German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "arbeiten" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce arbeiten in German?

arbeiten is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈaʁ.baɪ̯.tn̩/. It means “to work.” AR-by-tn. Three syllables, a glottal catch at the start, and ei as 'eye'.

AR-by-tn. Three syllables, a glottal catch at the start, and ei as 'eye'.

arbeiten /ˈaʁ.baɪ̯.tn̩/

The beat lands on the first syllable, AR-, even though the diphthong in the middle is the loudest-looking part of the word. German native vocabulary anchors stress at the front, and this word is a good test of whether that habit has taken hold — anyone stressing ar-BEI-ten is still applying English or Romance instincts.

Listen: arbeiten

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Sound it out

ar A short a preceded by a light glottal stop, with the r behind it colouring the vowel rather than standing as a separate consonant.

ei The 'eye' diphthong, carrying no stress here but keeping its full quality.

t A crisp t, and because the stem already ends in t, the conjugated forms insert a helping e: du arbeitest, er arbeitet.

en Reduced to a hummed n, with no vowel between it and the consonant before it.

Hear it in a sentence

Ich arbeite in einem Büro.

I work in an office.

Listen: Ich arbeite in einem Büro.

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Ich arbeite in einem Büro uses the dative einem because in with a location takes the dative. Büro is a French borrowing and therefore escapes the first-syllable rule entirely, stressing its second syllable with a long o: bü-RO. Two words, two opposite stress patterns, in the same short sentence.

Where English speakers slip

Stressing the middle syllable is the commonest error, encouraged by the visually prominent ei. Put the weight at the front. Then check the diphthong itself, which learners often read as 'ay', giving 'ar-BAY-ten' — a double mistake, wrong stress and wrong vowel. And do not forget the small glottal catch that opens the word.