German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "verlieren" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce verlieren in German?

verlieren is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /fɛɐ̯ˈliː.ʁən/. It means “to lose.” fer-LEE-ren. The v is an f, the prefix is unstressed, and ie is a long 'ee'.

fer-LEE-ren. The v is an f, the prefix is unstressed, and ie is a long 'ee'.

verlieren /fɛɐ̯ˈliː.ʁən/

Second syllable, since ver- can never take the beat. This word is unusually useful for hearing the two lives of German r within a single word: the first one dissolves into a vowel because a consonant follows, and the second is scraped at the back of the throat because a vowel follows.

Listen: verlieren

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Sound it out

ver An unstressed inseparable prefix: f, then a short e with the r vocalised into a dark 'uh'.

ie A single long 'ee', carrying the stress.

r This r is a real consonant, because a vowel follows it — so the word contains both kinds of r, the vocalised one in the prefix and the scraped one here.

en An unstressed ending whose vowel is a plain 'uh'.

Hear it in a sentence

Ich verliere immer meinen Schlüssel.

I always lose my key.

Listen: Ich verliere immer meinen Schlüssel.

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Ich verliere immer meinen Schlüssel keeps the verb whole in second position, as inseparable verbs always do. Immer opens with a glottal stop and holds a short i, while meinen carries the masculine accusative -en. The sentence ends on Schlüssel with its schl cluster and short front-rounded ü.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers stress the prefix and voice the v, giving 'VER-lieren' with an English v — two errors in one syllable. The prefix is unstressed and its v is an f. After that, the pair of r sounds is the interesting work: resist making them identical, since German treats them as genuinely different depending on what follows.