German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "das Pferd" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce das Pferd in German?

das Pferd is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /das pfeːɐ̯t/. It means “horse (pl. Pferde).” dass PFAIRT. It opens on the pf affricate — p and f in one motion — and ends with a d hardened to t.

dass PFAIRT. It opens on the pf affricate — p and f in one motion — and ends with a d hardened to t.

das Pferd /das pfeːɐ̯t/

One long syllable bracketed by two demanding consonants: an affricate at the front and a devoiced stop at the back, with a long vowel and a vocalised r between them. The plural Pferde adds a schwa, which restores the d's voicing and gives the word a softer finish.

Listen: das Pferd

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Sound it out

Pf One sound, not two. Close the lips for the p and release straight into the f. Starting a word this way is harder than ending one, as in Kopf, so it repays slow practice.

e A long 'ay', held flat rather than gliding as English would.

r Softens into an 'uh'. Curling the tongue for it is the American habit to drop.

d Written d, said t — final devoicing applies without exception.

Hear it in a sentence

Das Pferd läuft sehr schnell.

The horse runs very fast.

Listen: Das Pferd läuft sehr schnell.

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Das Pferd läuft sehr schnell has läuft with äu, the umlauted form of au, which is pronounced 'oy' exactly like eu. Schnell opens with sh running into n, so the sentence contains two clusters English cannot begin a word with.

Where English speakers slip

English has no word-initial pf, so speakers drop one half and produce 'fairt' or 'pairt'. Both consonants must sound, and they must be continuous rather than separated. Practise it against Kopf first, where the same affricate ends the word and is a little easier to feel.