LingoDrop
German · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "nur" in German?
NOOR, or 'NOO-uh'. A long, firmly rounded 'oo' with the r melting into a vowel behind it.
A single long syllable, and the word takes real emphasis because it is limiting something — the point of saying only is to draw attention to the limit. Its position in the sentence also matters: nur immediately before a word restricts that word specifically, so both placement and stress carry meaning.
Listen: nur
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Hear it in a sentence
Ich habe nur zehn Euro.
I only have ten euros.
Listen: Ich habe nur zehn Euro.
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Ich habe nur zehn Euro puts the limiter directly before the amount, restricting the number rather than the having. Zehn opens on 'ts' and holds a long 'ay', and Euro stays singular after a number, which is the German rule for currency and never takes a plural s.
Where English speakers slip
American speakers curl the r and produce something like the English word newer. German keeps the vowel long and rounded and lets the r fade. Watch the vowel quality too: it must be a genuine back 'oo' rather than the fronted vowel a French-trained ear might supply, since that would push it toward ü.