German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "bezahlen" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce bezahlen in German?

bezahlen is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /bəˈtsaː.lən/. It means “to pay.” buh-TSAH-len. The be- prefix is an unstressed schwa, the z is 'ts', and the a is long.

buh-TSAH-len. The be- prefix is an unstressed schwa, the z is 'ts', and the a is long.

bezahlen /bəˈtsaː.lən/

Second syllable, because be- is inseparable. As with gefallen and verstehen, the unstressed prefix also means no ge- in the participle: bezahlt, not gebezahlt. The stress pattern and the participle form are two sides of the same rule.

Listen: bezahlen

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Sound it out

be An unstressed inseparable prefix, reduced to b plus a schwa. It never takes the beat and never detaches.

z 'ts', as always in German.

ah A long open a with the h as a silent length marker.

len A bright l and an unstressed ending.

Hear it in a sentence

Ich möchte bitte bezahlen.

I'd like to pay, please.

Listen: Ich möchte bitte bezahlen.

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Ich möchte bitte bezahlen sends the infinitive to the end after the polite modal möchte, which has a short front-rounded ö followed by the soft ich-laut. Bitte slots in between them as a courtesy word, so the sentence reads as a request rather than a demand — a very German way to ask for the bill.

Where English speakers slip

The prefix pulls English speakers' stress forward, giving 'BE-zahlen', and the z pulls them toward a buzzing English z. Both are wrong: the beat is on the second syllable and the z is 'ts'. Keep the a long as well — the silent h is telling you to, and shortening it makes the middle of the word sound rushed.