Sure, learning to count is one of the first things new language learners do in any language, though most people start with numbers from eins to zehn. But who wants to be like most people? Push yourself to go for those extra zwei numbers, learn to count to 12 in German, and you will be well on your way to laying a solid foundation for your new language.
This isn’t just about going the extra mile. There is something magical about counting all the way to zwölf in German (and it isn’t that song all of us of a certain age learned to count with). I believe this so strongly, I even ask my students to learn to count to zwölf before I teach them to read.
Listen and learn to count to 12 in German
See, between the numbers eins and zwölf come all the German sounds native English speakers struggle to produce. First, you have the German r, rolled beautifully at the back of the throat. Then you have an ü and an ö. You even have a z, which sounds more like ts. Most important — and the reason I require this before we begin reading–you have both the v and the w. Honestly. Native English speakers tend to struggle with these two sounds almost as much as we struggle with the German r. It isn’t that we can’t say /f/ and /v/. We say both very well. It is that we can’t see a v and say /f/ or see a w and say /v/. It’s hard. Really hard.
And this is where learning the numbers all the way up to zwölf comes in. After you have listened to the young man above rap his way from eins zu zwölf, take a stab at this memory game.
Match the numbers from one to twelve in German
Are you starting to hear the unique sounds of the German language? Once you feel confident, you can test yourself here. Then say the numbers and see if an inanimate computer program can understand you. (This only works with a Chrome browser. If you don’t have Chrome, just read the numbers out loud.) Click “show solution” to see what the program thought you said. A lot goes into whether the computer can interpret what you said, so don’t get too hung up if it says you get one (or several) incorrect.
Practice counting to twelve in German
Listen carefully. Repeat the numbers. Record yourself saying the numbers, then go back and compare that with Germans counting to zwölf. Or rapping to zwölf, as the case may be.
Record yourself counting to twelve in German.
Afterwards, compare what you sound like to the numbers spoken above.
Congratulations! Mastering the numbers from eins zu zwölf is a tremendous step toward mastering German pronunciation. You can take another step by practicing with more interactive content in German. And you can take a whole leap by subscribing to my newsletter and never missing another post!