discussed, you can use sprechen über or the verb besprechen.

Um die Einzelheiten zu besprechen.

To talk about the specific details.

Caption 11, Berufsleben:  Probleme mit Mitarbeitern

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Dieses Thema haben wir schon in einem anderen Video besprochen.

We already spoke about this theme in another video.

Caption 3, Eva erklärt: die Steigerung von Adjektiven und Adverbien

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And though it's a bit different, let's include the verb versprechen ("to promise") as well:

Na gut, aber ihr müsst versprechen, dass ihr wach bleibt. -Versprochen.

All right, but you have to promise that you will stay awake. -Promised.

Caption 25, Peppa Wutz: Sterne - Zahnfee - Übernachtungsparty

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Further Learning
You can find many examples of these verbs conjugated on Yabla German. Stay tuned for a follow-up lesson in a few weeks!

The German name of the city of Munich is "München," which is a difficult word to pronounce correctly. The problem for many native English speakers is that "München" contains a difficult vowel and consonant combination (ü and ch) — sounds that don't really exist in the English language. And when you add a third consonant ("n") into the mix, you wind up with a potential tongue-twister. So let's focus today on learning to pronounce "München" correctly and not having it sound like something between "Munchkin" and "moonshine!"

Let's start with the umlaut vowel "ü." It's best if you click directly on the Deutsch mit Eylin video link below and listen to the "ü" sound several times before trying to imitate it. Notice that you may have to make a different shape with your mouth to get the sound right. Much like playing a musical instrument, learning to pronounce new sounds in a foreign language requires muscle memory: training your mouth to make different shapes than it is used to!

Das „Ü“ findest du ganz leicht,

You can easily make the "Ü"

wenn du ein übertriebenes „I“ sprichst.

when you say an exaggerated "I."

Caption 26, Deutsch mit Eylin - Umlaute

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Iiiüüü. Iiiüüü. Super!

Iiiüüü. Iiiüüü. Excellent!

So hört sich das „Ü“ im Deutschen an.

This is what the "Ü" sounds like in German.

Captions 29-32, Deutsch mit Eylin - Umlaute

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Next, let's look at the consonant combination "ch" in German. This consonant combination is often used in diminutive forms such as ein bisschen, or das Mädchen. The most commonly spoken word with this "ch" combination is probably when you're talking about yourself: ich. It's pretty normal for beginners to pronounce it too hard like "ick," or too soft like "ish." It's actually closer to the harder "ick" sound, but instead of clicking the "k" sound on the back of the roof of your mouth, you let it more or less extend as a kind of hissing sound from the front of the roof of your mouth.

Listen to captions 49-51 repeatedly in the following video and then practice pronouncing them yourself. The three highlighted words all have the same soft "ch" sounds: weich, durchgekocht, and riecht. Be careful that you don't mispronounce the "ch" as a hard "k" or a soft "sh"!

Ja, die Birnen sind jetzt weich

Yes, the pears are now soft,

und die Bohnen sind durchgekocht

and the beans are cooked through,

und es riecht sehr, sehr lecker.

and it smells really, really delicious.

Captions 49-51, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte - Hamburg

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Now that you have practiced saying the vowel "ü" and the consonant "ch," it's time for the challenge of pronouncing both of them together with the consonant "n" in between: München, here we come!

Ich komme dich in München besuchen.

I'm coming to visit you in Munich.

Caption 20, Deutsch mit Eylin - Das Futur bilden

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Meine älteste Schwester Anne

My eldest sister Anne

eröffnete in München den ersten Bioladen der Stadt!

opened in Munich the city's first organic food store!

Captions 39-40, Deutsch mit Eylin - Ernährungsformen

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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for videos about München. Now that you have learned to pronounce it correctly, you can learn a bit more about the culture of the city. In a coming lesson, we'll be addressing the pronunciation of "Berlin," a city name that Germans themselves often mispronounce when trying to speak its standard English pronunciation!