German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "der Strand" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce der Strand in German?

der Strand is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /deːɐ̯ ʃtʁant/. It means “beach (pl. Strände).” dair SHTRANT. 'sht' plus a throaty r opens the word, and the final d hardens into a t.

dair SHTRANT. 'sht' plus a throaty r opens the word, and the final d hardens into a t.

der Strand /deːɐ̯ ʃtʁant/

One beat with a three-consonant onset and a two-consonant close. The plural Strände fronts the vowel to a short ä and adds a schwa, which restores the d's voicing and gives the word a much softer finish than the singular has.

Listen: der Strand

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Sound it out

Str A three-part onset: sh, then t, then the uvular r. English has str but with a plain s and an English r, so both halves need moving.

a Short and open, kept short by the consonants behind it.

nd Run together with no vowel between them, and the d devoices to t at the end of the word.

Hear it in a sentence

Wir gehen an den Strand.

We're going to the beach.

Listen: Wir gehen an den Strand.

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Wir gehen an den Strand uses the accusative den because the sentence describes movement toward the beach. With a stationary verb the same preposition would take the dative — am Strand liegen, to lie on the beach — so the case carries the whole distinction.

Where English speakers slip

English strand is spelled identically and pronounced with a plain s, an English r and a voiced d — so all three of German's changes get skipped at once. Say sh, then t, then a back-of-throat r, and finish on a hard t. The vowel is the only part that carries over unchanged.